Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-07-12
ROPE DANCERS.
Indian and White Men Hung at Fort
Smith History Of the Defunot

Thompson, white man, John Davis.
a full blooded Choc;aw Indian, and
Jack Womankiller, a Cherokee, were
hanged here to-day at noon for muir
ders committed in the Indian terri
tory.
DAN w. JONES' CRIME,
or the crime for which he was tried,
convicted and sentenced 10 be hanged
on the 18th Of July, was the murder of
his cousin, Bill Jones, In the Choctaw
nation several years ago. He Ia one Of
the class of bad white men who seek
home and refuge In the Indian terri
tory. and his career has been q cheq- |
uered one. l ei ip
According to the testimony in the
case. Dan and Bill Jones were outlaws
from Scott county. Ark, having fled
to the nation to escape
arrest, and were domiciied In
an old sbanty in the wilds of the Choc-
taw nation. On the night of the kill
ing of Bill Jones he and his mistress,
the former wife of Dan Jones, were
sleeping in one room and Dan in an
adjoining room. The woman was
y ,rtially awakened by pistol shot
and fully aroused to consciousness by
the calls of Dan Jones, whom she
found standing ut the bedside. Bill
Jones was breathing his last and the
blood was gushing from bullet wound
in his left cheek. Bills pistol was
found near the bed with one chamber
empty, and the plea of the defense was
that Bill Jones shot himself while
asleep, for 1t was proven conclusively
that the shooting was not done by any
| a ,f t.. 10 al
ways slept with his pistol near him,
when asleep, imagining that he was
fighting with officers Of the law who
were pursuing him.
There were no persons In the house
except Dan and Bill Jones, the woman
and three little children, aud the the
TRY of the prosecution was that Dan
Jones did the shooting, and as II mo-
tive proved that during the year 1876
he was sent to the Texas peni
Tertiary for two years for emb,2zle-
m-nt. At that time he had "A
wife and two children living in
Scott county, Ark, whom he left in
charge of his cousin during his incar-
ceration. After serving out his SEN
tence Dan returned home and there
found another child. Bill acknowl-
edged that he was the father of this
new arrival and Dams wife expressed
"a preference for remaining with Bill
This seemed to hurt the deserted hus.
band, but he bore with his i'll treat
ment aud matters were apparently set
tied In satisfactory manner and the
} two men were constant companions
from that time until Bill's death, but
according to the theory of the p Osecu-
| III mil hi ~ nj
Dan Jones deadly malice and thirst
for vengeance which caused him u
} quietly arise from his bed that night
and STAY the man who robbed him oi
u wife's affections
: No one seemed to consider Dan
guilty of this killing and he WAS not
, arrested until about a year ago, when
he was brought here on charge o.
!, larceny, and, while in the United
States Jail, WAS indicted for this muir
der, aud the circumstances surround
ing the case, together with the wropg'
done him by his cousin, led to Dan,
conviction. A motion for new trial wa.
overruled by the court, but "A commu
} tatiOn of sentence was persistently
urged both by the court and district
: attorney, and at the eleventh hour was
granted. Jones asserts his innocence
: and seems TO feel that great wrony'
4 have been heaped upon him. He II
rather intelligent, but reticent anC
7 morose.
FANNY ECHoI.S,
the other prisoner who so narrowl,
( escaped hanging, Is bright youpl
I negro woman whose crime was brough
about by the improper relation whicl
q existed between her victim and her
( self for long time previous TO tn
r tragedy. She was convicted las
q December of the murder of her lover
n negro named John Williams, a
Eufaula, in the Creek nation, In July
She had for long time been the mi
/ tress of Williams, who was very Jealou
l. hearted, and frequent quarrels were tn
h result. On the night OF the killing
u which occurred in Fanny's room. the
% had been quarreling as usual, and h
became very angry because sh
attended wedding with anothe
!, fellow. Upon returning froI
y the wedding, the quarrt
l. was resumed and Williams reiIerate
: his threats to kill her. They finally bt
!, came pacifled and went to bed. hu
!. after awhile parties living in the sam
q house were startled bya pistol shot j
e the room, and on entering found Wi
70 liams lying on the bed shot throug
&c the body and dying. The ball weI
:, through the bed in such manner tbs
~ the presumption arose that William
- had been shot while lying on hi, b &C
4 in bed unsuspicious of danger, bi
!" Fanny stoutly affirmed that the killn
was done i'm self-defense, that Wi
liams was trying to get the pistol
kill her, when she grabbed it aud she
= him while he had hold OF the barr,
a endeavoring to take 1t from her In o
~ der to carry out his threats. In tn
70 "a case also the United States judge an
~ prosecuting attorney recommended e,
~ ecutive clemency In consequence I
g which Fanny Ecbols goes to prison il
stead of the gsllows.
THOMAS l. THOMPSON,
q white wan almost thirty-f ve years
age, was living Ia the Chickasaw n,
ton, 1t, with James O'Haltren, all
o. u white man. They made crop h
At gether and owned team, q lot of hog
a. some tools and other articles togethel
O'Halleren had sold his part OF Iii
IF crop and intended moving to Texa
z but feeling Ill he had 10 postpone h
4 trip. and before recovering he WI
st slain by Thompson with a tomfullt
pesile-a large club shaped like
rs Inallet aud used by the Indian
X for MASKING corn--and then to MAX
4. 4. -, H..