The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-21
STORY OF MURDER
WICHITA MAN ON TRIAL FOR HIS
LIFE AT WELLINGTON.
How He Killed Tom Patton at Con-
way Springs Last Maybe Says
the Whole Thing Was Planned by
HIS Employer-Some Think He
Was Hypnotized.

Tom Mcdonald of this city is now on
trial for mis- life at Wellington. He
is accused of the murder of Tom Pat
ton Of Conway Springs on the 9th day
Of last month.
Mcdonald was cook in a reStau-
rant on East Douglas avenue until the
latter part Of april when Anderson
Gray OF Conway Springs came to town.
Some friend or alleged friend went to
Mcdonald and pointing Gray out to
him, said: tom, that is one of the big
gest farmers in Sumner county. He
wants to hire man and his wife and
if 1 Were you l would strike him for a
job Tom did so and he was hired
by Gray.
Mcdonald was a young man Of y
and he had been recently married to
a girl Of 10. They both went with
Gray to his farm near Conway Springs.
Previous to that time there was a
shooting scrape on South Fourth ave
nue. in this city. The contestants were
cousins, Tom Patton Of Conway
Springs and Dave Patton of this city.
Tom Patton fired at Dave but for some
reason not then known the revolver
was defective in some way and did not
go off. Since then it has been alleged
that the revolver Tom Patton unsed
that day was given to him by Ander-
son Gray to kill Dave with and that
Gray disarranged the revolver so that
il would not go off and that Dave Pat
ION might kill Tom.
1t is also alleged that Anderson Gray
desired the death of Tom Patton, that
the latter was witness in some shady
transactions in which Gray was, inter
he M fV n
suit the latter. Tom Patton lived on
an adjoining farm to Gray.
About two weeks after Mcdonald
went on Gray's farm the latter began
to work the young mans mind. He
told Mcdonald that Patton was talk
ing about Mrs. Mcdonald and that he
ought to kill him.
Either on that or the next day Pat
ton came up to water his horse and
Gray pointing Patton out to Mcdonald
said he onght TO settle it with him
right there. Mcdonald seemed to be
completely under the mental control
or Gray and he went up to the fence
and spoke to Patton about the stae-
ments he was making about his wife.
Some hot words followed and Patton
struck Mcdonald.
After Patton returned home Cray
told Mcdonald that he must kill Pat
ton or Patton would kill him. He also
so as to be sure of doing his work and
offered him a gun to practice with,
Mrs. Mcdonald objected and then Gray
said that Patton had already killed
seven men and was thirsting for the
blood of more. Mrs. Mcdonald said
that she did not want her husband TO
kill anybody, whereupon Gray turned
upon her like a tiger and accused her
Of wanting to see her husband killed.
Mcdonald didn't want to do any more
fighting but Gray's more powerful
mind convinced him that If he didn't
kill Patton the latter would kill him.
He then cleaned the gun loaded 1t
properly and took Mcdonald out into
the orchard to practice with it. Gray
put up a board and Mcdonald fired but
missed it. Gray then brought the
board uearer and Mcdonald aimed
again and struck it. Gray then cut
off a limb of tree IN the orchard SO
that Mcdonald could rest his shot
gun in the forks of it to shoot Patton
when he was passing. Gray said to
Mcdonald that if he had to run af-
ter firing at Patton that he would
have the south door of his house open
for him and that if he, Patton, would
follow him In he, Gray would be be-
hind the door and knock Patton on the
head.
In a short time Patton was seen COM
ing up the road and Mcdonald and
Gray went down to the place of am
bush. Later man named NICK
Probst came to Gray'S house and the
latter who desired to be convenient
to see the shooting, was called to the
house to see Probst about some cattle.
In q short while shot was heard and
while Gray ran down to the road Me-
Donald slipped in the back door OF
the house and went TO bed. Patton
was found PROSTATE in the road, being
oh ha lIlngS
Cray TO go for doctor and he did so.
Ii was in evidence that Gray purpose
~ waited for a Conway Springs doctor
who was absent so that during the de-
tay Patton would die. Previous to
that. however, when Gray first saw
Patton after being shot. he came back
to the house and cursed Mcdonald
because he hadn't finished Patton, and
told him that he wouldn't die Nc
Donald said he hoped he would live,
and Gray then said that he would go
after the doctor and that he would
not be in any hurry about il.
In the course of some time Patton
died and Mcdonald expressed a desire
10 give himself up 10 the sheriff,
whereupon Gray persuaded him not
TO.
At the inquest the jury found that
Patton was killed by Mcdonald and
the latter was arrested. On the Sat
urday following Gray and Mrs. Me
Donald were arrested, and while all
of them were in Jail. but separate.
Mcdonald confessed the whole trans
action Gray was tried last week and
at the trial Mcdonald told how the
thing was done. substantially the
same as the above story, but more in
detail. IT was one Of the most remark
able stories ever told in the Sumner
county court and caused great excite
ment Gray was convicted OF murder
in the first degree on the first ballot
taken by the jury.
McDonald's case is now going on and
he repeated his confession in his own
case yesterday.