Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1908-07-17
CRUEL MURDER
Frank Whitaker Is Shot to
Death in the Odd Fellows
Cemetery by Jack Dolan

murders that ever occurred in Nevad;
was committed in the 1. o. .. F
cemetery in Elko between o and O:li
o'clock Sunday morning, when Jacl
Dolan shot and killed Frank Whitaker
an old resident of this county.
Whitaker and Dolan were patient:
at the county hospital. Both of then
had been earning n few dollars during
the summer by caring for graves. They
qunrrclled about this work. hut no on,
who knew it believed anything serious
would result. The bitterness grew or
the part of Dolan and Saturday he re
marked to some of the patients that he
was going down town to get II gun tC
kill Whitaker. No attention was paid
to the remark by those who heard it,
He anne down town, however, and
early Sunday morning carried out his
threat. He also said to Mrs. WilkersOn,
the nurse ut the hospital. Sunday morn
ing just after breakfast that Whitaker
would never eat another breakfast there
She paid no attention to the remark.
He entered the /. o. o. F. cemetery
and shot three times at Mr.. Whitaker,
who was watering a grave. All of the
shots took effects. One entered Whit
takers body about an inch and "A half
above the left nipple and came ont just
below the right arm pit, one broke his
left collar bone and the other grlzed
his left side.
Miss Richards, Il nurse at the Boiling
hospital heard the shots fired and saw
Whittakea fall. She Immediately tele-
pioncd the sherif's Office and then
started for the cemetery. When she
reached Mr.. Whitaker he was dead.
After the shooting, Dolan went to the
hospital and told what he had done and
asked DIR. Hoods advice us To what to
do. and was told to go to the sheriff's
office and give himself up. He started
for the Office, but was met after going
a short distance by Deputies Hardin aud
Harris and Sheriff Clark, who were on
their way to the cemetery. He was
III " SDllH lCNOlN'l
with three empty shells in the magazine
was taken from him. Ha told the
officers that the gun was his and that
he had shot three times. He seemed to
he proud of what he had done. He was
taken to the Jail and locked up. At
the Jail, he talked about the killing and
acted as if he had done something To be
proud of. He put in the day playing
cribbage with the other prisoners.
Coroner Bruce was notified of the kill
ing and Immediately went to the GENE.
terry and took charge of the body. II
was taken TO Keyser's undertaking par.
lors and Il coroner's jury was summoned.
The jury viewed the body and the in
quest was continued until l:3O today.
Frank Whitaker, the murdered man.
was born in Canada the Goth day of
May, 1888. He came to Nevada in the
early sixties and went to Virginia City.
From there he went to Washoc City,
where he had charge of Il large store.
Here his wife died III 1865. At this time
he had accumulated Il fortune, estimated
ut from $50, 900 to $40, 900. After the
death of his wife he began to drink and
speculate i'll mining stocks and his mon
cy wasted away. Before il had all gOn,
he staked his boys with several thous
and dollars each and told them to star
out and make u living. He never saw
them afterward.
After leaving Washoe City, he worked
a while for II. NJ. Ycrington, numim!
wood from the mountains. He after
ward went to Eureka and in 1891 h
came to this county and went to wor'
for Mr.. Il. It. Harris OH the ranch. II
worked for him Z or s years, or III
til Mr.. Harris moved to ElkO. Sine
then he has been II familiar figure o.
our streets. He was Il well educated
man and In his early life taught schoo
i'll Canada. He was kind to evcryon
and no dreamed that he had a
enemy in the world. lie would III
harm Il child.
His cowardly murder has caused
good deal of righteous Indignation tina
calls for quick justice ut the hands q
the law. No maudlin sympathy Shout
DO shown his cowardly murderer. Al
the law gives him should he his.
Jack Dolan, the murderer. is "a maj
about As OF 80 years of agc. He In
been in the county Il little over fou
years. During that time he has serve,
q Jail sentence for stealing coal from tn
railroad company. He is of II quarrel
some, mean disposition and has hut fcy
friends.
About Il year ago II wagon 0vcrturnc,
OH him ut Bald Mountain aud broke on
of his legs. The broken bone was Sc!
but through his interference with III
doctors work il has never knit together
Since tho accident he has been off an,
on an inmate Of the county hospital
His broken leg was to have bacn Opcrat
ted upon today by the physicians.
The evidence ut the ]corOncr's inqucs
did not vary materially from III
particulars given above and the verde
OF the jury was that the deceased was
native Of Canada. aged 10 years. an