Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-09-22
III. O. Jefl.l'ies Dies Of AL
coholism as He Pre-
pares to Reform.
WAS GOING YVES 7
Had Been Charged With
Murder Once; Was Once
Power in the State.
altered plans Of II. O. JEFF

NEATH altered plans Of II. O. JEFF
II fries, once prominent and pros
porous editor and owner of a Nowata
daily newspaper, to forget turbulent
past and beat back" in a new country.
When George Scarborough, a printer
from st. joseph, Mo who had asked
Jeffries to share his room at the
Washington hotel awoke yesterday
morning at o'clock he shook his
friend and found he had been sleep
ing beside n dead man.
IL O Jeffries was down on his luck
when he came to Tulsa from Sapulpa.
where ne had been employed as
printer on Il newspaper. He came
here with the expectation If getting
employment on another paper, but
found that there was no opening.
Then he decided to seek new
country and begin life over again. Ho
was discouraged and tried hard 70
drown his trouble with drink. 10
friends he confded that he wanted to
start 4 new slate and go to Wyoming,
where he could he among people who
did not know him or OF hlni.
At midnight he went to the Wash
inxton hotel and complained to Scar
borough that ne was i'll. 4 physician
was called and gave him medical at
tention. To the doctor he conflded
that he had been drunk for long
ueriod and had used dope Proof OF
this was found on his arms and body
where many needle puncturos were
Ills, cred.
Scarborough awoke several times
duriny the night and found that he
was asecp and snoring. At 4 O'Clock
ccacborough fell asleep and did not
awaken until o'clock, when he shook
Jcffrcs and found that he was dead
Tried Tor Murder
Four years ago Jcffries was on trial
ir Nowata county charged with MUIR
Ter He was accused of lur.ng Mrs.
Irene Goheen to a pasture at the out
skirts of Nowata and brutally beating
her to death with a rock. The flrSt
iurv could not agree on verdict ana
at his second trial he was acquitted.
The murdered woman had been
employed by Jeffries in his office as
advertising solicitor. Her terribly
mutilated body was found the DAY
after the murder, but it was not
for several days that suspicion was
attracted to the editor. who was a
power in the community and prom
inent in politics.
He was arrested and charged with
the murder.
After being confined in Jail, JEFF
fries continued to edit his newspaper,
Tho Nowata Advertiser. from his
cell He was tried in November,
1919.
,Ieffries always claimed that the
prosecution was a frameup by his
political enemies.
Two DAYS before he was arrested
he had received the appointment as
postmaster at Nowata.
He Lost Heart.
After his acquttal on his second
trial he lost heart and sank to the
depths. He drank to excess and then
became a victim Of the dope habit.
His friends slipped away one by one
and finally he lost his business
For some time he had been en-
ployed as mechanical foreman in the
newspaper plant If the Daily Argus
at Sapulpa and came here few days
ago 90 procure a position on news
paper.
Failing in this he appealed to his
friends to lend him enough money
to take his wife and go further west
and try to come back.
Death stepped in AMI the die was
cast.
JeffrIes was forty years old. He
was q member Of the Tulsa Typo
graphical union and his funeral will
he conducted unde" its auspices.
His wife came here from Sapulpa
yesterday.
An inquest was held yesterday aft
ernoon before Justice Lee Daniel A
coroner's jury found that death was
due to acute dilitation OF the heart
superinduced by the excessive use
Of liquor and narcotics.