The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-03-26
MAIN WITNESS
IN A MURDER
AT GUTHRIE
Missouri Killing Brought Up
After Thirty Years.
IT is A QUEER STORY
As Related by Wife of the
Alleged Murderer.
1T is A QUEER STORY

Guthrie, o. T, March 25.-on a tele-
gram received today by Sheriff Chas. z.
Carpenter Of this county from Sheriff Ben
Martin OF Douglass county, Missouri. the
former drove to Crescent City to suhpoe-
na Miss Hannah Koontz as a witness in
The case Of the state OF Missouri against
James Wilson for the murder Of OrviIIe
Lyons in Doagless county in 1859. four
years after the close Of the civil war.
Miss Koontz is the sister of the second
wife OF Wilson, and is the most impor-
tant witat. ior the state. She is 70
years old md has resided in this county
since the opening Of Oklahoma, il 1883.
having left Missouri fifteen years ago.
She has been a cripple for long term Of
years, it being necessary for her to use
Crutches in order to walk, and with diff
Guilty will be able TO make the trip 20 Alva
TO appear at the trial. She has an excel
lent memory and recites an interesting
story of the case. The hearing VIII be
called the first week in next month
Mrs. Wilson. the second wife Of the
prisoner for he now has his third. was in
the city today with her sister, and states
that Il IS very peculiar that the case
should now come to trial after a silence
Of thirty-one years. According % her
story the case has been a political issue
in that Missouri county ever since the
killing occurred. The last she heard Of
it, she SAYS. was fifteen years ago. when
She left the state for good. and at that
time a political campaign was 1t its
warmest- She alleges that the man who
was elected sheriff at that time promised
to tear up the indictment against " WlIson
in order to get elected. as the friends Of
Wilson were at that time very influential
in that county and an election depended
upon their friendship. For this reason.
the woman declares. the case has never
before been prosecuted.
In the meantime. however a son Of Or
vile Lyons has become influential IN that
county. says Mrs. Wilson. and has sue
ceeded after years of waiting !n getting
a sheriff to make a search for Wilson and
have him prosecuted. She SAYS the friends
cf the Lyons family are now on top
politically in that county
On December . last a Tequistion was
honored by Governor Tom Ferguson for
the return of James Wilson to Alva.
Missouri, to answer TO the charge Of
murder as above related He Is also
charged with the killing Of James Han
Few days after the murder Of Lyons on
the supposition that Hall was an officer
seeking 20 arrest him.
James Wilson is between S. and 20 years
old. having been resident of this coun-
~ since the opening TO settlement He
has been generally reputed TO be q pros
porous, peacable and law-abidiug citi-
zen. He owns two fine farms Of 161
acres each. His friends and neighbors
have never suspicioned that he was con
nected in any way with one Of the most /
sensational murders ever comittet in /
Missouri, and they We're greatly sur
prised 20 hear of the arrest.
James Wilson was a soldier in theIJnion /
army during the civil war, and at its /
close. with several brothers he returned /
to Douglass county, Missouri. He en- /
tered into a partnership with OrviIIe Tv- /
ems in the business Of threshing wheat /
and oats. and the two owned a taresh- /
ing machine One day during a Job OF .
threshing they Quarreled. and it Is said /
The result was fight in which Wilson /
got the worst OF 1t. He is charged with f
riding to the home of Lyons early one 4
morning later. calling Lyons outside and /
billing him instantly by shooting him /
with double-barrened shot gun.
Wilson at once went into hiding and I
succeeded in eluding the officers for about
three weeks. His place of concealment /
was approached late one evening by
James Hail. a non-interested party. lie /
was mistaken hy Wilson for an officer. and f
vas killed instantly with the same gun.
Wilson then escaped to Arkansas. which .
is cn'y separated from the state Of Ms
soun by the one county of Ozark. where
he -esided for i've years. and then re-
movec 10 Chautauqua county. kansas.
where he resided until the opening of cid
oklahoma TO settlement in 1889 when he
came TO this county and secured a claim
n Crescent township.