The Mena weekly star., 1910-12-29
MANACLED PRISONER
IS SHOT TO DEATH
Oscar Chitwood, Accused Of Murder,
Killed While ir Hands Of Officer
at Hot Springs - Attorney
Calls 1t Murder.

Hot Springs, Dec. 27.-Tntense ex-
citement prevails. not only in the city
but in the neighboring county, over
the assassination of Oscar Chitwood,
prisoner indicted for murder and
being removed from the jail here to
Little Rock for safekeeping, at 2:30
O'Clock yesterday morning. Chitwood
was shot to death near the court
Eouse, as he was being carried, as
claimed by the officers, from the
county Jail to the city Jail. near the
depot, from where Chitwood was to be
taken on the train for Little Rock.
That the relatives of Chitwood re-
gard the crime as nothing short of
murder, for which in large measure
they blame the officers. is shown in
an interview between the sister and
Deputy Sheriff Ben Murray at the
courthouse When the sister called
to secure the blood-stained clothing
and other effects left by her brother,
she openly accused the officers of
numbering her brother. She is alleged
to have made the following statement
to the deputy: Ben Murray, you
are murderer, and the cause of my
brothers death. You pretended to
be my friend, and we will get you
yet"
The murder of a handcuffed and
defenseless prisoner has aroused the
people of the city, and there seems
to be disposition to ferret out and
punish the perpetrators without delay.
Coroner Randolph has summoned
a jury composed of representative
business men to inquire in the affair.
Charges Conspiracy.
Judge Graham, attorney for Chit
wood, came out today in a published
interview. in which he says: 1T is
the greatest, the blackest and most
deliberate assassination that has ever
been perpetrated in any community.
The circumstances surrounding Chit
woods murder lead me to believe
beyond any question of doubt that it
was deliberate conspiracy on the
part of the officers to have him muir
dered. The facts that would have
developed in Chitwood's defense
would have reflected so greatly on
certain officers in this county that |
have been satisfied all along that they
would never permit them to be de-
veloped in the case.
According to statement of the
deputy in charge of Chitwood at the
time he was taken from the Jail, only
one deputy was on duty at the time.
and if he had been allowed to proceed
on his way to the city Jail, which is
near the main depot, it would have
left the jail with at least six other in
dicted murderers without guard. So
far there is no clew to the identity of
the members of the mob who killed
Chitwood.
At the opposite entrrnce to the Gar
land county court house from where
three months before he had engaged
in deadly battle with officers of the
law. Oscar Chitwood's dead body was
picked up from the stone steps at 2:30
O'Clock this morning, three bullets
having been fired through it at close
range.
Rutherford's Statement.
Deputy Sheriff Rutherford's s state
ment is all there is to the story of this
mornings tragedy. He states that
he was passing home along by the
court house about midnight and saw
five suspicious characters. Fearing
that Chitwood might be mobbed, he
says, he entered the Jail to take the
prisoner to the city Jail, situated close
to the depot, where this morning Chit
wood could have been transferred to
Saline county for trial. he having been
granted change of venue by the
court here ten days ago.
Rutherford says that he first entered
the jail and told Citwood to prcparesto
move to the city Jail. and afterwards
went and took him out. Just as they
were stepping from the Jail door. which
is in the court house building, he was
overpowered, he says by five or more
masked men. the prisoner taken from
him and shot to death.
Chitwood was still manacled with
the handouts when his body was
viewed by the coroner half an hour
later. There is no trace of the mem
bers OF the mob.
j. M. Lackey came Thursday from