The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-31
IRA TERRILL HERE.
Ex-Prisoner in Kansas Peniten-
tiary to Speak.
Subject of His Address ssKansas
Slave Per"
HELD IN SLAVERY.
Says That Oklahoma Prisoners
Are Illegally Held.
Tells the Story Of His Killing Of
Embry.
HELD IN SLAVERY.

Ira NJ. Terrill, who was committed to
the Kansas penitentiary. from Oklahoma
on two life term sentences and also for
another term Of twelve years, and who
served ten years and thcee months in
the prison for the shooting and killing
of George W. Embry in Guthrie on Jan
uary 3. 1891, viii deliver a free lecture
tonight, and one tomorrow night and
one on Sunday night, beginning each
lecture at eight o'clock, at the corner
of Sixth and Quincy streets. Mr.. Ter
rill will talk on the subject, THE Kan
sas Slave Pen, . and he proposes to show
that Oklahoma men and women for the
past sixteen years and at the present
time are held in slavery in the Kansas
prison in violation Of all law; that Ok
lahoma pays the board of these men and
women and that neither the law of Ok
lahoma nor the courts of Oklahoma
make labor a part of the penalty for
crime. Mr.. Terrill is the man who made
a remarkable fight for his liberty
through the courts after his conviction,
arguing his own case in the supreme
1 court
Mr.. TerriI was released from the pen
! itentiary on June 13 last on the order
! of the governor of Oklahoma Since
/ that time he has been travelling around
/ delivering lectures on what he calls the
''iniquities" of Kansas prison system as
they relate to prisoners from Oklahoma.
/ He claims that he was never lawfully
| committed to prison. that his commit
ments were without proper trials and
! were based on forged papers and he has
I In mind the institution Of criminal pro-
I ceedings in the federal courts against
some of the ex-governors Of Kansas and
/ Governor Hoch as well for his ''unlaw
full detention in prison Mr.. Terril has
delivered twenty odd lectures in var
! ious cities and towns of Kansas since
his release and says that he has met
with nothing but courtesy and kind
| treatment in every city he has visited.
My killing of Embry was done in
self defense said Mr.. Terrill today,
1 and there are Plenty of witnesses to
! prove this assertion. His attack on me
was one worked up by some enemies
had made because Of. my position in the
/ contest which was being waged at that
| time as to whether or not the capital of
! Oklahoma. should be located at Guthrie
/ or Oklahoma City I was a member of
| the legislative assembly and this IN
/ fortunate affair occurred after that body
had adjourned I was proving a claim
i to some land and Enabry. who had been
7 kept drunk for a week or more by the
! men who were plotting against me, APP
peared as witness against my claim.
1 had been warned against him, but did
not know him and never spoke to him
except when I cross questioned him on
the witness stand.
I After he left the stand he walked
out towards the front of the building
and while we were waiting for some
further witness John Scothorn who was
acting as special agent went out also
and I followed. AS I passed Embry he
pulled a gun from his right hand peck
! ct I jumped off a small platform and
that made it necessary for him to take
a second aim By that time I had my
gun out and both revolvers cracked at
the same time. The bullet from his CUR
hit me on the little finger of the right
hand and tore up through the muscles
of my forearm. kept on shooting with
the revolver IN my left hand until my
gun was empty and one of the great
points made against me was that shot
at him after he fell. Perhaps did
but I do not think So was naturally
excited at that time. I saw his CUR
from the moment he started to pull il
from his pocket Judge Scothorn said
the first he saw it was when 1t was
leveled at me. The whole thing hap
pened in three seconds.
At the time of Mr.. TerrilHs origina
arrest he was the editor Of a weekly
newspaper in Oklahoma. It has beer
the general impression that he was g
lawyer but Mr. TerrilI says that this
impression is a wrong one He says thai
while he is familiar with the law and has
studied 1t as he has studied other things
he was never a practicing lawyer.