The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1911-03-03
To Be TRIED
FOR MURDER.
40. Trrskeii Charged with kill
v sl. Ing John D. S. Nicely.
nnTinlr Tn,li rvnrnrrn
NOTABLE TRIAL EXPECTED
Shooting was the Result of Litiga-
ton Over an Oil Dsase--The Trial
Z gi1D-
,of Truskett Promises TO BE One Of
the Most Notable That Has Taken
Place in. Kansas.

independence, Kan, March o..
The March term Of the circuit court
about to convene here will be made
notable by the trial OF AL o. Trus
kett for the alleged murder of John
D. S. Nicely, pominent capitalist
whose home was in Lima, Ohio
Truskett shot and killed Nicely in the
Palace hotel in the town of Caney.
about 25 miles southwest of here,
/ on the morning Of January z. last
The slain man was president OF
the Lima Trust company in his home
city and was also head of several
large oil companies In, the Kansas
Oklahoma field. including the Wich-
tia Pipe Line company. The shooting
wasathe result OF litigation over an
oil lease. ). az
or the day before the tragedy Mr..
Nicely had arrived In Caney on his
regular monthly inspection OF oil and
gas interests. The following morn
ing Mr.. Nicely was sitting in the hotel
Office reading letter Truskett, sit
ting opposite. watched him closely.
When Nicely got up and walked to-
ward the rear OF the hotel Truskett
hurried around to the sample room.
As Nicely passed the door of this
room Truskett fired at him twice.
One bullet passed through MIR
Neeivls heart. and theI uiher through
his left arm. When employees of the
hotetireached the PROSTATE man he
was dead. Tpuskett surrendered inn
/ mediately and was htfIied in an
automobile TO the county jail in this
city,
Theai Killing is believed to have
/ been largely tile result OF lawsuit
that had Tong been pending between
Truskett and sfhe Wichita Pipe Line
I company. OF which Nicely was prasi-
dent Accordsne to his friends Trus-
skettr WIS ofstBk belief that the com
pany was trying to rob hinf Of his
rights. The litigation was OYER Q
lease 10 tract Of oil land a few
miles south On Caney. Robert F.
Goodman. minor Indian. who own
ed the tract. sold his interest several
years ago 10 Hugh Benson. an OF
mani. who later disposed of il to {
local oiL~firm for S4ue. Trusket
paid This firm ss,ieg'for the lease
Shortly afterward the Wichita pip,
Line company claimed the lease o.
The tract. alleging thattit had come
into possession Of II by lease from
parties said to be Interested in n,
Wichita company. The company as
serted that the lease 70 Truskctt wa
not according 10 law. as the Indian
boy Goodman was not of age wheI
he signed away his rights to IN,
property. Truskett asserted that III,
pipe line company had used undn,
influence on the Indian boy. had KEEP
him constantly under watch and hat
finally bought from him the lease oil
the day he came OF age.
Public sympathy in this section i
largely OH the side or Truske,.
owing Iii d great measure 10 the pop
ular prejudice against the pipe lin,
company ard It's affiliated corpora
lions because Of the methods the,
have pursued IN the past. Relatives
and friends Or the alleged slayei
hnye raised i se0.C fiind and hay,
employed eminent counsel TO conduc
his lcfense. The coming trial is ex
fccted 20 be one OF the most notabl,
that has taken place IN this section
OF Kansas IN many years