Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1908-07-13
CRUEL MURDER
Frank Whittaker Il Shot to
Death in the Odd Fellows
Cemetery by Jack Dolan

O1o OF tAo most, W8nton and cruel
Muttters that ever occurred In Nevada
was committed in the 10. o. F.
cemetery in: 'Eako' between, o. and 915
o'clock: Sunday morning, when. Jack
1>o'an shot and killed Frank, Whitaker,
an old resident of this county. y
Whittalcer,. nHd Dolan were patients
at the county hospital Both of them
had been earning ii few dollars during
the summer by caring for graves. They
quarrelled0 about this work, but no one
who knew it believed anything serious
would result. The bitterness grew on
the part of pOlan. and Saturday he re-
marked; to some of the patients that he
was going down town, to get a gun to
kill Whitaker. No attention. was paid
to the remark by those, who heard it.
He came down town, however, and
early Sunday morning carried out his
threat. HE also said to Mrs. Wilkerson,
the nurse at 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 I. 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 half
above the left nipple and came out Just
below the right arm pit, one broke his
left collar bone and the other grazed
his left side.
Miss Richards, q nurse at the Boiling
hospital heard the shots fired and saw
Whittakea fall She immediately tele-
phoned the sheriff'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 DR.. Hoods advice as to what to
70, and was told to go to the sheriff's
Office and give himself up He started
for the Office, but was met after going
short distance by Deputies Hardin and
Harris and Sheriff Clark, who were on
their way to the cemetery. He was
searched and 41-caliber Colts revolver
with three empty shells in the magazine
was taken from him. He told the
officers that the gun was his and that
he had shot three times. He seemed to
be 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. It
was taken to Keyser's undertaking par
lors and coroner's jury was summoned.
The jury viewed the body and the in
quest was continued until 1870 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 Washoe City,
where he had charge Of a large store.
Here his wife died in 1865. At this time
he had accumulated q fortune, estimated
at from 100000 to $40, 900. After the
death of his wife he began to drink and
speculate in mining stocks and his mon
ey wasted away. Before it had all gone
he staked his boys with several thous-
and dollars each and told them to start
out and make living. He never saw
them afterward -.
After leaving Washoe City, he worked
while for III. NJ. Yerington, fuming
wood from the mountains He after
ward went to Eureka and in 1884 he
came to this county and went to work
for Mr.. T. T. Harris on the ranch. He
worked for him Z or 8 years, or un-
til Mr. Harris moved TO Elko. Since
then he has been familiar figure on
our streets. He was q we'll educated
man and in his early life taught school
in Canada. He was kind to everyone
and no one dreamed that he had. an
ane,nv In the ruOr11 He Womb not