Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-11-14
THE WATTS CASE.
Trial Of the Parties Charged With the
Salt Fork Murder
Last Juno.
Tho Most Interesting Case in the History
OF the County.

Tho district court, Judge sluss presiding. was
engaged this week with n jury, In trying the
case Of the state of Kansas against Il. r. Ship
man. Hiram Dyer, Joseph Ringer. John Court
aud Richnrd Stevens. These are the parties
charged With killing, On the 18th Of June 1884,
Thos. n. Watt, AMI his son Chas II. Watt, on
the Gregory. Eldred & Cos. range, in the south
western part Of Barber county. The present
tra - Tor the killing Of Charles Henry Watts.
The other case hns not como up yet.
This case has attracted considerable interest
/ I'm this aud adjoining counties, and several par
ties i'm this county injudiciously held n public
meeting 90 ccnsurc the parties who were
/ charged with the killing, and nj the same time
/ demanding that the officers Of the law nfOrce
/ Il 20 thu fullest extent. Unquestionably,
i strong effort was made TO work up sympathy in
4 the county against the defendants and Il was
/ currently rJiinOred at one time that "A vigilance
/ committee had been organized to punish the
| defendants in case the court did not do them
| justice.
| Tho defendants were IN the employ of a veal
\ thy company, aud NJ the time of the Watts kAL
/ ing there was no small amount Of prejudice
against stockmen by "A class of citizens who
/ claimed that their rights were being trnmpled
/ on by stockmcn.
There WIS really no cause for this nniinOsity,
as the stockmcn had not attempted 10y force to
/ get or keep possession of ranges they were not
| entitled To.
! The defendants were all known rs quiet,
and orderly citizens; they had always been pop
ular among their acquaintance. and there was
no reason for considering them paid assassins,
/ or deliberate murdorcrs.
Considering that this case had been 30 gcner-
/
made to work up sympathy against the dcfen-
dHnts. 10 IL not strange. then, that IL WIS a
/ dinicult matter To secure a jury. More than
/ nifty men were examined before jury could be
obtained. nearly all Of those objected Co having
! formed aud expressed an opinion.
Tuesday afternoon, however, the following
jury was selected, and the case WIS proceeded
with.
THE JURY;
G. .. LLSCoLS, OF Medicine Lodge, stockman.
! ". a. BURNETT, Of sharon, a farmer.
| J. ". q. LITTLE, north Of town, farmer.
/ W. J. RORiSsoS, farmer.
! n. r. CAISON, north Of town, farmer.
| HARVEY kOnfNsON, north part of county. a
| farmer.
GEonGE sEcHRIsT, OF this town, keeps n res
tauupt.
I - " Afh'fhN0fNs HNAtih VI AWNUs lNINAtE Nilu
stoCkWuwcr.
/ wv. vASDoRlN, north part OF the county.
farmer.
! In. SLACK, north part Of county. farnicr.
] e. G. Pam, cn-t OF town. farmer.
/ J. +. LOTHIAN, north part Of the county. "A
| farmer.
/ Tho attorneys IN the ease arc Judge o. G.
| Howe, county attorney and G.. ". Martin for
the state; and e. W. & q. W. Ellis, +. Sample,
/ '. T.. Gillctt nnd A. Hopkins, for the dcfcn-
\ dautS.
/ Tho FIRST witnesses examined were two sons
\ and q daughter of Watts Tho boys testified to
| finding the bodies Of their fathcr AMI brother;
\ ot taking the bodies home, three miles away:
hat nothing new was clicitcd further than Is
contained in the history Of the case, IA pub
lishcd below:
HISTORY or THE CASE.
tFrom the Barber county INDEX, Juno 9th
| isSi1
| when the INDEX went to- press Inst week the
| coruncr's inquest IN the watts killing crse had
adjourned Ia this city. Jp To- that tEc the IN
| formation We had obtain, went 10 show abou:
ihiz state Of facts: Thcs X. Watts und his son
Ch"' II. watts, who resides acr,,ss the salt
FORK river ia tho extreme southwestern part
OF ibis county, or what Is known ~ Mexican
/ Fiat, were returning from the eastern part of
the county where they had been with two loads
/ ot fclct-pu-ts. I'm passing through the gate
between Gregory, Eldrcd Il COS. pasture and
| Tie Comhuchc pool, they left the ultc down and
| oven br~kc " up. They had been ia the habit
/ ot cutting p,t;c- ani otherwise hnrI ssing the
stockmcu along the line between the state ana
the territory, aud had been reconstructed with
but declared their intention to leave the gates
open when they liked.
/ TUESDAY evening June 18th, the parties IN
chtrgc Of the Gregory, Eldrcd & Co. camp ut
! Buffalo Springs learned that the r,,te had been
left open, md ID. +. Shipman. Hi. Dyer, Joe.
Ringer, John Court snd Dick stevens, started
to aud out who the guilty parties were, After
! following fresh wagon tracks for q milo and a
half inside the Comanchc pool, they came UP
ON oil man watts and his son. The young
nun was asked To stop by Mr.. Shipman, AMI
| nt that instant drew hts revolver to fire. but Il
being gr,sped 10y Mr.. Shipmun the shot went
into the ground. He raised his weapon again.
and this time ircd, the tall grazing Shipmnn's
side, and causing his horse To throw him. His
comrades supposed ShiDInan WIS killed. and at
oucc general firing took place, and when IL
was over, Watts and lis son were both found to
| bc dead.
I ahNh h'hA'N "fNt NON uiplfNltti. anu the par
ties rcturaci to camp and said nothing about
their exploit. The neat day Shipman and by
or came to town and notified the officials and
the coroner and the deputy sheriff and others
started To the scene of the tragedy.
In tho meantime the family of Watts became
alarmcd aud started out to look for him, and
found tho two bodies and took them across the
Salt Fork 10 their late home
Tho coruncr and party arrived there Thurs
day about noon, and after viewing the bodies
and taking the evidence OF the parties who
found thom, returned hGrc and Friday after
noon the inquest was continued, with the coun-
" attorney. J. W. McNcal representing the
state aud G.. W. 4 G.. W. Ellis and FL. sample
Tor defendants. Il such the parties Engaged in
the troublc may be called.
hr. Shipman was examined and gave i'm sub
stance the statement published last week and
reproduced rs above. Tie testified that. Of bis
party, Dyer, Ringer and Stevens were the ornv
ones armed. The only new point thnt came
/ out was that he believed he had seen vouny
Watts in tho Territory last fan, where he had
been cutting timber from tho Indian lands
AZ that time he. CShipmau) reconstructed with
watts and told him that ~ he cut any more
'imhor down there that he would De reported ON
aud perrin - taken to Fort smith. Watts re-
piled thut he wouid like to sec the man that
would try to take him 90 Fort Smith. When the
fatal difficulty occurred with young Watts. Mr..
shipman could not place him "a being the same
party that he met in the Territory; butt after
Wari occurred TO him that il WIS tho same
party.
The next witness called was John Court. and
rght here the lawyers had IA war of words, re-
sulting TN victory for tho defendants. Mr..
Sample and Mr.. Ellis objected to the examina-
ton OF Court or any of the others engaged I'm
the difficulty, fCr the reason that they could
not be compelled TO give evidence that would
leai 70 convict themselves. They appeared as
eclf-accuscrs, having voluntarily notified the
officers Of the killing, aud II they we're To testify
they might give evidence that would criminate
1 themselves.
| Mr. McNcaf .,,rto,,,, a.. -,