The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-05-05
9sasrsns gutetligeaeee.
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
Two Men Escaped Hanging Only
Through the Appearance of
their Supposed Victim.
81, Louis Globe Democrat.

tial evidence ever drawn around per-
sons charged with murder came under
my observation recently at Norman,
Oklahoma. 1t almost resulted in the
!ynching of the convicted men, and
has thoroughly demonstrated to me
that little reliance is to be placed on
that sort of evidence, especially in Ca
scs of murder"
The speaker was a prominent law
yer Of Oklahoma, and his audience
was a group of lawyers gathered in the
reading room of the Grand Avenue
Hotel, in Oklahoma City, Willing
away the hours with stories of person
al experience in Court and on the cir
cult. The group gathered around the
speaker closely, for they knew that
something worth listening to was COM
ing.
ut was the case of the Territory of
Oklahoma VS.. j. W. Jackson and H.
G.. Ward, charged with the murder of
one Happy Jack Wilson, and
the evidence disclosed a thrilling
story, which pointed Enthusiastically to
the guilt of the accused. 1t seemed
that about New Years Day Jackson
and Wilson had had a quarrel in q, sa-
loon in Norman, in which Wilson was
badly beaten over the head with a
chair welded by Jackson, and leftfor
dead. Indeed, it was a grave question
for quite a time whether or not his
skull sas not fractured, and he linger-
ed for weeks between life and death.
Jackson was arrested for assault with
intent to kill, and, after giving bail,
hired Green, a farmer living a few
miles from the town, to care for the
man, paying all the expenses of medi-
cal care and nursing. Finally Wilson
recovered and was seen around town
several times, and suddenly disap-
peared just before the grand jury met
which was to investigate the charge
of assault to kill against Jackson. 1t
was openly charged that Jackson and
Ward had spirited him out Of the
country to. keep him from testifying
against the former. The case went
over that term of Court, with instruc-
tions to thoroughly investigate, dis
cover Wilson if possible, and find
out by what means and why he had
been spirited away, if such was the
case.
"Just about that time the town was
thrown into a tremor of excitement by
the report that the body of a man had
been found on the edge Of the South
Canadian River. not farfrom the farm
of Ward. 1t was partly covered with
brush and partly with sand, but a
hunting party Of boys found it and
notified the authorities. The body
was brought to the town, and there
identified by a dozen reputable men
and women, one Of whom was his sis
ter, and all well acquainted with him,
as the body of Happy Jack Wilson.
They based their Identification on a
dozen different points-the sister, es-
pecially, being certain, because her
brother had a gold tooth exactly SINH
lar to one found in the mouth of the
corpse. On the top Of the head of the
corpse we're half-healed scars similar
to those made by Jackson on the head
of Happy jack the brogans worn
by Jack were the same make as those
on the body; a mole on the back Of the
neck was similar to one known to be
on Wilson, and one leg was shorter
than the other. 1t looked as if there
could not be even a shadow Of doubt,
and the excitement ran high. jack
son and Ward we're, Of course, imme-
diately arrested and rushed off to Jail,
which was guarded by a large force of
officers to prevent lynching, for it was
regarded as a cold-blooded murder,
without one redeeming feature.
Notwithstanding their precarious
situation the prisoners were cool and
collected, but their very defence had
a tendency to draw tie coils tighter
and tighter around them. They &C.
~knowledged that they had spirited
Wilson away to prevent him testify
ing against Jackson, but had not
harmed him in any manner; that they
had filled him full Of whiskey, taken
him across the country to Earlboro,
where they gave him money and ship
ped him out of the country. The
story was was laughed at, and even
those who thought there might be a
a mistake were howled down after the
publication of this confession
"But Jackson had some money, and
spent it freely to demonstrate the
truth of his story. He sent out men
to different parts of the country, and
advertised widely, offering a large re-
ward for Happy Jack Wilson or for
information leading to his d%iscovere.
His father came to his aid, and went
in person to Earlboro and other cas-
tern points in search of the missing
man. A reputable witness was found,
who declared he had seen Ward and
Wilson at Earlboro on the day named,
and saw Wilson put aboard the train
noticing it particularly because Will
son was in a beastly state of intoxica-
ton. He also fully identified Ward
as one of the men, and a photograph
of Wilson was declared by him to be
the likeness Of the man he had seer
put aboard the cars. This put new
life into Jackson's friends, and their
exertions to discover Wilson were re-
doubled.
The trial came on, however, and,
Notwithstanding the most strenuous
exertions made by the lawyers for the
defense, it looked exceedingly dark
for the men. I was ne of them, and
although morally convinced of their
innocence, 1 could see no hope for
them, unless Wilson could be found
and such a thorough search had been
made for him without any result that
1 had little hope of that. We went
into the case, just hoping something
would turn up in our favor.
"The witnesses for the prosecution
went on the stand and piled up testi-
mony against the men until it seemed
insurmountable and unanswerable. All
our REORGANIZATION failed to shake
them in the slightest degree. Every
one of them was certain that the body
was hal of Happy Jack Wilson, and
nouor n douhf coanod n onfor tbo;r