The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-03-20

ing on the night Of the tragedy was
purposely driven over the embank-
ment on the Ardmore-Berwyn road
near the eolored cemetery, by Ash
craft. in an effort to hide his guilt,
and make it appear that Dixon was
killed "as a result of the accident to
the car"
An eyewitness has been found who
was within 150 feet out from the
death machine when II started its
leap over the embankment. The wit
necs, a young lady. was riding with a
gentleman friend, going towards Ber-
wyn and in the direction opposite to
that being taken by the car which
made the jump. She states that when
she first noticed the car. she could
not tell whether II was moving or
standing still. Suddenly started over
the embankment, and a man, who
later proved to be Ashcraft, jumped
from the car as soon as it started
on the descent.
Whether or not Ashcraft jumped
from the running board, the girl is
unable to say, but he did not ap-
pear to jump from a position high
enough to indicate tAat he was jump
ing from the inside OF the machine.
After jumping from the machine, the
young lady says, Ashcraft fell, but
immediately recovered his equilibrium,
and was met ON the road by the gen.
tleman with whom she was motor
ing who had walked over to the
scene to investigate.
A low moaning could be heard
coming from the foot of the EN-
bankment
1t was the dying groan Of Charles
Dixon. the man whom Ashcraft al
leges was killed accidentally. The
gentleman expressed to Ashcraft a
desire to descend and investigate
matters. but Ashcraft detained him,
she says, and suggested that he call
doctor and machine from Ardmore.
Where shall l phone from" asked
the gentleman. "Over there" ans
wered Ashcraft pointing to a nearby
store"
1t appeared that Ashcraft was very
familiar with the neighborhood in
which the accident occurred. the
young lady alleges. The gentlemen
complied, but in the meantime other
passing cars stopped at the scene and
Dixon was brought to the Hardy
Sanitarium in this city.
In the opinion of the officers. Ash
craft had been prepared to jump from
the car when it started towards the
bank, and they believe he had origi-
nally headed it that way upon the
assumption that Dixons death would
be attributed to an accident.
In the meanwhile officers are said
to be intent upon running down any
clew which may disclose who wore
the high-heel shoes, ladies' narrow
last, tracks of which are alleged to
have been found leading across the
negro cemetery, from a point near
that where the man Ashcraft is al
legged to have stated he run his car
over Dixon, after having first knock
ed him insensibe. 1t has been stated
that member of the sheriff's force
trailed these footprints across the
cemetery in the direction of the city
losing them where they left the grave
yard and merged into the vehicle
travelled street.
1t is also stated that man who
passed the point where the death car
was driven over the embankment has
stated he saw a second party per-
son other than the driver in the car
and that this person hurled "a ham,
mer through the windshield, shatter-
ing the glass as it would have been
shattered had the machine. of its owr
volition. plunged over the bank anc
into the depth below.
While officers connected with the
courts state that DiXon's widow viii
only be detained pending the run
ming down and unearthing of additional
| evidence, or, in effect, that she will
be released should the state fail to
discover any evidence against her, OF
an discriminating nature, and while IL
is understood she clings to her story
that she was not passenger in the
car of death, but was at her home IN
Northeast Ardmore all evening, nc
intimation has been made that evil
dence substantiating this and estab-
fishing a water-tight alibi, has been
forthcoming