The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-05-24
7. R. BRAUGHT GOES
TO CHAIR SMILING,
EXECUTED At 1886.
FIRST WHITE MAN IN OKLAHOMA
TO PAY DEATH PENALTY BN
ELECTROCITION METHOD.

INK 10 take a Sllllulill' Ii'l'N7l't -
ligion. hut claiming that the killing of
Robbins was accidental.
After knecling before the chair in
prayer, Braught watched the adjust
ment of the electrodes, smiling until the
mask was put on. The current was APP
piled at 1896 a. m.
The body was turned over to relatives
for burial today at Alton Okla.
story of Braught's Crime.
u. II. Braught, "A resident of Sapulpa'
Creek county, was convicted of the
murder of Otis Robbins in garage
at Oilton, July /, 1917.
Brought and Robbins met in a Sapul-
pa garage after a quarrel and Braught
attacked Robbins. beating him unmer-
cifully After he had administered the
beating Braught tossed "A revolver onto
an automobile seat ana called upon
Robbins to defend himself, declaring
he intended to kill him. The fatal shot
was fired while Robbins was pleading
for his life ana in the presence of five
witnesses, who, intimidatcd 10y Braught,
were forced to stand lined up against the
wall of the building. After the killing
of Robbins, Braught, at the point of a
gun. compelled the witnesses to take
oaths that they would swear he had
killed Robbins in self-defense.
Braught, on trial in the district court,
was defended by one of the most in
genious criminal lawyers of the state,
and before one of the most fair-minded
iurists During the trial Rraught's at
torney asked that the jury be permitted
to retire and in the absence of the
jurors requested leave to withdraw the
plea of not guilty and substitute n plea
of guilty. The court asked Brought
if he realized the seriousness of this
movement. and when the defendant had
acquiesced in his counsels action the
Judge reviewed the testimony and was
in the midst of the last paragraph of
his address, in which he was declaring
the death penalty, when the attorney
for the defense interrupted the court,
asked that the entire transaction be cX-
pungd from the record, the plea of
guilty withdrawn and that of not guilty
restored and place Braught's fate in
the hands of the ju"v
y
a comparatively short time and a YER
dict of guilty with the death penalty
was returned. All of the usual legal
moves were resorted to, and finally the
highest court of the state refused to
| interfere. Since that time Governor
/ Robertson has been importuned to eX
| ercise executive clemency.
! Appeals for clemency have been based
almost entirely upon the disgrace that
will reflect upon Broughts family. A
| sister and younger brother have been
particularly active in his behalf. So
/ earnestly and patiently has Governor
Robertson studied the record in the
| Braught case that it is said that he
can almost recte the entire voluminous
| transcript from memory. He has been
steadfast in his opinion that no just
cause was shown why the decree of the
court should have been set aside.
Until the execution of Braught nc
white man had been electrocuted in
| Oklahoma, and only two prisoners legal
| ly executed in the state We're white
men. John Hopkins was hanged al
| Miami for the murder of his sweetheart
Lena Craig and Henry II. Armstrong
was hanged at Perry for the murder
of Isaac w. Fell. Seven negroes have
been electrocuted and five negroes
! hanged. Twenty-six men have been
victims of lynchers since statehood.
Following is a record of the legal eX
ecutions since Oklahoma became q
/ state:
BY ElectrOcutiOn-All Negroes.
Henry Bookman. negro, December 10
1915; murdered Rich Hardin, Il McIn
tosh county farmer.
Cecil Towery. November 6. 1916, mur
dered Charles Vaughn, an oil man o
| Morris.
Willie williams. April 10, 1917 mur
dercd sam Neal, a Muskogee police
man.
Chester Taylor, April 13, 1917; mur
dercd his wife in Creek county.
Charles Young. April 10, 1917; mur
dered George Goode. at Frederick.
Henry Prather, May ., 1918; murder
ed w. II. Archie. Oklahoma City.
James Brown. November s, 1918; mur
dered Glenn Jacobs. Musl1ogee.
by Hanging.
Frank Ford, at Frederick, for wifi
murder.
John Hopkins (white), at Miami. fo
murder of his sweetheart, Lena Craig
VIII Johnson, at Shawnee. for mur
der of Mary Copy, an aged white wo
man.
All Hunter, at WatOnga. for murde
of George Garrison. sheriff of Oklaho
ma county.
Henry r. Armstrong (white). at Perry
for murder of Isaac w. Fell.
John Black. at Holdenville. for mur
der of J. NJ. Stephens.
Frank Henson. at Tulsa, for murde
of Charles Stumper.
Carter County Cases.
Executive clemency or mandates o
the courts of appeal have saved severa
from the death penalty since statehood
Within the last two months two Car
ter county defendants, William Tubby
an Indian. who killed a Love. count.
farmer as the victim was boarding
Santa Fe passenger train at Ardmore
and James Wilson. who killed the hus
band of 4 woman in whose home h
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