The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-01-16
uNDER THE oALLows, SHADOW.
Twice tias chas. Bias tiad the Death
Watch Set Over Him.

Waech Set Over Him.
Many readers of the ARDMoRE-
ITE are wholly unacquainted with
the details of the awful crime for
which the negro, Chas. Bias, was
twice sentenced to be hanged, and
only through executive clemeney
escaping the fulfillment by having
his sentence commuted to life i'm
prisonment.
As told in the ARDMoREITE yes
terday. Bias seemed perfectly indif-
ferent to his fate.
Never did the noble red man
show more stoicel Indifference than
this negro has to his surroundings.
But 1t was not the lofty stoicism of
the son of the forest, but rather
the dogged, dull, expressionless
lnstict of the animal kingdom.
Seated in the death cell, with
his two guards, never speaking one
word, and evidently suffering no
mental anguish, when informed
last evening that the president had
cemmuted his sentence to life i'm
prisonment and that he would not
be hanged, with muscles unmoved
and without any apparent effort
from gladness or JOY, his only an
swer was all right"
Not even smile lit up the face
of this man drawn from under the
very shadow of the gallows, when
he was put back among the motley
crew in the Jail.
We here append a brief detail of
the crime which happened near
Pauls Valley.
THE CRIME.
On the afternoon of February
&c, 1898. Charles S. Bias, with his
brother, Raphael Bias, and his
half brother, Oliver Bias, went to
the home OF Joe Joseph, where the
deceased, Gus Wright, was living.
When they reached there, deceased
met and spoke to all of them. |
They dismOunted, and after re-
naming there a while the deceased
announced that he was going home |
to visit his father. He mounted |
his horse and started in that di-
rection, and after he had gone
something more than one hundred |
yards, the defendant stated TO his
companions that he wanted to have
talk with the deceased, and for
them to wait until he returned.
He mounted his horse and follow
ed in gallop. The two brothers
waited half an hour for the defend
ant to return, but he failing to
come. they went to the home of
Malcie Williams. After remaining
there for some time, the defendant
rode up to the house. called Oliver
and told him that he had killed
the deceased by cutting his throat,
and the other brother was called
and they rode away.
Malcie Williams overheard them
talking and heard the defendant
say that he had cut the deceased's
throat, " and heard Oliver tell
Raphael not to ride near the de-
fendant because he had blood on
him. - The three brothers went
home and stayed all night.
On the following morning (Sun-.
day. defendant concealed his pants
in dugOut and left with Oliver to
go to his fathers, where the de-
fendant remained until Monday
morning. He then returned to
near his father 5 house, where the
family were at work, and when the
officer came endeavored to escape.
The deceased was found on Sun
day morning, his throat cut from
ear to ear, living by the side of the
road, and also had other wounds
on his head which appeared to have
been inflicted by a club. No wea-
pOns of any character were found
on or near the body.
The evidence upon the trial was
in large part circumstantial, with
the exception OF that of the defend
ant, who admitted that he and
Wright got down off their horses
for the purpose Of engaging III a
mutual combat; that Wright had
a knife, and that he (Bias) to de.
fend himself picked up a black