The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-06-17
HALE MAY BE
A'DR. JEKYLL
AND MR.. HYDE

Nv WI uluSut SutSS HIN NSsso
ter Mind" Of Murder Ring
Friends Differ
Pawhuska, Okla, June 1.-THE
life story of w. X. Hale. king of
the Usage Hills" who is indicted
and charged with the murder Of
w. +. Smith of Fairfax. Okla,
and is accused Of causing the deaths
of a score more Indians. is q typi-
cal romance of the southwest and
wide open spaces.
Hale is pictured as the master
mind" of the Usage murders. Il keen
business man, respected by the
Usage Indians and living side by
side with them as their friend and
counsellor. but at the same time
plotting their deaths that Indian
headlights and property which they
owned might descend to him.
Hale is soon to go on trial for the
Smith murder. Ernest Burkhart,
his nephew, has pleaded guilty to
this crime, saying he committed it
at liale's instigatiOn.
Many residents Of Fairfax will
tell you that "Bill" Hale is honest
lard that it is prcoOsterOus to ac-
c,lsc him Of the murders. Others
shake their heads. hold their silence
and look wise.
! Praise His Honesty
Friends Of Hale say that for 81
years he has traded cattle and beer
partner to transactions involving
thousands Of dollars and never once
has he repudiatcd an agreement
which he made by word Of mouth
| Others tell how he stepped in
with $4,000 irDhis own cash once
to save friends bank when it was
Threatened.
He has an ideal home life. He is
married and has one daughter, Miss
Billie, IL, q girl born in the OpeT
spaces and now student at Kidd
Key college ut Sherman, Texas.
W. X. Hale was born Dec. "a
1874, on Il small ranch about 81,
miles from Greenville, Texas. Hi.
Imother died when he was but five
years old and until he was 16
when he went to herding cattle
Hale lived the life of a boy on {
Texas farm.
His schooling has been slight ant
largely confined to the pages o.
McGuffey's reader.
i Sixteen finds Bill Hale leaving
1.-THE ranch where he was born fol
la cattle herder's life in ives
Texas. For two years he continued
as a herder, eating his meals from
ithe chuck wagon and sleeping un
der the stars.
Eighteen, and Hale moves int
the Comanche country Of Indial
Territory. Here he worked on tn,
Suggs ranch for about a year, thel
he returned to Texas where he wen
, into the cattle business. He worked
at this business for five years.
i A Gradual Rise
The first money that he made il
the cattle business was $lO5 ant
, this he promptly banked. Later h.
made deal with Barney Nabb o
, Nebraska for 1000 head of cattle
which was his start of making rea
: money. From then on he handle,
various deals involving 5000, 400
and 5000 head Of cattle.
At the age of rs, Hale went bacl
into the Kiowa and Comanche coun
try, where he remained for tw
years.
Wandering into the Usage coun
try, he made arrangements to pas
ture 1000 head of cattle and wen
back to Texas to get them. He wa
,,28 then, and while in Texas he mar
Nied Miss Myrtle Fry, a schot
teacher, and a graduate Of Henr
College.
They lived in the Usage countr
for a year, then returned to Texa
for the winter.
1t was in this winter that for 8
nights, in one Of the most sever
winters in the southwest, he and
companion guarded and kept waite
over his cattle that his investmen
might not be lost
Lost All His Money
The next year finds Hale and hi
bride hack in the Usage country Ii,
ing in a tent. Adversely steppe
in here and he lost everything h
had, including home in Texa
This left him $4,000 in debt b.
he paid it off and came back finar
cially so that by 1903 he was abb
to buy crops and lease on GO
] acres of land near Grayhorse, Okl'
Two years later, Hale becam
: superintendent for J. M. Moody {
!, Fairfax and J. G. Stribbling {
| LlanO, Texas. After working tW
years, during which time he hand
J ed 10000 to $4,000 head Of cattl
: each year, Moody took him int
partnership.
81 When the Usage was put on tn
market, Hale formed partnershi
! with some friends and bought an
sold land. For several years Hal
prospered and did thousands of do
1 lars worth of real estate bushes
During this time he was able
I awe 500. 600 He is reDOrte