The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-06-09
GANG OF CRIMINALS
TERRORIzED CANADIAN
FlSh0Tman'S GTueSOma DlSCOV-
cry is Followed By Arrest
Of Mixed HGuSebOat Party
Special to Daily Leader.


Special to Daily Leader.
Sallisaw, Okla, June 9.--The trial
.of John Harris here this week is the
closing chapter of one OF the most
thrilling and unusual murder cases
in the history of the state Harris is
charged with the murder of James
Keenen, his son-in-law, at Pawpaw. on
the banks of the Arkansas river last
August. Jack Trumbley, another SON
in-law, Is now serving life sentence
In the penitentiary for the same crime
Harris and his two married daugh-
ters, with their husbands, were living
In a houseboat on the Arkansas river,
They led a nomadic life, drifting up
and down the river, fishing a little
and leading a precarious and perhaps
questionable life. James Kennan
who married Nora Harris, was the
wealthy member of the bunch. He
owned the house boat, a silver watch
and had a few dollars in silver be-
sides 1t is alleged that it was for
these things he was murdered.
one day a fisherman was running
his lines in the Arkansas river near
Pawpaw when he saw what appeared
to he a man standing upright IN the
water, bob5ing hack and forth Ike
a cork, his head and shoulders ex-
posed When the fisherman rowed
near he saw Il was a corpse and rs
he looked he swears he saw the corpse
wink at him. He was frightened stif
and It took some time for him to ger
up courage enough TO investigate. He
found that the corpse had been thrown
into the river with piece of railroad
iron tied to his feet. The water Was
high and the body sunk out of sight.
but the water fell several feet, and in
the meantime gasses had generated in
the body causing IL to gradually .e-
Isume an upright position, held in
place by the weight or his feet. And
there it stood, bobbing up and down
with the waves, when the fisherman
found it.
The houseboat drifted on down 10
Fort Smith and was tied up there
when the body of Kenpan was discov-
cred. The occupants were suspected
and Trumbley and his wife were ar
rested. Harris and the wife Of the
murdered man disappeared. William
y. Johnson, while out on the trail "
boot-leggers, unexpectedly discovered
Harris and the Kennan woman In a
camp on the Canadian river. He knew
they were wanted for murder and laid
plans to capture them. He hired the
lferryman at the Canadian crossing 10
go with him, secured a shot gun for
him, and slipped UP on the camp.
Leaving the ferryman to guard he
went into the camp on a pretext of
wanting TO bLy some fish. He work.
ed around until he got between the
campers and their guns and then Gov
cred the party with pair Of siX-shoot-
ers. lie stood them up in a row while
he took all the ammunition. He then
put Harris and his daughter upon one
OF the horses he had brought, while
he and the ferryman rode the other
and led the one with the two pris-
oners. In coming over the ferry boat
stuck on a sand bar out IN the middle
Of the river. and he had to swim
horses, prisoners and all to the boat
The entire party had to get Ia one end
Of the boat to lower II in the water
.enough to get the horses in. Then Ha--
ris. the prisoner, who IS an expert
boatman, was made to work the ferry
gun on him to see that he worked.
Harris and his daughter were taken
to Fort Smith and put in Jail with
Trumbley and his wife. Later the
women were released, as It was shown
that while they knew all about the
murder they took no part In Il.
The prosecuting officers believed
that Harris was really the guilty party
and be had planned to have Trumbley
turn states evidence and let him 60
but Harris became very ill in Jail and
was turned out TO die de recovered
but in the meantime Trumhley had
been tried, convicted and sentenced
for life, for the murder So Harris
was again arrested and put IN jail
At the trial of Trumbley II devel-
oped that the murder was not COM
mitted on the hOusebOat at all. but
that one night Kennan. Harris and
Trumbley had gone ont 10 steal some
sorghum and that KEENAN, had be IN
bit over the head and killed by Harris
and Trumblay who wanted the watch
and the houseboat, and his body WIS
lied up in gunny sack and sunk IA
the river.
This houseboat had been drifting
about the Arkansas river for a long
time and several murders that were
never accounted for were. BY the OF.
ficers, charged up to the outfit, which
was a tough one 70 say the least. and
It was hoped that by sweating tho
women while they were IN jan, some
developments on other murder cases
might be mad, but the women refused
30 tell anything that would "a anyway