The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-30
JAKE SP|IlE'S LIFE
Whereof the Pattern Was
Very Much Checkered.
HIS EXIT AT MANCHESTER
With His Boots On, in Typical
Bad Man Style.

Guthrie, o. T., July 2s.-The killing OF
take spidIe at Manchester, reported In
the Eagle at the time, removed man
with a career as checkered as any that
struggled with a perverse nature in the
west. AS was told at the time, Spidle' ir-
orderly man, until the other secured a
gun and killed Spidle. Spidle was soon
TO be arrested in another case. and knowl-
edge Of this probably added to his des-
peration and led to his heavy drinking.
SpadIe, after a worried career In western
Kansas. came to Oklahoma, was taken In
with Ira Taylor and the Catlin boys
horse-thieves, and thrown into jail at
POND Creek. where he turned states evil
dance clearing himself and convicting his
rompanions. The Ness County (kansas)
News gives his history previous to COM
tnk TO Oklahoma, as follows:
Jacob Briggs Spidle was born in Frank
Ain county, Pennsylvania, July Is, 1876,
but his early history is blank, further
than the certainty that his early educa-
AkO5AN~S~Ns
never attended school a day in his life.
However illiterate he may have BEEN ne
possessed a natural shrewdness that'
had 1t been coupled with worthy motives
and fixedness OF purpose, would have
assured to him a useful career. Scarcely
able to write, he managed to force him
self TO the front in pIolic matters and
compel people to take him into account
whether they wished or not.
October 1. 1861. he enlisted In company
G. Fighty-fourth Pennsylvania infantry,
and March q, 1862, was seriously wound
cd at Jamestown, Va. After leaving the
army at the close Of his service, he went
TO Kentucky, thence to Indiana, from
whence he emigrated 70 Russell county,
Kansas, finally drifting into Ness county,
where he first appeared September 4.
1913. and before that year expired, mar
ried Vienna Salisbury at what was then
known as Schoharie.
He went into politics as a partisan OF
the Sidney county seat element at the
time of the organization of the county,
and was by that element elected county
commissioner in November, 1880. He
served his full term. and so satisfactory
particularly those in the estate of Frank
lin" that he was reelected in 1854. How
ever. he tired of the. honor, and in April,
1855, resigned his office and entered into
general devilment on larger scale, being
a powerful factor in forming questionable
combinations on the political checker
board OF Ness county. He was a candt-
date before several county conventions
for nomination for prominent positions,
and II is thought that he always made
his retirement count to his financial bet
terment.
In 1855 he again appeared as a county
commissioner, by appointment, and the
following year was indicted and found
guilty of misconduct in Office, but man.
aged to slip through the meshes OF the
law. Later he was tried and convicted
on a charge of statutory rape, and sent
20 the penitentiary, but through the In
fuence of powerful friends managed to
secure his release, pending new trial,
and again escaped merited punishment.
BY some hook or crook he was admit
ted to the bar in this county, but how 1t
came about no one can tell-at least no
one would care to.
arena in this county was in 1892. when he
went into the reform movement and was
received with open arms by the Popu-
lists. In fact, he became so potential
hgure that he was permitted to engineer
a legislative contest, and appeared at
Topeka during the memorable legislative
warfare with brand new suit of clothes
topped of with a shining silk tile, and
rut quite a swell. Just how much his
bank account was increased by that cpl
eode no one will care to state at this
time.
4 few years ago he sdrifted into Okla
h1ma, and his career there. and in other
parts Of the country, was even worse
than here, and more than once he was
reported in Jail for alleged criminal acts.
The last heard Of him prior to his killing
was that he had turned preacher. and no
enc doubts that he could turn his atten-
ton to that business with as graceful IA
cility as he could turn up as a RepublI-
can. Democrat or model reformer-if
there was anything in II.
But "Old Jake" has gone the route that
nearly every one expected him 10 travel
sooner or later. Those who knew him
best said that he possessed n kindly
heart and would stick to his friends in an
emergency.