The Mena weekly star., 1921-12-08
BRUTAL MURDER
FolIoxin4 Finding of George Hutch ;neen. Katally Beaten, in Railroad Yarsls. Nilliam Sikes Arrested m
 zfe144 Bloodstains on Hat.

n,soa sfains found upon a hat worn bs William Sikes when arrested Tn Mena Mon1ay morning, may lead to lis death upon the gallows in Okla hoxna for the commission of brutal 1yin,e ai Henvener. Sikes was turned over Go Deputy Sheriff Costelow and sn>-zuty Prosecuting Attorney Jim Bobh Monday afternoon and taken to Pofeau for trial.
 S;kos. an itinerant worker, Is charged with the murder of George Hufchiusolz. young coal miner, who was found in the north end of the rail road wards 1t heavener, Sunday night, When found Hutchinson was still alive. tho His head had been battered into an almost unrecognizable mass. rhe body was lying upon the tracks of the Knnsas City Southern railroad and had t hot been for the keen eyes of ct&X of switch engine, an incom- inc train would have probably ended Hutehinsors life and destroyed the evidence Of d brutal crime.
 Tho switching crew removed the in- seusibI4 form and notified the authori- ties. If was some time before anyone was able to recognize the terribly mAn4led face, and then it was learned the uzxz1zzunate was Hutchinson, who had co<113 70 Heavener only few days before to join his brother in working 8t the nearby coal mine. Hufkhixa4n Formerly lived at Russell tiIle and Clarksville.
 Ue0ufy Sheriff Costelow conducted ar i1rHstiRation and learned that Hukekinsan had been seen going in the direcf{oa where his body was later found. ii company with a stranger. line officer found where Hutchinson had been Attacked from behind and knocked down with a heavy hammer hand sn one end of which was a large fIl1t The weapon inflicted ter rYb1e wounds and the attacker was evidently desirous of making thoro job of his crime, for the unfortunate mana head was battered i'll almost every conceivable place.
 It was also found that after the att tack the young miners body had been dfagEed fully 100 feet and placed up- on the rtziiroad tracks with the evil dent intention of having the wheels of the frat train complete the ghastly job of n1utilation. Hutchinson died before daybreak, without having re- gaine<i Consciousness.
 1fh< tha0fy of the officers is that the crime was Committed for the purpose Of robbery, and from the amount of money the dead man was known to have, # is Estimated his murderer did not nhtAia more than $9 or $10.
 A searct was at once started for the ntraEKe=SS;=;iio had been last seen in Hutchinson's Company. A description was obfalned and sent to points along tEe r4iEro4d. The crime was commit ter about 6 D. m., the officers believe, and in few hours thereafter the cha4H RreW warm. Late in the night information was obtained that the hunted man was believed to be headed for Menn and Deputy Costelow called Sheriff Thornton. The sheriff called upon Chief of Police Hungate for help and that officer, with only a few min ssze4 fo spare, started to meet an in- coming freight.
 I6e police had spied a man answer 1nE the oSscription of the one wanted, kQ1uK Into an all-night restaurant and quickly made the arrest. The pfispner gave him name as William $ilEes and was locked up at the county jaIi He did not inquire the cause of hls arrest, nor did the officer inform
 Monday afternoon when Deputy Noktcl0W and Prosecutor Bragg ar rived on No. 3 to take charge of the prisoner. Sikes was questioned, but he refused to do much talking. He told the officers his home was at Me A.estef. but bank book from a Mis- sourl town was found in his posses SI9H Inc man denied the crime enarEsd to him and appeared to be in- qiiE srent as to his fate. The officers believe that Sikes is an ex-convict.
 Qn the Prisoners hat are some dark Iea stains which are believed to be aTops of blood from the murdered Ho{ehifson. The Oklahoma officers took charge of the hat and gave the
 Isopef another to wear when they sf&rted to Poteau on No. 4. Sikes is E9unR man apparently about 30