The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-08-14
For MURDER OF
TEN YEARS AGO
w. =. PHILLIPS, ARRESTED IN
OKLAHOMA, MUST ANSWER
OLD CHARGE HERE.
FOR KILLING OF TOM HIGHTOWER
Eleven Years Fugitive From Justice
Gets Into Another Shooting
serape.

W. F., alias Bud" Phillips. who
shot and killed Tom Hightower on
the depot platform at Mt. Pleasant on
September 21st, 1897, and has since
been a fugitive from justice, is in Jail
at Lawton, Oklahoma, and the neces-
sary papers have been sent to that
place by Deputy Goad of Columbia,
that Phillips may be held to answer
the charge here.
The crime for which Phillips is
wanted here was committed during
the first term of Sheriff Love Webb,
and Mr.. Webb has been on the outlook
ever since, trying to gain some trace
of the man he wanted. He knew he
was somewhere in the West, but it
was not until last week, when Phillips
and his brother Jim Phillips, were
implicated in another tragedy that the
whereabouts of Bud Phillips was
learned.
In this. second tragedy, which oc-
Cured in Comanche County. Okla
homa, out some distance from Law
ton Jim Phillips murdered a Mrs,
Smith. The officers We're notified and
both Jim and Bud Phillips fed at
their approach and it is said took
refuge at the home of another rela-
tive The officers surrounded the
house during the night, but were noti-
fed that they would be fired upon if
they attempted to enter, and realizing
that the men were desperate, waited
until daylight to charge the strong
hold. About 8 o'clock in the morning
Jim Phillips killed himself and the
officers were notified of the fact. They
placed Bud Phillips under arrest as
accessory to the Smith murder and
are holding him on that charge.
The local officers saw an account of |
the murder and suicide in the daily |
press, so Officer Goad wrote Sheriff |
LeFors of Comanche county, telling |
him of the old killing and stating that
rest was the man wanted here. Mr..
Goad received letter from the Okla
homa sheriff stating that the man adj
mitted that he was Phillips and was
wanted here. He stated that Phillips
had been going under the name of
Chas. E. Steele out there. That his
ho har re bain |
sorry to the murder of Mrs Smith
would not take place before Septem-
Der, and that in case ne was not con-
victed on that charge, he would be
held for the Maury county officers if
the necessary papers were forwarded.
Mr.. Goad had the papers prepared
this morning and sent them to Okla
homa at once.
The files of The Herald of Septem-
Der "a, 1897 contain the following ,
account of the killing of Hightower
rs sent in by the Mt. Pleasant cor
respondent of The Herald:
A fighting affray occurred here at
he depot on the evening of the 21st
between Bud Phillips and Tom High \
over, which resulted in the killing
# Hightower. They had some words
n the morning and met again late in
he afternoon and the quarrel came up
gain. Hightower was rushing on e.
phillips with knife, when he shot 81
i'm several times through the head o.
nd once through the body, causing N
Instant death. Hightower leaves a te
vife and several children. He had "
cen told that morning that if he did W
OF stop drinking and attend to his Ell
wn affairs, some one would kill him; CT
ee was an overbearing character. il
hillips is still at large" al