The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1895-12-22
A WEIRD STORY.
An Account of the Murder of c. Hicken by
NJ. Ink As Given by j. T. Fowler
Almost a witness to the Tragedy.

Just as we go to press today we
are shocked with the necessity of re-
cording one of the most brutal and
foul murders that American history
has ever handed down to the world.
The story of the crime is told us by
Judge J. T. Fowler, one of our most
prominent lawyers, and who has
just returned from a trip on legal
business to a remote portion of the
Territory, where settlements are very
rare, and houses very far between, it
being almost impossible for the hum
CRY and weary traveller, in these
parts, to obtain a decent place to
stop and get bite to eat or procure
feed for his team.
The story is told by Mr.. Fowler in
the following language;
''On the morning of the 18th Inst. l
arrived at what is known as the Bat
tie Rancho, on the Four Knob road,
getting there very early in the morn
ing, and as ! neared the house on
"
chinked and daubed log cabin, up
some distance in the field, | noticed
several men there and all in group,
who seemed to be holding a close
conversation among themselves;
some how or other, from the solemn
look these men wore on their faces,
could not help but be impressed
with the idea that there was some
thing wrong The men, the farm,
the whole place and the surroundings
looked to me lonesome and suspi-
cious, and as | drew still nearer to-
ward the little lonesome hut and
to death on discovering that it was a
dead body that had been attracting
the attention of these men. | imme-
diately brought my team to a stand
still, and looked upon the scene for
a moment, and thought l knew one
of the men, and said to him, hello
Bill, what in the name of God is the
matter? The men seemed unconcern-
X
ton about it, but feeling deeply in
terested and anxious to know the
facts in regard toit, finally succeed
ed in getting out of them the follow
ing:
1t seems that NJ. Ink, and the de-
ceased, young c. Hicken, were born
and raised upon the same rancho,
the Battle Rancho, and both lived on
the said rancho at the time of the
murder, the murderer being very
much older and much stronger phys
ically than the deceased. 1t is not
positively known that any i'll feeling
existed or any hard words ever pass
ed between the two before the kill
ing, and yet II seems that they both
lived all their lives together on the
same rancho. They were seldom, if
ever, seen associating together, but
for what reason, it was not shown.
1t was shown that on several morn
ings, just prior to the murder, the
said Nj. Ink was seen lettering and
skulking around the premises of the
deceased armed to the teeth, and
particularly in and around the barn
of the deceased, where deceased was
in habit of going very early in the
morning to feed, and on more than
one occasion before the awful morn
ing of the 18th when he lost his life.
the deceased had been attacked bv
his assailant and was compelled to
retreat and fly to his house to avoid
death at his enimy's hands, but on
the morning of the murder, it seems
that the bloody, ,cowardly, murderOus
fiend had secreted himself in a more
remote portion of the lot of the de-
ceased, and managed to conceal him 7.
self in such way as to fasten his .
clutches securely on the deceased and 4
being much the stronger threw him .
to the ground and in spite of the
deathly struggles and most agOnizing .
groans and appeals for mercy, sue
ceeded in cutting the throat of the
deceased and taking his life's blood.
Just before the cowardly murderer
had time to skulk and steal himself
away through the yet almost dark
ness, some of the inmates of the
house of the deceased, who had be-
come excited by the peculiar noise
heard in the lot rushed out to ascer-
tain the cause, and got on the scene
just in time to fully Identify the
No arrest have been made
as yet
For further particulars see Judge
Fowler.
Er4rifc from, Fha 8r0r,s,s o, el,.r 4