Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-12-17
PROMINENT men INVOLVED
DETAILS or PLOT THAT KILLED
INNOCENT CHILDREN AT
TAFT MADE KNOWN.
SENSATIONS COME fast
state PiIing Up Strong Case in Trial
of the First of the Alleged
Conspirators.

MUsKOGEE, Okla, Dec. I6.-
tSpecial-D II. Allen, one OF the al
legged arch-conspirators in the sensa
tional Taft dynamiting case which re-
suited In the deaths of Stella and Her
bert Sells, has made fun confession
to County Attorney Disney, Ered
Cook, government 'sleuth," and Sher,
itf Wisner. William Irwin ON trial in
the district courI ON IA charge of con
spraey and murder in connection with
the dynamtng $ implicated in the con-
Iession, with Zeb Mackey, stepfather
OF the murdered dhildren 1t is be-
lieved tonight that Aliens confession
also duplicates Il. L.. Martin, former
Muskogee councilman. John Combs,
wealthy oil operator, and four negro
defendants under indictment.
Confession Suppressed.
Mackey who has been an important
witness expected to be arrested to-
night at the instance of the state.
The complete confession has been sup
pressed until the psaoper time to bring
1t into the case, but 1t Is asserted on
the best Of authority that Alien and
Massey first hatched the plot to blow
up The Sells ch dren In order to OBJ
tain their vallable allotments In the
heart of the mid'contlnent oil field,
but the deal got too big for them and
they were unable financially to carry
1t out. They took Irwin into their
confidence, according to the confess
sion and he took charge of the deal.
The state sprung another sensation
today when 1t showed by witnesses
that Irwin was in the vicinity of Taft,
the morning follog,ng the explosion.
Tcemed With Sensations.
This mornings session of the trial
teemed with as startling sensations as
the statements made by j. c. Johnson,
the Man from Mexico" who imper-
sonated Hardy Sells, father of the
dead children, on the stand yesterday
afternoon. Johnson admitted that hs
never knew any Hardy Sells and that
he signed Se.is' name to the several
deeds to lands belong to the two dead
children and othr members of the
family.
Identified Grip
Irwin, according TO the witness. ap-
peared at his home In d.sheveled
and unkept condition, with his clothes
so.led and looking much the worse
for wear. He further stated that Ir-
win carried a 'Irown grip and wore
big black hat with an unusually
wide brim. The witness identified the
grip and hat this morning as the one
he saw when Irwn came to his house
on the morning following the explos-
10 The accused man ate breakfast
with the witness and remained at his
house for about two hours, when he
left after receiving directions as to
how to get to Haskell.
Corrobcrating Evidence.
Previous to Richards, Bob Jackson,
a negro, took the stand and stated
that he met Irwin along the road
abut midway between Muskogee and
Taft on the morning following the ex-
plosion and that Irwin asked the priv
he was driving toward Taft at the
time. He identified the hat and grip
as the same that Irwin had on that
morning.
District Judge Involv' d.
The name of Judge DeGraffenrled, !
befole whom tN sensational case Is
being tried, was ment oned. causing d |
mild sensation among the spectators. !
w Thornburg. OF Okmulgee. told of a |
conversation he had with Irwin in
which Irwin had attempted to buy
him to go TO Muskogee to identity |
Hardy Sells"
SO far the name of John Combs. an
other defendant who will be tried
sometime in the future. has been
mentioned at different times as the
man who furnlshd the blood money"
He is alleged to have put up the ex
penses of the trips made to Mex co by |
Irwin and f. l.. Martin, another prom |