The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-02-28
Justice Moore Takes Under Adj
visement Gases at Prelim;
Outgrowth of General
Mixup.
GUN-PLAY AT CHURCH
STARTS FREE-FOR-A ALL
Testimony Of Witnesses Clashes
Tangling Web of Evidence
AS to Actual Happening
at Meeting.

81 hold the decision of the court in
allegiance for further consideration of
the cases. said 7. p. Moore, justice
Of the peace, after the preliminary
hearing of r. f. Brown, Clifford
Gray and Clarence Whitener, in this
city yesterday afternoon.
Brown and Gray are charged with
assault with intent to kill, while
Whitener is charged with assault
with dangerous weapons. The de-
PENDANTS are alleged to have been
implicated in, and chief promoters of,
the trays following a church meet
ing at the Cofelt school house on
the night OF February 18th. Two
were injured by gunshots and one
was badly beaten and bruised in the
fight which seems to have been a
community quarrel between two fac
tions.
Witnesses introduced by d, M. Cav
aness, county attorney and VIM.
Stacey, assistant county attorney,
representing the state, were: Mrs.
Carrie Whitener, who was shot
through the leg; j. A. Whitener, ].
Fl. Wilburn, Pete Holtz, Hosey Will
burn, c. P. Cox and DR.. Baze of
Chckasha. Witnesses introduced by
Attorney Alger Melton, representing
the defense of Brown and Gray, in
troduced as witnesses Bill Brown.
brother of the defendant; Sam Hum
NETT, Bud Weaver Lon Frederick,
Glib Brown, Kerschel Phillips, Doyle
Looney, Baccus Young, and two of
the defendants, Clifford Gray and
r. f. Brown. With the exception of
Dr. Baze, all the witnesses were resi-
dents of the Cofelt community and
were present at the time the battle
was raging on the night of Febru-
airy 11th
Mrs. Whitener, j. A. Whitener, ].
w. Wilburn and his son, Hosey Will
burn, testified that Mrs. Whitener
was shot from the gun in the hands
of Mr.. Brown, who was commits
stoned as deputy and given the spe-
cial assignment of keeping order at
the meeting These witnesses also
testified that Brown stepped back
two steps ara shot the woman, while
some of the witnesses declared under
oath that Mrs Whftener was shot
while scuffling with Deputy Brown
in an attempt to take the gun from
his hands. Brown testified to this
effect and said he had no intention
of shooting Mrs. Whitener, and she
was shot when the gun was acci-
dentally discharged
81 shot Clarence Whitener because
l wanted to stop the fight" said
Clifford Gray when he was placed on
the stand as the final witness for the
defense. Gray stated that he shot
Whitener after he (Whitener) had
III DAONA OA ttC nCoug uoluS d Sih-
gle-tree as his weapon of war.
1t was threshed out in the testi-
mony given yesterday that the fight
started between mig" Phillips AMI
Birdie Whitener, two young men o,
the community. As this fight cu,-
minated, others took hands in the
matter Bill Brown brother of R. II.
Brown, one of the defendants, and
also Deputy Sheriff, ordered every
one back that he might separate the
men. At this point, some one
"clubbed" the peacemaker, and when
the fray came to a conclusion, Mrs.
Whitener and Clarence Whitener
were seriously wounded from gum
shots and Deputy Brown was sorely
beaten over the head. All three have
practically recovered and were able
to attend the preliminary hearing
yesterday.
Some of the evidence given by
witnesses for the prosecution and
defense did not agree, and "old TIM
ers" who witnessed the hearing de-
clare the affair was one of the most
noted community differences ever
brought into the courts here.