The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-04-18
NO. l54.

had received, saying to his captors.
"Take this, il has been like lead In my
pocket ever since the day / got it.n he
told about the whole transaction--said
Ray did the killing and he was inno-
cent. His statement was not believed
and the jury returned averdict of guilty
OF murder against Fred Ray and VIM.
Meadows. and not guilty AZ to Joe Ray.
MASON P. HoLCoMB
was tried and convicted last December
for the murder of Franz Sigel Fischer.
Holcomb and Fischer were comrades
working together in the hay fields near
McAllister station, ON the Missouri Pa.
ciac railroad, in July, 1888, and one
evening when their days work wa
done these two comrades, who had got
ten some whisky and had been drink
ing, walked quietly along together and
ior some unknown reason left their fell
low-workmen and quit the trail 10 take
snort route through the woods. In
.ne uense woods at q secluded spot thew
halted, and, according to the testimony
| OF Holcomb, they met negro whofs,
flscher, In his drunken reek les,i,ass.
wanted to shoot, when he (HulcomhI
rSmonstrated;a difficulty ensued, Fis-
cher attacked him, and then began n
scuille for the pistol; that Fischer he-
came furious, and he either had 10 shoot
him or be shot; that he killed Fischer to
save his own life, and fearing "the boys,
would not believe him, he fled 10 Ken
tucBy, his old home, where he was sub
sequently arrested. Holcomo pleaded
his innoc ance in that bold, frank man.
ner so common to the westerner, and
showed neither fear nor concern until
the sentence of death was pronounced
upon him, when he broke down COM
pletely and wept like child. He was
u handsome man, apparently WE'LL
raised and educated. and did not look
IKE murderer, but the
theory the government in the
prosecution of the case was that
Holcomb ia been bribed by enemies
of Fischer q murder him; that he per-
suaded Els ch to leave the trail and 20
, through the woods with him, and see-
, ing drove OF wild turkeys when in the
thickest of the woods, Holcomb bor-
| rowed Fischer'a pistol to shoot turkey
! for supper, and then turned on his
friend and murdered him. according IL
= his contract.
, WILLIAM NIoKsoN
: was the only negro in the gang tina
A was to have died to-day, the others al
0 being white men. His crime was com
D mitted in December, 1888, near LAX,
8 West, in the Choctaw Nation. A mum
I Der OF cotton pickers were having
y
4 the lookers-on was Nickson, who, beinl
d somewhat intoxicated, climbed upoi
o one OF the counters, where he dance,
a and jumped about in very disotderl
l. manner. All efforts to quiet hiI
S proved fruitless, until William Las
/, ter, one of the floor managers
d approached him and ordered him 70 b,
l. have. When asked who he was, Mel
d son replied: "I am little piece
?, helps fire" and put his hand upon h
Is pistol, and when Laster said to hin
|. mo id negro shall put his hand on h
pistol to shoot me-" Nickson drew h
o pistol and fired before Laster could x
I his pistol out, and ne dropped de,i
D. his tracts. Other shots were hred, bl
!" no one else was hurt. During the shoe
10 ing the lights went out and Nicksc
B. escaped, and was at large until last o
}. tober, when United States depu
IS marshal caught him unarmed and ,
Is feeted his arrest.