Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1911-12-28
PLOT IS DISCOVERED
TO KILL CHILDREN
ATTAFT OKLAHOMA
FOR OIL LANDS
Negro and White Man Jointly
Accused Of Dynamiting
0utragcs Which Would
Have Reaped Big Profits.
CRIME RESULTED IN
TWO TERRIBLE DEATHS


Muskogee. Okla. Dce. ss.--Ths trial
OF ID. G. Allen. a negrb charged with
In the murder OF flerber;
and casteiln Sells. negro children. all
1aft. March "a. was halted In the dis |
triot court this morning when Allenl
entered a plea OF guilty. He lmmodi |
ateiy was sentenced to mprisonmentl
for life at hard labor.
william Irwin, q white man, charg-
ed with the same crime. was given
the same sentence several years ago,
Allen. irwin. Y. l.. Martin. formerly
a member of the Muskogee city coun-I
ell. and John Combs. a wealthy oil
operator or Bartlesville. Il is alleged.
were In a conspiracy 20 place dynamite
under the Sells homo, where the Sells
children were sleeping and explode H..
Herbert Sells was almost instantly
killed. Castella Sells was caught un-
der the debris OF the house which i'm
mediatcly caught are. She died In
the flames. white her mother and
others looked on poweriess to save
her.
The alleged motive In the case WAS
90 obtain possession OF oil lands own
ed by the children. valued at s200.O00.
through the name OF the father OF the
Sells children. The father disappear
ed ten years ago. Il IL alleged that the
consplrators paid a negro IN the city
Of Mexico 60 inpersonate Sells and
sign deeds to the land. This negro.
J. G. Johnson went on the witness
stand and swore that he had boon paid
by Irwin, Martin and Allen to lrnper-
senate Hardy Sells. the chi'dren's
father.
Martin and Combs are yet TO be tried
for their alleged connection with the
crime.
The Sells children, Herbert. aged n.
and Castella. aged i2, were friedman
minors. That II, they are negroes who
received Creek Indian all0tments,
Their land was selected for them near
Sapulpa, Ia what later developed into
the great Glenn Pool. one Of the rich
est oil fields in the country. There
are nineteen producing wells on the
Z half section they owned. and they
we're drawing royalties from the oll
produced amounting a. $1,000 q
month. in addition 10 the large casa
bonus paid for the lease.
Ten years ago, their father, Hardy
Sells, disa opanred. He wns drawned
while crossing the Deep Fork river
II IL believed. Mrs. SELLS married Zeh
Mackcy. and II was his home that wa
dynnmited at TAFT. wheer the children
were killed. u is generally believed
that the intention was 10 XIII the
mother ALSO. and thus leave the prop
lorty entirely IN the hands OF the father
I f..ls a fhs
death of the children. william Irwin
now under life sentence for the muir
der conspiracy. started 10 Mexico. III
was found by state ana government
detectives forty-cight hours after IN
landed In the Mexican capital ant
when arrested had the deeds To ih'
Sells cnildren's allotmcnts In his pos
session. These deeds had been signed
by an oklahoma negro named John
son. who formerly lived at Wan. III
swore or the witnsss stand that he wal
10 impersonate Sells and was To re
ceive s2.oG0. He said that he wal
first approached by Doc" Allen, tn
negro who pleaded guilty today, an'
later By Irwin and r.. l.. Martin. TN
ueedn were made IN favor of irwin
Martin and coomhs. as he'd previou
deeds TO the allotment OF Hardy Sell
himself and OF another dead child
also signed by johnson as Sells.
y Sam Lowe. Joe Norwood and Do
a Alien. all negroes, we've arrested a
= the three men who actually placed tn
( dynamite under the house. Norwoo'
= turned states evidence aud toid OF Ia
= plot. charging that Il was proposed b
a Alien. lie said that he was to azals
lin the dynamitlnE, bu, that when the
0 approached the house with a III
a bucket full OF sticks OF dynamite h
a was left ar Waterman and that he fle'
20 the house or his sister, where h.
y was when the house was blown W
I The dynamite wa placed under
y room and directly Under the be-
a where the children slept. Mr.
. Mackey was accustomed To sleeping 4
1 bed In the adjoining room with
: thin board partition separating th
beds. That night she slept In anothe
o room, otherwise she also must hav
q been killed and the murder plo, woul
4 have succeeded. The negroes were I
c receive $1,000 for the Job II wa
Il never paid.
n The mother Of the two children. o.
oruer OF the county court. set aside
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