The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-29

l
his talk. The expression Of her face was
more haggard and peaked than ever. Dur
ing the sentence she held her face in her
hands and sobbed audibly. while the
doomed man seemed to forget himself and
came over to her and put his arms around
her and tried to calm her
THE PRISONERS WONDERFUL SPEECH.
Adams made wonderful speech. He is
not man of superior education or the
possessor of a maximum of personal tai
ents, but when his life was in the balance
arose to the occasion in a talk that left its
impression on his hearers. His eyes lit up
his paid face in a strange manner and he
talked without a hitch or falter. In his
first sentences there was just touch Of
anger, for he would strike table near him
with his clenched fist occasionally,
but this demonstration OF passion
soon subsidized and he talked fuently and
forcibly, interrogating the Judge occasion
ally in peculiar strained and beseeching
voice. He made gestures-not superfuous
and would show the court how he struck
Couch-then how he knelt and took aim.
There was good deal of gulping down a
lump 10 his throat and bathing Of eyes
among the audience when he proclaimed
his love and fidelity to his wife.
AT the very first he was anxious to
speak. 'fYour honor" he broke in with;
II wish to say word" "The court has
not finished yet;" said Judge Dundy, who
was talking. II will give you chance. !"
Shortly afterwards Adams proceeded. He
occupied nearly an hour in speaking. and
was loath to leave off. He said:
81 am doing this contrary to the advice
of my attorneys. They told me not to say
anything. l feel that l should tell the
court how this matter came about. l am
not here pleading for mercy, but asking
for justice. / am not a coward" The
prisoner took up the thread of the story OF
how he had entered the country to get
him home. Il bought the best horse
could find in the Chickasaw nation and at
IL o'clock swan the Canadian river and
made for my claim. When l
r waanr o eRsre the c 1onnd with G0uca
flag IN one hand and pistol in the other,
saying. II am the great Lam" | saw the
| town all covered with people. 1t has been
| since proven that these were all sooners,
and the town Of Oklahoma was all laid out
| by 10 o'clock Monday morning by the
Seminole Townsite company. That even
| ing l went to Guthrie reaching there IN
the evening of the same day, and stood
with my hand on the door knob ali night.
until about 7:30 next morning. At that
! hour United States Marshal Jones came TO
me requesting me to let number of dep
uty marshals in, and stated that any
favors that | might ask in return would
be given. Adams said he gave way and
allowed eight marshals to take their place
in the line ahead of him. He then be-
came ninth in the line. While they were
there in line, little while after this, Capt
Croker and Couch and others came up and
formed another line, and then dispute
arose as to which had the right of way
Couch got in quarrel with the fourth
man in the first line and knocked him
down. Then two soldiers were brought
in to guard the lines and keep order IN
them. The eight men to whom l had
given way made the first filings, l being
the ninth man to file. Then Adams re-
lated that two contestants on hls claim
each fenced off a small portion OF the
claim and were each living Oh it and that
he had no trouble with them. One of these
was Mr. Dawson. If Couch had done
what the others had done, he said, |
wouldn't be here today. Couch lived
about half mile away from me at the
other end of the claim. and came up the
morning of the trouble and built fence
nearly in front of my house. l called Bar
ker, a neighbor, TO go down with me to
see the Couches-Capt. Couch and his son.
Ira. who were building the fence Barker
said that mad better let them alone. He
said: eff you trouble them they will
shoot you" | said, II was going down
there and make them take that fence Oft
as they were intruding on my rights.
Barker and 1 went down. | told
Barker to take care of one and / would
take care of the other. Couch and l mad
few words Couch made pass at me
with the butt of his revolver. striking me
on the right forearm. | struck with my
left, hitting Couch on the under jaw and
knocking him down. AS soon as L did
that l backed out, Ira, the son, having
covered me with his revolver. Ira said:
Father, shall kill him?' Couch raised
up on his elbow and said No, do not
shoot adams added here that he would
say that much for Couch.) backed away,
both of them having me covered with
their revolvers Couch called me to throw
up my hands l hadn't coat on, nor had
l drawn my revolver. 1t was in my hip
pocket and could plainly be seen: did not
have my weapons concealed. They made
me take nv pistol out and throw it away.
l was mad by that time. was hot. | don't
know that / know what L was doing.
rushed to my house and got my Winchest-
err. The Couches fired at me as was on
nv way to the house. My little wife,
pointing to his wife, met me at the door.
She rushed out in the shower of bullets
that was raining down from the Couches
imploring them to stop. My wife went
down in front of me, not behind me, plead
ing with the Couches to stop firing. met
Parker. Parker said: For Gods sake, go
back. the Couches will kill you. They are
under the bridge, under the canal" Up to
this time had not fired. now took aim
at COUGHS head, who was standing in the
canal firing at me. but my gun failed
to go off. L then dropped on my
knee behind the fence and began
to work the lever The first shot of my
gun went into the ground short distance
from me- The Couches had got to the
wood pile and were reloading their re
volvers. IRA was handing Capt. Couch
some cartridges, but they wouldn't ut.
at that time my wife had her arms
around my neck and cried: They VIII
kill you; go away-they will kill you, L
knelt and shot twice without aim" The
prisoner broke off here and began: Il have
only done what any other man would have !
done | fought for my wife and my home. |
Judge, don't care for myself so much, or |
that piece eff land But il was that little |
woman there, Judge (pointing to his wife). |
that | was fig hting for. At the opening of
Oklahoma, before l had married her, she |
said: You get that land and you get me; |
YOU win that claim and you win me- l
have been prosecuted and abused for de- !
Tending my rights. / have been arrested |
several times, two or three times when |
| was walking on the streets and was |
snatched up on loretences- Even this lit |
tie woman, judge, [pointing TO his wifel |
has been horsewhipped by one Of the wit |
nesses who here testified against me-has |
whipped her since have been in Jail.
Here he made divers charges against va /
rious witnesses. He said that his wit |
nesses had been intTmidated; that he had |
sat there in court I'D seen them driven /
from the court room by United States /