The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-06-04
THE HAWKINS CASE.
A Card from the 81. Louis Republican
Correspondent.
(Adyertisemcnt1

To the Editor of the Herald;
On the Oath of May sent the followin,
special telegram to the st. Louis Republican
which paper represent in Dallas as its regu
lar correspondent;
Dallas Texas, May 2t-W. j. Hawkins, o
| AshgrOye, Mo. who, about two months npo
KILLED Baxter NJ, Bell Ia this c unty, was To
| day admitted To bail In the sum + ~, OlO q
hhDeaS 90 Fus proceedings. A few week!
since hl5 accomplish, u sun of the murdeIet
| man, was admitted tu bail In tho sum nj
$1,000, but was unable to give the bond and /,
sti in iali At one time Hawkins abAn,
d0ned the Idea of hdbeas corpus proceedings
| believing rom the result of Bells case tha
as he (llaWkins) did all the shooting he woult
be refused Dali, hut last week hs made The
venture in court with favorable result To.
day. Upt O'Clock tonight lawkins had
not given The required bonds, but II is under.
stood he Will be able to do so, rs HIS Missouri
relatives are nnanc allysubstantial, and will be
ape nyp theo' te property enough 10 secure
b bndsmen here. 1t Is generally believed that
In this event the nOnd W II bc fore ted and
Hawkins never come to trial. out will leave
the country. Public continent Is almost
universally gu the side OF the victim If tne
shooting, who, at The time Of his murder, was
uugtIned, aud the result OF the trlnl of his
shaver 0uld be dead sure case of hanging.
In Texas crlmi nal law the fact that a murderer
Is admitted 10 IL has no weight IN the trial
as regards finding "a verdict of murder In the
first degree.
On May 9th the Republican published
the following from it's correspondent ut
Springfield, Missouri, the correspondent
sending the special at the request of w, T.
Chandler, of Ash Grove, Missouri, brother
in-law of w. j. Hawkins:
Spr gGeld, Mo-, May CIV t. Chandler.
o. An Grove, In this county, Writes your
a.Nttl liant IN Ent..R
Da as, Texas, in the Republican Of yes ter
day, concerning the case OF W. j. Hawkins
his broth sr-in-law, admitted to bali on the
charge OF killing h. M Belt. lie charges that
this and former specials from Dallas are infiu-
ence ny the prosecution ana thai il Is uu-
far aud unjust TO attempt to prejudice the
case Of II citizen OF Missouri through Missouri
newspapers, who, In d Tense of his wifes
honor, took the life of her traducer. For this
Ofiensa he is held in the Dallas lail, but he h q
been admitted to bal by Texas court, and
lis friends here propose furnishing the
necessary DO d. 1t Is now charged hat the
special In question was intended B. embarraSs
Or prevent such a.movement by all giug that
Hawk ms intended to forfeit HIS bond. Chan.
der is n merchant of Ash Grove, and there Is
not In Green county man who possesses the
confidence and esteem of the entire commu.
uity more than he does. His slater, Mrs.
Hawk ms, the wife of the prisoner, is living
with him, and great sympathy Is expressed
for her, as she Is a most esim tble woman.
This morning find this same Springfield
special published in the columns of the HER
AID rs IN advertisement. AS regards the
charge made by w. L. Chandler that have
been influenced by tho prosecution in sending
specials, denounce it as utterly false Neither
the prosecution or tho defence, or any living
person, has ever approached or influenced me
in one word that | have sent to the Repub-
lican. And no person who has known me
for the past six years in Dallas, will say that
| could be influenced unduly in any matter.
The specials have sent out have been on
my own judgment, and the result of careful
investigation, and | have been perfectly i'm
partial and in the case Of w. j. Hawkins
| believe the newspapers have all shown
more leniency than he deserved. And this
view believe to be the almost universal
view taken by those who are any way well
informed in the case. And it is also known
that since the murder two of the principal
witne SEES for the State have been gotten out
Of the cOuHtry, and could not he found during
the habeas corpus trial on which Hawkins
was admitted to ball. and their absence went
a long way toward the favorable termination
OF the proceedings in his behalf The where
abouts ofthess two principal State witnesses
are still unknown.
Since have been unjustly and untruthiully
accused, | will just say that | went to Rich
ardson on the same train on which Hawkins
went there to undergo his preliminary ex-
animation, which he waived, and while there
conversed with witnesses, had number of
interviews, and from my Investigations,
which were published in detail
in the HERALD. ana in brief form
in the Republican at the time, | became
convinced that he was guilty of as wiltul q
murder as was ever committed in Texas. And
since, under the laws Of the tate, his being
admitted to bail, | have heard AS good men
AS can be found in Dallas county say that
they did not believe that if Hawkins secured
the bond and released that he would
ever come to trial; that he would "iump' and
forfeit his bond. And have not heard u
single man say he believed he woul, appear
for trial. | have not tried to prejudice Haw-
kins' case. But will say since the matter
has been made so much of by his friends,
that | do believe the public good and the
good Of Texas would be hes
served by such criminals as he
is not being able to give
bail. AS regards B. NJ. Bell, the murdered
man, knew nothing by actual acquaintance,
but from investigation have yet to find his
first enemy among the people in the COM
munity where he lived. have not learned
from single witness whom | interviewed
that he ever asssiled the good name Of Mrs.
Hawkins They all said that he studiously
avoided tn t and applied all his remarks to
Mr.. Hawkins, Mr.. W. Il. Chandler and tn
divorced Mrs. Bell-and the latter persons
reputation and her connection with the two
men named is too well known in Dallas to
need any comment from me. again de-
nounce the charge of Mr.. w. 7. Chandler as
utterly false. j. q, McNEALus,