The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-05-01
WITCH MURDERERS FREE
End Of a Remarkable Trial Of Edu-
Gated Choctaws in Texas.
HEREDlTY'S STRANGE INFLUENCE

Also Presbyterian Preacher, Acquit.
ted With an Accompllce of Killing
-Four Persons to Get Rid of Witches
Verdict Bas on Theory of Insanity.
Paris. Texas. After q trial lasting
over week the jury returned yer.
dict in the witch-killing case, finding
the defendants, Hotema and Frye, not
guilty. The verdict was based on the
theory Of insanity.
The crime for which the prisoners
were arraigned is attributable to a be-
lief in witchcraft, which has posses.
sion Of the most superstitious full.
blood Choctaws as completely to-day
as 1t had hundred years ago. The
tragedy occurred near Cold Spring
Church, six miles northwest of Grant.
There had been a number of sudden
deaths in the community of spinal
meningitis. A little son of Solomon
Hotema was among the number Ho-
tema was the pastor of the church,
and was the head man and leader
among his people, as we'll as their spir-
itual adviser.
The Choctaws were greatly disturbed
by the sudden deaths, for which they
were unable to account. The manner
in which the disease worked upon the
victims caused them to attribute the
malady to the evil charms Of witches
Meetings were held at the church to
discuss the matter and to devise means
of staying the plague.
Sam Tarnatubby, who lived fifteen
miles east Of Grant, had fame among
the full-bloods of being a great witch
doctor. He was sent for. His dag
nosis of the patients confirmed the
suspicion that they had been bewitched.
BY the occult methods of the witch
doctor he found the witches and
declared that the only way that the
plague could be stopped and the pa.
tients relieved was to kill them. Some
of the supposed witches were relatives
of the defendants. and had sat up
with the sick members Of their fam
lilies.
Tarnatubby. having declared that
the witches must be killed to stop the
plague, Hotema, as the chief man in
the community, summoned Tobias
Williams and Sam Frye, young full
bloods, to his assistance. They got in
Hotema's buggy, armed with rife
and q shotgun, and started on their
death-dealing mission. They first
called at the house of vina Coleman,
the sister-in-law Of Hotema, and shot
her down without compunction while
she was holding a little child in her
arms. The babe was wounded, but
not killed An older child attempted
to run away when the shooting began,
and was shot in the back.
They next went to the home Of Hall
Greenwood, who came out to meet
them. They inquired where his wife
was, informing him that she was a
witch, and that they had come to kill
her. Greenwood began to plead for
her life, but they killed his wife before
his eyes. The last victim was Alfred
Morris, who was deliberately Shot
down without warning.
The defendants were arrested and
lodged in Jail at Antlers, and from
there were taken to Atoka, the hold
over Jail for the Antlers court. While
incarcerated there Tobias Williams
died. Hote:na, Frye and Tarnatubby
secured a change of venue to the Paris
Federal Court, and were transferred to
Jail there pending trial. They made
application through habeas corpus pro-
ceedings to Judge D. e. Bryant for
bail. Hotema and Frye failed to get
bail, while the offence of Tarnatubby,
the witch doctor. was held to be baila-
BILE. having advised the killing, but !
not being present when the tragedies |
occurred. He was admitted to bail in
$4,000 as an accessory before the fact.
!. Solomon Hotema's witch-killing feat |
was great shock to his white friends. |
1t is striking instance Of the force Of |
and early instilled belief. He !
was one of the best-known men in the |
Choctaw nation. He is forty-eight |
years old, is we'll educated, is an enter
tanning conversationaiist and good |
writer. He attended school in Pres
byteT' IN college at Roanoke, Va, three |
years Soon after his return he was |
elected County Judge of Kiamitia
County, and held the office 4 number |
of consecutive terms. He also held |
the office of District-Attorney and was
a member of the National Council |
eight years. In addition to this he
was a regularly ordained minister of |
the Presbyterian Church, and had just
returned from the meeting Of the Cen
eral Assembly in New Orleans when
he killed the witches. In early child
hood, however, he became firm be-
lever in witchcraft.