The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-10


Donald homestead Another neighbor Of
the name of Barney Qt is reported say:
that Mahaffey and Robinson overtool
him on the road, and inquired If McDon-
aid was ahead When he replied In the
affirmative Mahaney saidi We'll. we are
going &c do him up today and then bOth
started ahead on a gallop Robinson III
is clainad) has told different stsories OF
the murder. The one he and Mahafey
first told as to the effect that when they
! overlook Mcdonald, Mahaffey asked him
If he was ready to make the same kind OF
q talk he had made few days before
in Taloga-or IL he was ready to fight It
| out-something to that effect. Robin
! sons first story, as reported in the
| Wichita Eagle, was that Mcdonald re-
piled in the affirmative, whereupon Ma
haffey dismounted and began 70 hitch his
/ hoTse-that Mcdonald drew his Winches-
/ ter and attempted to fire. and thai Ma
haffey responded with his revolver, and
! that Mcdonald was killed
Dead men tell no tales. McDonald's
story can never be todd The facts are,
| however that Nc Donald was shot four
times. once in the right arm, onceETAOIN
times, once in the right ankle, once in the
right arm, once IN the shoulder ond once
| in the back. The last ball. entering his
/ back between the shoulders passed
through the body and came out under the
left breast. The course of the bail was
| downward, instead Of upward. as il would
! naturally have been if the shooting had
| been done from the ground
"McDonald's team was frightened and
! ran some distance When he was found
/ by citizens OF the neighborhood some time
! after the occurrence. he was still breath
ing. He was lying in the road where he
had fallen, on his face, his hat doubled
under his head. The left side of his fore
head was badly bruised as though he
might have been struck a heavy blow
with club or pistol. and his Winchester
was lying by his side After receiving
his mortal wound, it IS quite evident that
he sprang, in his death struggle, from
the wagon and fell out upon the ground.
The Winchester was not his, but belonged
| to a neighbor. and it is not known
whether he fired at all, as the owner was
not sure how many cartridges it con-
tanned.
IF Mcdonald ever spoke a word after
and Robinson. 1t was windy, blustery,
day. and even the report Of the shoot
ing could not have been heard at any
great distance.
After the murder, Mahaffey and Rob
inson rode into Taloga and told their
own story of the affair and the former
surrendered himself to his friend, the
sheriff.
Mrs. Mcdonald did not learn of her nus
bands murder until about II o'clock
when her brother, r. ]. Noble, a neigh
borhood farmer. brought her the news.
The body was taken to TalOga that after
noon, carried to the office of United
States Commissioner Bugsby, coroner's
jury empaneled, an examination had be-
fore Probate Judge Arthur, verdict that
the murder was committed by Mahaffey
and his bond fixed at $1,000 One of his
principal bondsmen is his friend Sheriff
Bryan, who had given him new revolver
a few days before.
"Of course 1t was murder. Mahaffey
was armed with new revolver. He and
his pal Robinson purposely overlook Nc
Donald and proceeded, according to their
own stories, to provoke a quarrel so
that the murder might be committed
under the senblance of self-defense.
There was no duel" Mcdonald was
murdered in cold blood. And then, the
murderer was turned loose on straw
bail. to go about his business, while
Robinson, who was an accessory to the
crime, was not even apprehended.
1.-The next day after the murder the
dead man was buried in a favorite spot
on the homestead. surrounded by trees
and rocks and hills-wild nature which
Mcdonald loved, and where he had been
heard to say he would like to be finally
laid away.
WHO MDONALD WAS.
HE was one of natures true noblemen.
His birthplace was Guernsey county,
Ohio, ifty-two years ago the 26th day Of
next January. He enlisted in the Elev-
enth Ohio volunteer cavalry in 1861, when
he was a fourteen year old boy. After
the war. he located in Allen county, Kan
sas where he first met Miss Alice Noble,
whom he afterward married in 1870. He
had chosen the law for his profession.
but he seemed disposed to haunt the
frontier and the range. He first met Flynn
vt Kiowa Kansas and formed a friend
ship for him that lasted as long as ne
lived. He lived for a while at Lipscomb,
Texas at the Opening" relocated upon
q homestead near FL Reno and later
sought another home, at that time re-
mote from settlers, where he was buried
on the 31st Of August.
He has taken an active interest in
all public affairs of the territory. He was
an ardent advocate OF statehood, and at
tended every statehood convention from
first to last. He was a stalwart Repub-
lican, and never missed being present at
a convention of his party. No man had
TO guess at his position upon any public /
question.
"A widow who has shared mis- somewhat !
erratic life; a grown-up daughter, who |
turned her homestead over to her mother /!
Yesterday, two sons-Pierre in his TWEEN !
tieth year and Noble. ten years old; and /
New York waif, whom he took some /
years ago into the membership of his /
family. are left without his future pro- /
lection
~NcDonald's nature was loyal, honest.
fearless He loved his country, stood |
unfalteringiy by his PARTY was devoted (
to his friends. d-Spised meanness and du- I
plicity, was as kind and gentle as a 4
child. He would not allow a bird or a 1
squirrel TO be shot on his farm. During 4
q long and somewhat intimate acquaint- I
ance while be was outspoken and frank .
in regard % men and measures, the writer /
never heard Mcdonald speak an unkind 4
word o. any one.
Ed Mananey formerly lived al McPaar-
son. Kansas. from whence 10 Old Okla (
homa and thence 70 his presen: place OF .
h,5a IL - Ia=~~sba5 - mar - ,,1