Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-03-01
ABILENE.
Brutal Murder of Shcepmau In Jones
County.
Bingham Slain by Old Man Swain and
His Sons.
shocking Scenes Defiance of The Crowd
by the Murderer.
Special to the Gazette.

| Speclll 10 inc bdAlAt's
Abilene, FEBRUARY 2S.-The pafticu-
lars ola brutal murder in Jones couii
w have lust reached here murder ~,
| a character SO outrageous ttht ~ WIZ
| leave a dark stain upon TINS seclloh gu
the state for years to come. give lhe
! facts rs developed at The inquest, anu
NJ learned from outside partles' MI
| ThOs. j. Bingham was u sheepiilan,
| and also was the owner oil nan inter-
est in II stock Of hogs in the Jones
| county shineries. Ihere are o'hr'
parties also interested in hogs III ne
shiner,s among whom an OLD man ny
the name of Swain and three or four
sons claimed 10 own hog-claims there;
Sometime this winter Bingham killed
hog, which the SWANS claimed was
theirs, which claim was disputed, out
Bingham told them that II they would
swear that the hog was theirs lhey
could have it. They brought suit
against Bingham for the value OF the
hog in Justice Flliotts court Bing-
ham had two or three witnesses ready
to sw ,ar positively IA to the identity
of the hog, and the SWANS saw they
would he beaten In the court, ana were
further enfaged when Bingham, by
plea in abatement because his partner
in the hog claim had not been made a
party to the suit, had the case dis
missed and all costs taxed against
them up To that date, last saturday,
23rd. 1t was finally agreed that the
case should be decided out ide OF the
court by arbitration under the statute
provisions, and Monday, the 10Th, was
set for the day, mt Justice fliiotts,
bingham, 1t appears, ~entto The place
of arbitration unarmed, expecting an
amicable adjustment of the dispute;
waited until IL o'clock for the SWANS,
who came in all together, the old man
with black-snake whip in his hand,
and the boys all following Immedi
ately Swain began to dispute with
Bingham about the costs that had
been adiudged against them, swear
ing he would not pay it. swain
then asked Bingham If he would
swear 10 certain things, aud
he replied that he woHld and he cor
roborated by a half-dozen witnesses.
: vain replied that he would swear 10
II lie. Then Bingham told him if he
were not an old man he would hear
no such language from him. Here the
Justice stepped between them and told
llitfl MVultl nave III
his yard. One of the Swain boys then
stepped in between them and told |
Bingham II do his talking to him, at |
The same time drawing u revolver, |
v lille old man Swain was striking
Bingham over the shoulders of Justice |
Elliott with his whip. Bingham had |
leen whiting with small barlow |
lnife, which he still held in his hand, !
Ia i,.lp 1, In
n the cheek, who fired, striking him
n the left breast. At this moment
wO of the other Swain boys seize
Bingham and began shoo,ing him,
vi lie the old man, who was now using
knife instead of his whip, was cut
ing him Bingham retreated, fight
'tapon, until exhausted from the eff
,cts of his wounds lie sank to the
ne gr und. 1t would seem that if the
wains could add anything 10 the hor-
RS of their butchery of their I'M
lis time. The old man stopped
,ught his PROSTATE victim by the
boulder and stabbed him in the
ack, and one of the boys walked up
nd shot him, while Bingham pleaded,
For Gods sake stop, you have al
pady killed mem He expired in
bout twenty minutes, saying nothing
urther. except John Swain killed
ne" Justice Elliott ordered the
rowd present TO rrest them, but no
ne was armed but the SWANS, who
nok Il Winchester from their wagon, de
Iherutely reloaded their arms, detied
he crowd and started ont at the gate,
When the old man returned to where
Bingham lay dying and said TO him:
Die, you ID red. headed g. Of a h.,
nd 20 to HI where you belong'
Then he got in his wagon, stood up
waved his lat and all drove oil. The
ccounts given of the but ,hery depict
I MS one of the most blood curdlug
murders ever charged to Texas. The
Id man Swain and one of the
,oys the one cut by Bingham)
we're captured the night of the muir
Ter. while the other two b lys are still
Il large. There Is much Indignation
mong the good citizens of Jones
ounty at this outrage, and ] under
tand there has been talk of calling in
Judge Lynch to have an immediate
rial of the case 1t is said that the
Swains had further motive for the
murder than was developed at the In
quest, in the fact that Bingham knew
of some of their cattle-steal.
ng transactions. Tom Bingham was
veil known in this section of the state
- AN honest, peaceable, hut very
,rave, man.
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