The Mena weekly star., 1918-05-30
COOL HEADED WORK
 PREVENTS LYNCHINC
Judge Lake, Prosecutor DuLaney and Citizens Joined in Effort to Prevent Violence--Four Face First De-
 gree Murder Charge.
DEAD Charles Kirkland, officer. Elmer Cason.
 WOUNDED Mrs. Robert Harkey. W. A. Coughran. Levi Pigg, officer, slight.


 In an effort to capture a band of alleged slaclSers and outlaws, sup posed to have been involved in re- cent robberies and in conducting H. licit stills, sheriff's posse went to the Robert Harkey home, about 1s mile west of Hatton, a small sta tion twenty-five miles south of Mena early Saturday morning and Charles Kirkland, a well-known and prosper ous farmer and a fearless deputy un- der Sheriff H. W Finger was shot and instantly killed; Levi Pigg, member of the posse, slightly wound ed; Elmer Cason, one of the alleged outlaws riddled with rife bullets and buckshot; Mrs. Robert Harkey, sister of cason and wife of the owner of the house, very seriously wounded with ball thru her right breast, and " A. Coughran, shot in the left shoulder.
 Four small children were in the room with Mrs Harkey but were un- injured by the fusiIlade. B. c. Coughran, brother of the wound ed man, is believed to have taken part in the shooting, but was cap- tured unhurt.
 Elmer Cason, who was said to be the leader, and was a man with a criminal record, emptied his 30-30 rifle at the posse except for the last shell, which damned in his gun. He then attempted to run and received 30-30 hall thru his head, another thru his neck, and two charges of buck shot in his body. He was buried in the Witherspoon cemetery.
 Bob Harkey was brought to Mena by auto and lodged in jail early today, and just before noon Sheriff Finger with a number of his deputies brought the remains of the dead off, cer and the three Coughrans to Mena on the local freight, lodging the pris- oners in jail
 Early in the morning wild rumors were current in Mena as to the battle and there was a sentiment favor ing summary dealing with the out laws, but Judge J. S. Lake of De- Queen, holding special term of court here to try Mike and Eli Daffron for the murder of A. D. Boatner, who was killed west of Grannis recently while gathering crop statistics for the government, assisted by A. D. DuLaney of Ashdown, prosecuting att torney, took active steps to safeguard the men, deputizing d number of special deputies and addressing the gathering crowds, and when the off, eefs and prisoners stepped from the train n lane was opened thru the crowd and they were escorted to the jail, followed by hundreds of citizens.
 At At the jail Sheriff T. II " ". Finger, broken with his hard experience and death of his friend, told the as- semblage of the affair, and this story is probably the best that can be given. It is about as follows:
 Sheriff Finger had information as to the whereabouts of the men, and last night, with several regular dep- uties and a number of the home guard now forming here, in all about twenty. left in four cars, intending to investigate several points where it was said suspects could be found. At points along the way they were joined by others and also received definite warnings that officers, and particularly Sheriff Finger. would be killed if they undertook to make arr rests. Men joined the posse from Cove. Gillham, Grannis and Wickes.
 They first located L. A. Coughran, whom they took in custody and then went to Vandervoort where they left all the cars in charge of a guard, and the posse, then 36 in number, went thru the mountains several miles to the Robert HarlSey home. Then men were placed about the house and Sheriff Finger, with Deputy Willis Hungate, stepped on the veranda and called Robert Harkey to the door They started to go ia, but Finger seeing that Mrs. Harkey was not dressed, remarked that they would wait for her to do so.
 Al thaf instant v0IIev of shots