The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-21
OWNS HIS VILLAINY
CONVICTED OKLAHOMAE MAKES 4
FULL CONFESSION.

Says That in a Land Contest Case. Which
Had Nothing to Do With His COnvic-
tion, at This Time, He Gave Perjured
Evidence which Resulted in Knocking
Poor aIan Out of His Farm-He Now
Desires to Clear His Conscience and Do
Justice to the Man Who Suffered on Ac-
count of the Lie.
Guthrie. O. T, April 2o.-Saturday at
Oklahoma City the following sentences
were passed: Clint Raglan. 1 year.
burglary; Richardson, year, assault;
deadly weapon; B. II. Davis, 1 year.
embezzlement; Walter Owen, Is months
assault, deadly weapon; Marshal Ad-
ans, 10 years, perjury; Ace Coleman, 8
years, forgery.
In regard to Ace Coleman the Oklaho-
ma Journel published the following;
THE other day after being found
guilty OF obtaining money under false
pretences, and knowing that nothing
could save him from the prison. he
came to prosecuting attorney Brown
and offered TO make a confession in
regard TO a certain land contest in
which he was a witness and which is
still pending, If Attorney Brown
would only cut his sentence down some.
He offered 10 sell the confession 10 At
torney Brown, but he was told by the
county attorney that he would have 10
take his medicine.
'SThe contest was between John ].
t. h-1
southwest quarter OF section 20, town
| ship II, range west, and the cost in
| the case was originally to Burnett s., 200
and to Terrill $500
'ITerrill had an entry on the land and
Burnett contested him on the ground
that he BurnetD was a settler on the
land at the time OF Terrilrs fling To
beat this claim Of Burnett, Terrill claim
ed that he settled on the land before
Burnett did and had gone TO Guthrie
10 file, leaving a tent on the land at the
time. That while he was gone some one
tore the tent down, and when he came
back found Burnett on the claim.
Burnett denied that Terrill had ever
had Improvements on the land.
''Terrill won in the local Office and
before the commissioner, but the sec
rotary sent il back for a new trial. Ace
and swore that he saw TerrilTs tent
April "a. 1886, two days before Burnett
was there.
Now Coleman has to go to prison
he became penitent and came volutar-
lily TO the county attorney and made
the following confessions:
In United States Land Office, Okla
homa City, Oklahoma, Territory Of
Oklahoma, United States Of America
1, Ace Coleman, being duly sworn
| on my oath say that / am the same
person who formerly held a homestead
entry on the southwest quarter of sec
ton %, township IL, range west, and
am the same person who testified for
Ruben Terrill in the contest of John ].
| Burnett VS. Ruben Terrill, before the
United States land Office at Oklahoma
City
"Tn relation to the testimony there
given, will say. I then had an entry
on the land above described, and was
being contested as sooner. Terrill
knew this. Under these circumstan noes
Terrill came to me and told me that he
was being contested on prior settlement;
| and told me he had tent on his claim
before Burnett settled on ii, and des-
crfbed the tent and told me where II
was located on the claim, and described
the tent so could describe 1t and tell
how it stood from what he told me.
He wanted me TO swear that the tent
was there on April 81, 1889: he said
plenty Of people had seen it and that
1 would be safe in swearing TO 1t; said
there was six or seven of them; he
named number, but cannot now re-
call their names. 1 refused several
times, but he kept coming, and promis-
ing to help me until 1 agreed 10 do it,
and went to the land Office and did so
for him.
The truth is, never saw that cor
ner Of the claim where he said the tent
was located. until after he had his
house up near the Big Oak Tree or
had il partly done. 1 made my home
stead entry in the last days OF April,
1889, and 1 first saw Terrill there at
that house some time after 1 fled, Mr..
Terrill had an old gentleman there with
him, whom 1 afterwards understood to
be W. A Wallace's father-in-law.
L never saw any tent or other i'm
provements at the point where Terrill
claimed 70 have settled, until after the
last days OF April. $50.
In talking 10 Terrill before testi-
fed, / told him I could not swear 70
there being a tent there in April. that
year. as 1 never sad seen a tent there,
and in answer TO that he assured me
that II would be all safe. and further
more that they were helping one anoth-
er. everybody. and that IL would be all
right.
- I now feel that should rectify the
wrong I have done, and for thar pur-
pose now come and make this affidavit
telling the facts in the matter. Terrill
is the only man who ever asked me TO
so swear FOR him. No other person so
far as know is 10 blame for IT,
AGA COLEMAN
Subscribed and sworn 70 before me
this the 18th day OF April. 1896.
(Seal) W. II. EBEY,
Clerk District Court
by T. a. NEAL. Deputy"