The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1909-10-29
MURDER
Will OUT.
Man Arrested for Crime of
% Years Ago.
Magoffin County Man is Captur-
ed in West Virginia and
Placed in Jail.

Huntington, w. Va, Oct. 25-Just
twenty-five years ago, in the fall Of
1887, Alex Mcfarland, of Hendricks,
shot to death his lifelong friend.
Thomas II. Patton, the tragedy taking
place on a country road, where the
two men met while on their way
home from hauling logs Immediately
following the shooting which resulted
in the death of Patton As hours after
ward, Mcfarland left the State, and
until a few days ago nothing had ever
been heard from him.
He was arrested in Kanawha county
just across the border line in West
Virginia from Kentucky.
With a few words of farewell TO
his wife and the little children, Nc
Farland accompanied by two friends
left his home and =, until a day ago
they had heard no word from the hus
band and father who had left them to
provide for themselves with only a
few moments warning.
The story of the escape Is interest
Ing. Mcfarland and his two friends
stretched out in line, several rods
apart, with Mcfarland in the middle
and when a stranger was met the ma
in the lead would shout "how dye d.
loud enough for Mcfarland to hear
and SO signal him to drop into the
brush out of sight.
The same rule worked when any
one came up from behind and so in
this way, after days Of walking and
watching, the murderer was slipped
out of the community and the State.
And the friends never told, both dyin
a few years later carrying the secret
with them into the grave. The are
said to have been Charles and Mart
Montague.
When Patton was shot down there
was at his home a son, a boy of eight.
teen years-he is forty now-and he
then and there began to search for
his fathers slayer and that search
was ketp up for twenty-five years.
He had about surrendered all hope
OF ever finding the man who committed
the crime and had made his mother a
widow and himself an orphan. but
recently there came TO him the news
that the murderer had been located
by a friend who knew him, and had
talked to Mcfarland in the coal and
coke regions of West Virginia. and
by adroit effort and earnest preten-
sions of friendship, wormed from him
confession Of the crime committed
almost a quarter of a century before
back among the hills Of Kentucky.
That man was John Gullet, nov Of
Salyersville. KY, who accidentally
stumbled upon Mcfarland, who was
living under the name of Press Carter
Carter never knew until Tuesday that
Outlet was a friend Of the family Of
the man he had slain 50 many years
ago,
Gullett realizing the importance Of
his discovery, returned at once e.
KY, the home of the Pat
tons, and informed Reoce A. Patton.
the son Of the murdered man OF the
location of Mcfarland, and plans were
at once laid for his arrsct which was
accomplished Wednesday MS he lay
In bed asleep by the side of the
woman who had for years elieved
herself his lawful wife.
The arrest was made by Rcoce A.
Patton, son Of McFarlands victim,
John Williams, jailer of Raleigh coun-
Iy Harrison Williams, duputy sheriff
IF Raleigh, J. NJ. Nickols, deputy sher-
If Of Morgan county, KY. and John
NJ Outlet.
The men went to McFarland's home
the house and then the
deputy sheriff OF Raleigh quietly open
I'd the door and followed by Reece
Patton and John Outlet, slipped in |
side and We're in the presence Of Me I
Farland.
a. match was struck, the lamp III |
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