Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-10-23
Woman Who Had Thought
Herself His Legal Wife Is
Prostrated-Had Desert
ed Family Too.
SON OF VICTIM
NEVER CEASED
TO SEARCH
The Son WillNow Probably
See His Fathers Muir
der Avenged.

Huntington, Oct 23.-Ju-t twenty
Two years ago, in the fall OF 1887.
Alex Mcfarland, OF Hendricks. XIV.
shot to death his lifelong friend.
Thomas II. Patton, the trageIy TAX
lag place on a quiet country road,
Were the two men met while on
their way home from hauling logs
Immediately following the shooting.
which resulted in the death OF Pat
ton As hours afterward, Mcfarland
leit the state, and until a few DAYS
ago nc-hirg had ever been heara
from him. Yesterday morning he
was arrested in Kanawha county
just acrosJ the border line where
Kanawha barely kisses Raleigh,
then runs away by the side Of Fay
ette and Boone counties.
The story OF the tragedy. of Nc
Farland's life following the incident
in which his hand wiped out the life
OF his best friend and turned him
from peaceable, law abiding citizen
into fugatiye from justice. is one Of
the most intensely interesting that
has been written in West Virginia in
years, and parallels In its tiRge OF
the exciting and unusual the "Sche-
me- Of Randolph Mason" although
along entirely different lines. 1t is
a tale that deals with the old. old
story of a woman's charm and love
for the love that sins; with man's
iGordinate jealouy where affection
for the woman he sins with is CON
cerned; With the abandonment OF
family % home, the adoption OF
another. name and a bigamous mar
riage and tbs rearing OF a family of
i,Agitihnate lchildren. whose only call
call to ar honorable name is the
common law
This j. the story of Alex McFar-
la~d's life, the end of which has al
fost been reached this is the story
that tells of how, after % long year,
of hiding and remorse, the never ceas
ing nemesis of all criminals. the law
of God and man, reached out its long
arm and gathered him into its boz
ON and now, in the days when he
wo Id seeH peace at his fre-side, he
must stare into the future through
prison bar, unless a kindly fate in
tervenes.
story of the Tragedy.
On the ninth day OF October, 1887
on the county road near Hendricks.
KY. Thomas II Patton was on ~
way home from a log haasing wIA
he met Alex McFarIaustas 49,
for years. ara topped % chat kRfg
him. In the wagon with McFtrland
was a woman whose reputation was
not Of the best in the community
and a big jug OF whisky
cit off Tom n hev a drink re-
marked Mcfarland
Patton acqtiessed and after taking
drink began Joking Mcfarland
about the wqpep he mad with bin
and who had ften With him ppey-
on ly
Mcfarland, Jealous aew fnto
rage and Patton apoloRizsdf
"I'm sorry, ELK he said ~ didn't
tend TO make ye mad er to insult
ye."
Patton then turned his back 70
Mcfarland psasped his hofse by the
manc with tb, left hand. threw hia
loft foot into the surrup and was
just ready TO swing into the saddle
land ride away when Mcfarland ~
fit of rage pulled revolver from
his pocket showed it against Pagtons
back ara pulled he trigger twice
Two large calibra bullets sIoughed
their way through the vitals OF Pat
ton who sank To- The ground with his
life blood flowing from two ugly
hole just to the right Of the spine.
Mcfarland Leaves state.
Continued on Page Six.