The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-10-23
STORY OF THE KILLING
Anderson Gray Tells of the
Shooting of Patton.
HOW FIGHT ORIGINATED
And the Facts Leading Up to
the Murder

/ ties company and 4. Dorsey, which has
! just been decided in the district court.
The case excited a great deal of at
tentIon in the United States at that
tire. as Mr.. Gray was convicted and
sentenced to be hanged because of his
supposed hypnotic influence over Thomas
Mcdonald. At one time Mr.. Gray was
confined in the sedgwick county Jail.
He lives on his farm five miles west
and one mile north of Conway Springs
and is IN this city attending the trial of
his suit A reporter for the Eagle found
him last night and talked with him
about one of the most famous murder
cases in the country.
Mr. Gray said:
1T was in 81 that had a man named
Tom Patton. and also one named Tom
Mcdonald, working for me. Patton rent
ed about 20 acres of land of me and lived
about one-half mile due south OF my
home. He worked for me about five
months. Tom Mcdonald then came on the
scene. I took Mcdonald from Wichita
He said that he was starving to death.
He said that he had had but one slice of
a fve-cent loaf Of bakers bread for him
and his wife for the whole day, and
through sympathy 1 hired him. He was
on my place just one week to the day
when he shot and killed Tom Patton. 1t
was the morning Of the 9TH of May, 'e4.
He and Patton had quarreled and I kept
them from fighting. The fight originated
over some talk that Patton had had in
reference to McDonald's wife to one Will
liam Craig, who lived in the neighbor-
hood It is alleged that Patton told
Craig that he would not allow such a wo-
man as McDonald's wife to visit his
wife, in fact he said: I would not allow
such cattle (meaning McDonald's wife) on
the place On the morning Of the 5th
was the first I ever knew there was any
thing between the men, fer on that morn
ing Mcdonald told me he was going to
give Patton the whip for talking about
his wife. I told him that I allowed no
fighting on the farm and asked him what
Patton said about his wife. He then
told me and I said to him: I won't have
any fighting on the place and have lived
here IS years, and I viii see Patton at
once and if you men have to fight shall
discharge you both at once Then Nc
Donald said: All right; you settle it and
it will be all right
Just at that moment Patton came up
after a mule that bad strayed away. He
caught the mule and then came up to
the fence and haIloaed to ne to come to
him. I went up to him to see what he
wanted, and he asked me il he could go
to Conway Springs that day, and 1 told
him he could. He was just leaving when
Mcdonald came up and said: Patton, 1
understand you have been talking about
my wife. Patton said: What have you
heard that l said about your wife?'
Craig said Mcdonald, Told me that you
said that you would not allow such cat
tie about you
Patton said: 4 said it, what are you
going TO do about it? How are you going
to help yOurself?'
Mcdonald replied: I'll help myself
Patton replied: You have a damn poor
way of helping yourself and ike light
ming struck him with his hand and ne
knocked him about ten feet. AS McDon-
aid raised up I saw him put his hand to
his hip pocket to draw a gun and I
stepped between him and Patton and said:
Tom. you can't 90 that You are on the
wrong ranch ! allow no fighting on this
farm Then Mcdonald dared Patton
across the fence, and Patton dared Nc
Donald across the fence.
"Ahen I said: You can't either one Of
you cross the fence. I am a pretty good
man myself. and when there IS any fight
ing to be done am going to be in It,.
then told Mcdonald that as he had
asked to lay OF that day as he was sick,
that he should go to the house and stay
there; then I told Patton to go to his
house and I would be there at Z o'clock
and we would go to Conway Springs and
talk this thing over and fix this matter
up.
Patton said: I'll kill the - - -,
III not go hcmep and repeated this threat
a great many times, but started home.
Mcdonald was going to tie house and
Patton had gone a few yards and Patton
said 70 Mcdonald: Mcdonald. arm your
self: COR I am going home and get my
gun and in two hours am coming back
and kill you. Mark those words, Mark
them well. for I mean Just what I say.
I'll be back in just two hours and you
come out in the road and fight me. or
I vii hunt you and kill you before the
sun SETS
If Mcdonald had stood trial like a man
I would have told this same story on the
stand. and no jury on earth would have
convicted him.
Patton went home and Mcdonald went |
to the house and I saw nothing OF either /
until Patton vas shot about two hour5
later. I got over the fence where W. /
strong and Ira Dodson were standing. !
about three rods from where the men (
were Quarreling. Strong said. Gray. /
there would have been = tight Il YOU |
hadn't been on the ground. l remarked |
that I thought there would, and I said.
Mcdonald has come 10 the wrong place 4
and I shall discharge him Monday morn /
ing. and would DO 50 now If he wasn't 4
sick. believe he IS Quarielsome-
strong and Dodson and I sat down on /
the steps of the hog house and talked I
about an hour dr. strong was going /
Of home that morning and had - meet /
the train st Milton al s-l5. He took cut 4
mis- watch and said II Is now nine /
O. clock. Isn't il abou. time 20 mitch up /
team 70 take me 10 AiltonF I ordered a !
team and he left
As Dodson and Strong started away 4
man rau.ed Nick PROFITS drove 10 ana 4
stated that ne had cone 10 ser calf that 4
be had bought CT q man named MuN. /
which was running il me- 7asturs sent
the boys after the ca,f and Proofs ana
went into the hog house u looz II soTle
ere hogs I had and during tile ti--e the
boys were after tie oalf : sold Profits
lot 81 boss aud just as We coulI-ted ihe
trade We heard the report ~ q gun ~
4 southeast direction. Ne bare-y as-srl