The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-12-25
HE WANTS AN ALIBl
FRANCIS MARION WILLIAMSON OF
CALDWELL VISITS WICHITA.

He Declares that His Name has Caused
Him an Immense Amount of Trouble
In His Old Home Paper He is Reported
as the Murderer of II. ii. Leonard-At
One Time He was Reported as Hung by
avigIIance Committee for Horse steai-
ing, and Again as Being KILLED by In
diaus-Another Experience.
ct have come to Wichita for the pur-
pose of proving an alibd,' said Francis
Marion Williamson Of Caldwell to an
Eagle reporter.
What, have you gotten into trouble?"
asked the reporter.
"Yesi MOI Well, TO a certain degree
have got into trouble, according TO the
papers published back at home in In
diana. Just look at this paper"
The gentleman passed the reporter
the Fountain County News in which
was contained full account Of the muir
der of H. H. Leonard at Wichita, Kan,
On Sunday, Nov. II. Then there was
a column article giving full pedigree
of Mr. Williamson from his birth UP,
and how the sad news had cast gloom
Upon all mis- friends.
"You see" said Mr.. Williamson, II am
no.t looking for the MAJ. that looks like
me but l ann looking for the man by
that name, who in giving his history
In II e Eagle said he was from Indiana.
I wa 1t TO meet him and learn all about
him. You see my friends back in In
diana are mourning over my fall while
] ann a, free as the birds of the air.
'sTher seems to have been a strange
fatality connected with me ever since
/ left no ne over twenty years ago and
/ came to Kansas. This fatality is re-
markable in another instance. When
came 10 K ansas my old clasSmate, Hen
nv p. Jones, came with me, and wheth
er there was anything in the signs of
the moon o. not, the same strange IA
.ality has followed my classmate.
1--WE both subscribed for the home
narer when we left. / settled in Sum
ner county and my friend took up his
residence in SChautauqua county. In
about a year ! was startled by reading
a long obituary notice IN the nome pa
r,er concerning the sad death by drown
ing in the Verdis1is river Of my old
ctassmate The notice went on to give
a full account Of Jones life and full
account of his death, and the finding of
the body.
what was my surprise to pick UP
the home paper IN a few weeks after
this and find that, according 10 the pa
per, I had been hung in Barber coun-
Nv. The account went on to give the
full particulars as to how 1 had been
r-aptJred on Mule creek with stolen
horses in my possession by a vigilance
committee, was given trial before
Judge Lynch, made a confession, told
of how / was forced TO mount horse
and driven under a tree, and left hang
ting between heaven and earth. The
editor was not content with this but
proceeded to give "a column lecture to
young men about growing tired of the
old home and rushing out west He
spoke of me as a boy, then young
man, who was highly respected, and
then of my sad death.
'I looked I'D the case and found that a
man who had given his name as Francis
Marion Williamson of Indiana, had &C
fuaTly been hung on Mule creek as al
legged dn the account.
"Of course / made haste to correct
the report about me being the man that
was hung, and the paper published my
lstter, but from some strange fatality
this copy OF the paper did not reach
my friend Jones.
when the account of Jones' drown
ing was published he 0hastened to pub
|. 5h denial about him being the Jones
who had gone into eternity by the wa
ter route. This paper failed to reach
re and I mourned my friend as dead.
He nourned for me as having been
hung.
Finally concluded TO go back home
and prove to the people that 1 had not
been hung. Jones also concluded TO
go back and show his friends he had
not been drowned. We met on the fair
grounds and two more surprised men
you could not have found anywhere.
az ithought you were hung" said
Jones.
81 thought you were drownedr
declared.
Well, we had a time explaining our
de1ths to our friends.
Now comes this last and 7 want to
see Francis Marion Williamson for an
explanation.
About fifteen years ago Jones came
over to see me and we went on hunt.
Il was reponued that a man named
Jones and Williamson had been killed
by the Indians and it got back in the
home papers. i am getting tired of
being hung and killed 50 many times
and want to send the paper a copy of
an alSoi."
The man was intrQducei to the
sheriff who permitted him 20 so to the
jail and talk with the man VINO had
caused him his last trouble