The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-12-10
AN OLD PIONEERS STORY.
Murder Trial In Ouachita i'm 1916.
BY JOHN T. FAULK.

Murder Trial In Ouachlta In 1916.
BY JOHN T. FAULK.
from the Ouachita Telegraph
Between the years 1907 and 1911
there was great flow of immigra-
ton to Ouachita Parish, including
many persons who would have done
honor to any counry, while there were
others whose removal was happy
riddance to the place they left. One
man among the immigrants who
came to Ouachita parish in 1916
was Stephen Maddox. This man
had a wife, with whom he lived
nearly four years. All of a sudden
they discovered that they were
transgressing the laws of the COM
monwealth, and they amicably sepa-
rated.
Some few months after this sep
aration, Maddox offered his hand in
marriage to Miss Donivan, and by
her the offer was accepted. They
soon were man and wife. Miss Don
ivan was one of a connection of the
most numerous families then in all
of Ouachita parish, although Qua
chita was then composed Of terrific
nv fourteen times as large as what
is now known as Ouachita parish.
The newly married pair settled
down about one mile from Mrs. Bak-
er,s. the woman we once thought to
be the wife of Stephen Maddox.
Some thirteen months after the mar
riage of Maddox with Miss Donivan,
business called him away to Virgin
ia. the mother of States. During
his absence,-I think, in 1914 his
wife, as was her practice, spent a
day with Mrs. Baker, carding and
spinning cotton into thread to make
cloth, for those days it was the way
| in which all were clothed. Both
rich and poor, were clothed with
homespun, home-wove, homemade
cloth. Reader, those were happy,
halcyon days!
The day that Mrs. Maddox spent
with Mrs. Baker, was her last day
on earth. That day there fell a
heavy rain. A friendly negro man
came to where Mrs. Maddox was;
and addressing her in a freedom.
like manner-no doubt, as he had
done a thousand times, for he be
longed to the lady's mother-he said
Miss Patsy, you had better &c
home. for YOU know it rained to-day
and your house leaks badly, ano
, your things are wet. Sure you
ought to 60 home and take care O.
them"
The lady replied: "I will gt
when I see fit."
Three times the, negro advised
his Young mistress to go home
and take care of her furni
ture,. she putting him off each time
So it was, she staid until after sup
per, then took a torch of pine fag
gots to light her home. She go
about half way, and there it ap
peared her walk on earth ended.
On the next morning some one o
the neighbors went to Maddox's, bu
found no one at home. 1t appeare,
this parsonage knew that Mrs. Mad
dox had spent, or had been, the da
before at Mrs. Bakers, for so al
had learned was her real name. s
This neighbor continued on t
Mrs. Bakers, and about half-wa
came upon pool of blood, and th
spot Showed much sign of scuff1ins
4 Examining around on each.side Of th
road, a few rods distant on one sid
there lay the upper portion of
i woman's body. The backbone ha
been severed just above the hip
The lower portion of the body La
"a off to one side; the two being abot
100 hundred yards apart. An il
FAINT, as it seemed to those versed
such matters, about four and-a-ha
months old, with the mothers apro
spread over it, lay near by.
The news of the murder Of Mr.
Maddox was carrid over the nelg
> borhood with almost telegraph
speed. Suspicion fell with leade
weight upon Milly Baker, that 81
had Murdered Patsy Donivan, 4
- rather Patsy Maddox; and in
short time Mrs. Baker was a prise
er in the hands Of the Sheri
who had great difficulty in savil
the prisoner from being lynched
death. r e.. -. - s=ar
Il Mind, this was in 1914, and MI
Baker was not put npon trial uni
1916. Judge Dunlap presided
. Judge, and George Eustis was Sc
from New Orleans to prosecute t
prisoner, and he did it with a det'
mined spirit to make an examI
of her. Guilty, or not. guilty, \
mind was made up to make an
ample of Mrs. Baker. q
The Jury was, with no LIT
trouble, empanneled. Eight OF
number were old and staid Fren
gentlemen, one an Englishmen, a
three of them were Americans, q
the manor born
The prisoner faced the jury,
each one was called, but she refus
none. Not afew, however, were
cused, or excused, for having
pressed an opinion upon the Ga
The writer ofthis was one OF theJ Ju
,ad I watched the prisoner closely, 9
a. attended to the words of the witnes
81 Of whom there were a host. ID
ler in the second day the testimt