Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1903-08-05
AFAMILY IN DISGRACE.
John Tyree and Mr.. and Mrs. SteYea D.
Graham in the Coils Of the Law.


mother. in law, Steven D. Graham and
wife, are in Jail. MIR. Tyree must
answer to the charge of rape and tho
old folks must face the more serious
charge of murder. The families came
here from Missouri last winter and re.
sided In the city until few months ago
when they were employed by Purdy s.
Clay to work on the Kentucky mule
ranch five miles northeast of town.
Mr.. and Mrs. Graham have two
daughters, the older one being MIR.
Tyree's wife and the younger one. Mary.
between 16 and II years of age. un-
married. On June 18th the girl gave
birth to child and out of this
grows the charge of q double crime.
Mr. Tyree is charged with having been
had intercourse with the girl. Mr.. and
Mrs. Graham are charged with murder
ing the child at the time of its birth.
Tyree pied guilty before Justice Collins
and was committed to jail until the
district court convenes in October. Mr..
and Mrs. Graham will have their pre-
liminary hearing before Justice Collins
tomorrow. They deny the charge very
strongly. They admit the birth Of the
child but they say it was born
dead. The county attorney relies on
the girls evidence for conviction. 1t is
said that she testified that she heard
the child CRY after it was born but that
she Immediately went to sleep and that
when she awoke she was told that it
was dead.
The affair was first brought to the
attention OF the officers on Thursday.
The neiQhbors had known that the
girl was in a daiicate-condition and
even her confinement was not secret
although the exact date was not known.
The tact that there was no infant
around the house caused suspicion and
the officers were asked to Investigate
into the matter. Or Thursday the
sheriff aud the county attorney saw
Tyree and questioned him. He denied
everything. He said the girl was all
right in every way except that she had
been afflicted with dropsy. and that
people who were slandering her should
be made to suffer the penalty of the
law. He was very indignant and pre-.
tended to be greatly shocked.
The officers next saw Mr.. Graham
and threw out the inference that Tyree
had confessed and they asked him where
he (Graham) had buried the child. He
answered that he had buried It over in
the pasture, pointing In a norther-
ly direction. A search was made but
nothing was found. Graham ssid that
he had buried it near the creek and on
account OF the high water since that
time and his confused mind at the time.
it is impossible now to locate the
place.
Following this incident Mr.. Graham
was persuaded to make complaint
against Tyree on the charge of COM
mitting rape on his daughter, Mary,
and Tyree pied guilty as above noted.
Tyree now admits the birth of the
child but says he did not see 1t and
does not know whether it was born
dead or alive.
On Saturday Mr.. and Mrs. Graham
were arrested. DIR. Coleman swore to
the complaint. Usually the county at
tOrney does this when he has reason
to believe crime has been committed,
but the presumption in this case is that
he did not desire tc do it without con.
sulting A. l.. Noble. The charge is
murder in the first degree.
The affair is very deplorabIe one.
The day after Tyree's arrest his wife,
the older daughter of the Graham
family. gave birth to child, and when
the old folks were arrested, 1t became
necessary to employ help TO take care
OF her. Mrs. Maggie Roberts was EN-.
ployed TO care for the woman and child,
| and Joe Shannon 20 look after the stock
and do the general work around the
house. When the woman ID able to be
up. il she can not support herself, she
will be taken to the poor farm.
In order to prevent a conversation
between the Grahams and Tyree, the
latter was taken TO the Harper county