The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-04-09
Identity Of the Man Arrested as
Roper for Murder Twenty
Years Ago is Not
Certain
BULLARD RECALLS
ARKANSAS CRIME
But is Unable to Say Positively
that Smith is the Man
Accused Has Moth.
ing to Say


Whether the man arrested in Tuttls
and landed in the county jail here by
Constable Finley Fryreare and bob
CastIeman, under the name of George
Smith, is really Jess Roper, wanted in
Mountainhome, Ark, for murder, the
next few days will undoubtedly tell.
Communications have been exchanged
between the Arkansas authorities and
Hodge Bailey, sheriff, and a rigid in
vestigation is being made.
He is known to many Grady county
people, having lived in or around Tut
tie for a number of years. 1t is sao
that his residence in the Indian Terri
tory dates back % years. During his
residence at Tuttle, he has worked as
farm hand for Mr.. Smith. brother OF
d. =. Smith Of this city and for Mr.
Fryreare, brother OF Constable FRY
reare of Tuttle. Stories Of his actions
are to the effect that from time to
time he was wont to leave Tuttle
without allowing the knowledge Of his
whereabouts to become known, and to
return in the course of a few months,
as suddenly as he had left
When arrested he had s13O In bills,
$40 in gold and certificate OF deposit
for $1,000 from the Citizens National
bank of this city. besides a few dollars
in silver, on his person. The eertifi-
cate Of deposit was issued by the local
bank Tuesday and was the result Of
the presentation Of draft on a Texas
bank.
The search for this man, under the
suppositIon that he is Jess Proper,
was begun last June by ]. A. Thomp-
son, former deputy. upon receipt of in
formation that he is the man wanted
in Arkansas for SO many years Mr.
Thompson has telegrams and letters
from officers In Arkansas giving a
description Of Roper, stating the crime
for which he is wanted, and warning
all officers to take no chances with
him as he is truly a bad man. Last
summer the man supposed to be Roper
was all but caught here, hut made his
getaway. Finley Fryreare had been
informed that the man who worked for
his brother was a suspected criminal
with price on his head, but Wednes-
day was the first opportunity he has
had to arrest the man, who recently
returned to that town, supposedly from
Texas
In company with Bob Castleman,
deputy sheriff, Fryreare located Smith,
alias Prather, in barber shop. Whip.
ping out his gun, he ordered Smith to
throw up his hands Smith said, DO
you mean it?' to which Fryreare re-
piled that he most assuredly did, with
the result that Smith put EN- up. When
searched 1t was found that he was
wearing a gun In a convenient pocket
ana was supplied with some 25 rounds
of ammunition.
Landed in the county Jail, w. c.
Bullard merchant Of Chickasha, who
knew Jess Roper in Arkansas, was
called to the jail for the purpose of
identification. Mr. Bullard states that
while the suspect certainly resembles
Roper in every way, 1t has been %
years since he has seen Roper and
that he might possibly be mistaken.
He stated in effect that he could not
go on the witness stand and swear
that the man In Jail is really Roper.
Recalling the crime for which Roper
is wanted, Mr. Bullard gave an outline
of the events that led up to the kill
ing. He said that 1t occurred in 1899,
A family named Triggs had come to
Arkansas from Missouri and had had,
previous to the shooting, some trouble
with the sheriff Of the county. Later
Roper came from Missouri and took
up his residence with the Trlggs.
Eventually Roper became wanted by
the authorities for some minor offense,
probably gambling, and the sheriff,
whose name, states Bullard, was Col
bert, accompanied by deputy, went