The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-06-26
FARM Err SHOT AND
KILLED BY NE|GHB0R
WYLIE WILLIAMS DEAD AND
w. G. DRIVER IS HELD IN
COUNTY JAIL
IS SLAIN At HIS GA TE
Killing Occurred About Seven Miles
Northwest of Springer About 6
O'clock Last Night-Two Young
Men Held Pending Investigation.


lead and w. c. Driver, II years
age, IS in Jail charged with murder
1t was II o'clock last night when
A. J. Hardy, county attorney, was
notified that Williams had been
killed and that Driver had come to
the jail and surrendered.
With James Carter, deputy sher-
iff, and Sam Harris, under sheriff
the county attorney went to the
scene of the killing, a point about
seven miles northwes of Springer
where he gathered what information
he could, but he has not finished
the investigation.
From what Mr.. Hardy learned, II
appears Williams was in Ardmore
yesterday and was on his way home
and within 200 yards of his home
between $50 and e o'clock yester-
day evening, when he got off his
horse to open the gate, and was
shot with a double-barrel shotgun
The right side of his head was al
most shot away
Shot Down at Gate.
AS Williams approached the gate
he was riding on road that winds
down a hill along Drivers pasture
fence. The fence is twelve rails
high and has settled until it is al
most solid, as is the fence running
at right angles to it on the lower
side of the pasture. The gate across
the road is at the corner of the
pasture and the corner is marked
by an unusually lareg tree, wrapped
around with posts and wire, SO that
a person hiding behind this tree
on the lower side of the fence would
be completely hidden from person
coming down the road as Williams
was. The theory is that Driver was
hiding behind this tree and that
when Williams got off his horse to
open the gate, Driver stepped into
the road and shot him. The shot
must have been fired at close range
as Williams face was powder-burn
ed and goodly portion OF his hat
brim torn away. Both barrels OF
the shotgun had been recently dis
charged.
Williams house is about 200 yards
from the gate and Drivers house is
about the same distance in an op-
posite direction. On the side of the
road on which Drivers house is
situated, there is a field of cotton,
probably IS or 40 acres. The coun-
try is open so that from any portion
of the cotton field good view oi
the road leading down the hill, the
big tree and the gate could be had
In the cotton field, just below
Drivers house, r. s. Herriott and
c. F. Talmadge, two young men,
said to be relatives of Driver, were
blowing cotton. When they heard
the shot, one of them drove on on,
to the end of the row and went
over toward the gate. The other
kept on blowing for an hour or
more without making any inquiry
about the shooting. The first one
met Driver, near the gate, carrying
the shotgun, saw the dead man ly-
ing in the road and the latter
horse, which had turned back, run
ming up the road. The wife OF
Driver and another woman member
of the family were milking cows IN
the lot only few yards away from
the big tree, behind which Driver
is said to have been hiding, but they
saw nothing of the killing, they
claimed. 1t was more than an hour
before any of the neighbors were
notified of the killing and more
than two hours before Williams
wife was told of it. Williams had
a wife and baby, and a baby's rat
tie, he had purchased while in Ard
more, was found in his pocket after
he was killed.
Were Formerly Partners.
Driver and Williams had at one
AAiN NohAiN
business and following settlement,
about the beginning of the present
year, Driver claimed Williams owed
him a sum of money and has re-
peatedly insisted this money was
due him and not paid. He is re-
ported as to having frequently said
that if Williams did not pay him
the money he would kill him.
Williams was preparing TO move
away from that neighborhood and
was going to start with his family
today for Hennepin. where he ex-
pected to take up his residence. 1t
was also reported that Driver knew
that Williams was planning to leave
that neighborhood today.
Driver is held in jail and will be
charged formally in the courts with
murder. After the two young men,
Herrio;t and Talmadge, were ar
rested by James Carter. deputy
sheriff, they were placed in jail and
II .s.-s.--