The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-01-05

Pardon.
Before the close Of Governor Lewell-
| ing's term of Office he will probably
pardon somewhat noted life pris-
| oner. That, at least, Is what the gov
ernor's intimate friends here think
Ben Terril of Texas is laying down
very close with the governor on the
subject and has a strong pull with him
by reason of being the Populist leader
OF the Lone Star state. He represents
Mrs. Willis Jackson of Gonzales, Tex,
who is the wife of the man for whom
the pardon is urged.
Jackson was convicted in the Sum-
ner county court for the murder Of Will
liam Mcdowell in 1873. The murder
was committed near the town of Aus
tin which has long since passed away
Mcdowell and his wife were cooking
FOR the cattle camp OF a Texas firm
known as Williams & Elkins.
Williams and Elkins drove in from
Texas early in the spring Of 1873. They
located at the camp mentioned and
went to Wellington, returning to the
camp with Mcdowell and his alleged
wife, who were Immediately installed
over the affairs of the kitchen, out Of
doors, at the cow camp. Mcdowell and
his wife had been at the camp but few
days when the difficulty arose that
terminated in the murder of Mcdowell
The men at the camp were the two
members of the firm and Willis Jack
son. now serving a life sentence in the
penitentary. One morning Mrs. Nc
Doweli informed her husband that Will
iamS, one of the firm, had visited her
in the night and assaulted her. Nc
Dowell became very much enraged and
demanded ~ l,
tor 500 head of cattle. The
proposition was not accepted and sew
eral days passed, which were occupied
with more or less dispute concerning
the trouble. Williams finally refused
TO heed the demand of the irate hus-
band, and Elkins, the other member
of the partnership, took the matter ND
and told Mcdowell he would give him
$40 to shut his mouth and let the mat
ter drop. This offer was not accepted.
During the week il became necessary
for Mcdowell TO go to Austin and pur-
chase wagon load of supplies for the
camp. He was accompanied by Willis
Jackson, the chief herder The men
went to town and transacted their bus
mess, after which they left for the
camp, having no apparent trouble of
any kind. When they reached a point
three miles from camp. Elkins rode up
to the wagon and told jackson to go
W d Certain point ana look dIter some
cattle. Jackson rode away on Elkins'
horse. In a short time Elkins drove
into camp with the wagon, but Nc
Dowell was gone.
When Jackson returned to camp he
noticed McDowells absence and Ell |
kins was also not to be found. Within !
two days Williams and EIkins disposed |
of their cattle and taking Jackson !
with them, departed for Texas. Nc |
Dowelfs body had been found and |
buried and his wife declared vengeance. |
Two days afterwards jackson was !
arrested in Texas, returning to Well |
lington, and tried and convicted of the |
murder Of Mcdowell. Warrants had |
been issued for the three men, but the |
officers We're unable to locate but one. |
Jackson was found guilty and sentenc- |
ed to hang. He was placed in Jail after |
the trial, and when sentence was pass |
ed escaped, returning to Texas where |
he remained until rearrested in 1873. /
He was then taken to the Kansas PEN
itentiary and is still there.
Jackson claimed at the trial that |
otter he rode away from the wagon on
the night of McDowell's murder Elkins
asked Mcdowell if he had decided to
accept the $40 and say no more about
the story his wife had told. Elkins !
claimed that the woman was a prosti-
tute and had been such for years in
Wellington. The men became enraged }
i'm a quarrel and Jackson said in the
evidence: Il heard a shot, rode back
and found Mcdowell dead" Elkins
had gone, but told me the next day that
he killed Mcdowell in self-defense
The judge and jury needed not the pro-
of Jackson that he was in
nocent and the sentence of the court
that he be hanged was carried out So
far as is practicable under our peculiar
Kansas capital punishment law.
The latest feature of the case is the
leath-bed confession made by Elkins,
in which he said he killed Mcdowell.
Before his death ElkinS asked to sign
a petition for pardon and said: II am
the man that killed Mcdowell. and am
Il glad OF it, Elkins made this state
ment more than fifty times. He told
the man to whom he sold his cattle two
days after the murder that he killed
and would have TO skip out.
The friends of Elkirs secured affidavits
from him and all of them contain the
that he killed the man.
There is pile Of such affidavits before
the board. Jackson's wife and three
children have been living in Texas
since the husband and father was sent
10 the penitentiary. The woman, be-
ng unable to prosecute the case before
he Kansas authorities, has accomp-
ished what little she has done by
means of letters written to state Of
fcers. The board Of pardons has made
40 recommendations in the case, but
will no doubt pardon Jackson.