The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-03-18
COFFELT NOW A FREE MAN
CASE WAS DISMISSED AT BEGIN.
MING OF FIFTH TRIAL.
Defendant Was Tried Four Times for
the Murder of G. c. Montgomery
at Winfield

o. w. Coffelt who was once in jail at
Wichita. TO prevent threatened lynching,
and who was later tried four times for the
murder of G. c. Montgomery al Winfield.
walked out of the court house at that
place free man yesterday morning.
This is the closing chapter in one of the
most famous murder cases ever tried in
Kansas. When Coffelt appeared in the
district court room at Winfield yester-
day prepared to stand trial for the fifth
time, the county attorney requested that
the trial be dismissed and the court grant
ed the wish.
The Winfield Free Press says: 1t was
on Saturday night. October 8. 1901. that
Geo c. Montgomery, special detective
for the Santa Fe was hot down in his
own house in Winfield by an assassin who
stood outside the window and fired the ia
tai shot. The murder was so cold blooded
that the people at first refused to credit
it, but began, too, TO look for a motive
fer such crime. BY a common impulse
the attention of practically all persons
was turned to the '101' ranch in the Otoe
Indian reservation in northern Oklahoma,
as it was generally known that the own
connected with the Santa Fe. and that
in the performance of his duties Mont
gomery had secured the i'll pleasure Of
the ranch men. followed by numerous
quarrels, and by alleged threats upon
the life of Montgomery.
The Pinkerton detective agency was
detailed to work on the case and in a
short time spotted o. W. Coffelt as a
guilty man. Coffelt had been in the en-
ploy of the '1O1' ranch as a cowboy, and
he disappeared shortly after the murder
had been committed
At the time of his disappearance he
was under bond to appear in the district
court of Pawnee county for some minor
criminal offenses His bondsman sue
ceedod in locating him at Del Rio. Texas.
where he was living with his wife and
baby under the name of Maxwell. a
name adopted by Coffelt one day prior
to the murder of Montgomery when he
was in Winfield. to sell horse. Officers
brought Coffelt back to Pawnee county
and he was brought to Winfield. January
.. 1902, on charge of murder.
The first trial of Coffelt occurred in
March, 1902, the result being a hung jury.
nine for conviction and three for ac-
quittal. The second trial at the next term
of court resulted in another hung jury.
seven for conviction and five for acquittal.
The third trial stood six to six and the
fourth resulted in eight for acquittal and
four for conviction.
Although circumstantial evidence
seemed to point strongly to Coffelt's guilt,
IL
enough TO cause each of the four juries
to fail to reach a verdict Coffelt had
considerable evidence to show that he
left Winfield on the day of the murder
of Montgomery, on the Santa Fe, one
hour previous to the time the crime was
committed.
The first year succeeding Coffelts ar
rest was spent in Jail by the defendant
He was then released on bond. The
Millers have stood by Cofelt, the states
theory being that he was a tool of the
Millers. and George W. Miller. who died
between the time of the third and fourth
trials. had also been arrested for the
murder Of Montgomery.
The case was regarded by many as
fight between the Millers and the
Santa Fe railway. both parties spared
no expense to carry on the case II
is estimated that the four trials have
cost Cowley county thirty thousand dol
lars. and the defense fully that amount.
Many will believe that with the release
of COffelt the murderer Of George c.
Montgomery goes free. while others be-
lieve COffelt TO be an innocent and most
prosecuted man But the dismissal Of
the case viii meet with universal ap-
proval. and further efforts useless ex-
pense To all parties concerned
The case stand without precedent in
the state in the matter of four trials
I'm the same court without a verdict.
Paulin-Harris Drug Co. have succeeded