The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-26
CLAIMS SELF-DEFENSE
TiIden MCGOWAN Admits He
Killed George Dukes.
TELLS A STRANGE STORY
Of Events Leading to the
Fatal Encounter.

Guthrie, o. T. Dec. 25.-Tilden Meow
an, who shot George Dukes near Belle
mont last Wednesday. as related in Sun
days Eagle, has given himself up and
been taken to Chandler. MCGOWAN is p
years old. He has made a statement to
the Chandler News. MCGOWAN and Dukes
came to Arlington together last summer,
and have been living near there since
then, MCGOWAN being known as John
Robertson, and Dukes going by the name
Of George Robertson. 1t Is supposed that
Dukes died from the effects Of the shoot
ing, and Coroner Steele left for Belle
mont yesterday forenoon to hold an in
quest. The following is NcGowan's
story:
/ have known George Dukes ever since
l was a little boy. 1 was born in Ten
nessee, and Dukes lived near me- About
seven years ago he killed two men and
was tried and convicted and sent to the
penitentiary for a term of twenty-one
years. He was taken out n a lot Of
other prisoners after he had been in the
penitentiary about two years, to work on
railroad in east Tennessee, and while
there he escaped from the guards and
went to Kentucky. where his wife after
wards Joined him While in Kentucky he
passed by the name of Jackson. met
him there in June of 1897, 1 believe
Some time during last year he killed a
man in Kentucky, or, at least, he was
accused Of doing so. and he had to get
away. He then came to me and asked
me If didn't want to come out into this
country, and told me that if 1 would
come with him he would pay my expenses
out here and send me back home We
~ spent several months on the rod and ar
rived in Arlington last summer. After
we left Kentucky he went under the
name of George Robertson, and he COM
PEELED me to go under the name Of John
Robertson, sometimes telling people that
I was his cousin, sometimes that I was
his nephew. and other times saying that
was his brother. He bought claim
Jus tBorth of Arlington and filed on it
under his assumed name. He soon be-
came Jealous of me and his wife and
began TO make a fuss with me and to
abuse and beat his wife. I wanted to
leave but he wouldn't give me money to
go home on, but he agreed for me to go
over to Harry COleman's and work so as
to earn money to go home on. After
had been there a few days he came to
Coleman's and got me to go back to his
house and promised that he would give
me money to go home on. I think he
did this because he was afraid 1 would
betray him, and he wanted TO get me
back and kill me. The next morning af-
ter I went back to his house he got up
before day and made his wife strike a
light and go this shot gun and pulled it
down on me as I lay in bed. and then
he said he couldn't kill me without kill
ing his wife, too, so he put the gun up.
That was about two weeks ago, I think
He then begged me not to give him away
and 1 told him that I wouldn't. but that
didn't feel safe to stay around there
any more. He said all right for me to
go to Coleman's and stay and to meet
him at Arlington the next day and he
would tell me what he would do. I didn't
go 10 Arlington the next day, because
was afraid Of Dukes. On Tuesday night
Of this week he came to Coleman's and
asked for me. I was in the house and
told Coleman that if Dukes was drunk
didn't want to see him and TO tell him
that I was not there Coleman told him
that had gone away, but he came in
the house anyhow, and when he found
me he accused me of having given him
away I told him that I hadn't that I
merely didn't want to see him when he
was drunk. and 1 promised TO meet him
at Arlington the next morning. He said
that II I failed to come to Arlington he
would take his sun and hunt me like a
rabbit and kill me wherever ne found me
Then he went away. 1 went TO Arlington
on Wednesday morning and met him.
and he told me that he would take me to
Shawnee and send me back to Tennessee.
We started about the middle of the af-
ternoon for Shawnee riding Dukes two
mules We reached Belemont about
dark. Dukes had walked part of the way,
and when we got to Bellemont he told