Wichita Daily Times
(Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 > August > 24
MRS. P.A. BAILEY SWALLOWS POISON
Mrs. P.A. Bailey Swallowed a dose of carbolic acid this afternoon
shortly after 3 o'clock at the
Modern Rooming House and as the Times goes to press is in a dying
condition and cannot possibly
recover, according to a statement made by Dr. Mike Walker who
was called. Mrs. Bailey was until
Saturday night, Miss Myrtle McCaleb, her marriage to Bailey having
occurred on that date. Near the
body of the unfortunate woman was found a note of which the following
is a copy. "Please do not
change any of my clothes. Phone everywhere for P.A. Bailey and
give this message to every paper in
the Union that he may get the news that his wife is dead of a
broken heart." Mrs. P.A. Bailey
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 > August
> 25
Body of Mrs. Bailey Remains Unclaimed
Another note found pinned inside her waist may throw further
light on the suicide of Mrs. P.A.
Bailey, the bride of five days who ended her life at the Modern
Rooming House yesterday by
swallowing carbolic acid. The note called upon God to witness
that she had always been true to
Bailey. This and the other note found in the room with her body
requesting that the news be relayed
to Bailey that she died of a broken heart, indicates a misunderstanding
between Bailey and his bride
which may account for his disappearance. Nothing can be learned
concerning Bailey or his present
whereabouts. He had been in town only a few days before he married
the girl who was a waitress at
the Union Station lunch room. It is said that he came here from
Bowie, but a message to that place
has failed to locate him. The woman's body has been removed to
E.S. Hill's undertaking establishment
where it will be held several days in the hope that word can
be had from her relatives or friends.
It is said that before coming to Wichita Falls she had been employed
at the Richelieu Hotel in Fort
Worth. A short time before she took the acid it is said that
she attempted to reach someone living
on Galveston avenue in Fort Worth by long distance.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 >
August > 31
Girl's Dream Saved Her Father
If it had not been for a vivid dream of Miss Lena Swartz her
aged father, Samuel Swartz, a retired
businessman, would not be alive today. Miss Swartz awoke early
this morning with her mind full of a
dream in which her father had met with a serious accident of
some kind. She found the aged man
seated on the floor with a tube attached to a gas bracket in
his mouth. He was unconscious, but she
tore the tube from his mouth and summoned a physician, who revived
him. He had been ill for some
time and despondent.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 >
August > 31
A.C. Griesmer a prominent farmer of the Allendale neighborhood,
whose arm was amputated several days ago
was able to walk about this morning and is apparently on the
road to recovery. Blood poisoning
resulting from a bruise on his thumb several weeks ago made the
amputation of Mr. Griesmer's arm
necessary.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 >
September > 28
AUTOMOBILE STRUCK BY FREIGHT CAR
What might have been a serious accident turned out most fortunately
last night when an automobile
driven by P.H. Pennington accompanied by Mrs. Lou Riley of 1508
Tenth street was on his way to the
farm of Dave Thomas, who is a son in law of Mrs. Riley's and
who lives about four miles southeast of
this city. When he reached the railroad crossing, at the end
of Ohio avenue, he noticed what he
thought was a freight pulling out, but paid no attention to it
because he thought that it was headed
out of town. Upon reaching a point within a few feet of the railroad
track, he found that the train
was backing upon him and that there was danger of a collision.
He attempted to stop and reverse his
auto but the engine was killed and the train struck the car.
Both Mr. Pennington and Mrs. Riley
retained their presence of mind and it fortunately happened that
neither was injured. The machine,
although struck heavily, was not demolished and was able to be
driven back to town propelled by its
own power.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 >
October > 9
DEAN JERNIGAN ACCIDENTLY SHOT
Load of Shot Fired by Companion lodged in Right Knee - Amputation
is Necessary
A serious accident occurred yesterday afternoon about 5 o'clock
just across Holliday Creek, south of
town when Claud Ruby aged 14 accidentally shot Dean Jernigan
aged 18, with a double barreled
shotgun., a charge of number two shot taking effect in the right
knee and so seriously maiming that
member that amputation was found to be necessary. The boys had
been hunting on that part of Holliday
Creek just back of the city reservoir and had located a rabbit
in a nearby thicket just before the
accident happened. The rabbit ran out and each boy shot at it
once. The shots startled a hawk. It
seems that Ruby, upon preparing to shoot at the rabbit, had cocked
both barrels of his shotgun and
in attempting to fire at the hawk, he whirled around suddenly
and in some manner the unexploded
shell remaining in the gun went off, the charge striking Jernigan
in the right knee, ranging
upwards. Ruby immediately ran for assistance, and a passing automobile
responded, the occupants of
which assisting in removing the injured boy to his home in the
south side acre addition. He was
later removed to the Wichita Sanitarium and after an examination,
it was decided to amputate the
injured member just below the hip, which operation was completed
last night shortly before 11
o'clock by Drs. Burnside and Walker assisted by other physicians
of the city. Jernigan, when seen
this morning at the Wichita Sanitarium, was resting as easy as
he could be expected and stated that
no blame whatsoever was to be placed on Ruby and that the affair
was entirely accidental.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 >
October > 10
Nubian Giant Meets Brother Here
Thomas Brockman, the Nubian Giant in the side show of the Sells-Floto
circus, today met Gene
Brockman of this city, who is Tom's brother, whom he last saw
twenty five years ago. Thomas was born
near Gainesville, Texas and grew to be 8 feet tall - just tall
enough that all he has to do is to
sit around and let people look up at him and every Saturday draw
$50 for his hard work. Gene left
home in Gainesville some 25 years ago and lost all tract of his
brother until today when he happened
to be looking at the long line of banners in front of the circus
tents and saw the name Brockman on
one of them. He paid his dime and went immediately over to see
the Nubian Giant. The two Brockman's
met and it required only a few minutes for the two of them to
recall enough of their childhood for
Tom to say "Well if it isn't little brother Gene."
The latter expressed regret that the Lord didn't
make him tall too, so that he could draw $50 a week "doin
nothin" instead of wrestling with the big
bales of cotton on the compress platform.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 > October
> 11
BRAKEMAN'S LEG CRUSHED OFF
T.H. Lowrance Seriously Injured Tuesday Night - Other Leg Severely
Lacerated
T.H. Lowrance, aged 25, had his left leg completely crushed off
and his right leg severely lacerated
from the knee downwards last night in a accident which occurred
on the Katy railroad near Jolly, a
small station nearly nine miles southeast of this city. The injured
man was removed to Wichita Falls
and is now resting in the Wichita Falls Sanitarium, and if no
complications set in, it is thought
that he will recover. It seems that Lowrance who is a brakeman
employed in the service of the Katy
had been sent to flag a freight and bring it to a stop near Jolly,
and was sitting on a cattle guard
waiting for the train to appear at the time of the accident.
For some reason he did not hear the
approach of the cars and therefore did not get off the track
upon the approach of the train, with
the result above mentioned. As soon as it was learned that Lowrance
was injured, a hurry call was
sent for a doctor and Dr. Farris of Henrietta responded, superintending
the removal of the injured
man to the railroad hospital in this city, where his left leg
was amputated by Drs. Walker, Jones,
Coons and Farris. It was stated this morning that he had a good
chance for recovery unless
complications set in and that if his condition permits, he will
probably be removed to the general
hospital of the Katy at Sedalia, Missouri, in the near future.
Lowrance resides in this city having
located here about one year ago coming from Clara, Oklahoma,
at which place he is well known.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 >
November > 24
KNEE INJURED WANTS $10,000
W. Jerome Withers through his attorneys Montgomery and Britain
today filed suit against the Wichita
Falls and Northwestern Railway asking $10,000 for personal injuries.
His complaint alleges that
while a passenger on the defendants companies passenger train
near Frederick the coach in which he
was riding derailed on the account of the bad repair of the track
and that he was thrown from his
seat sustaining serious and permanent injuries in one of his
knee.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 >
December > 9
CALLED TO IOWA BY INJURY TO SON
Mrs. Frankie Stewart left late last night for Keokuk, Iowa in
response to a telegram stating that
her son, Thomas Stewart, had been seriously injured in an explosion
there on some construction work
for which he was running a steam shovel. No details of the accident
were sent. The injured man ran a
steam shovel here for a short time.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 > December
> 13
Iowa Park Notes
Mr. J.C. Ralston went to Corsicana last Saturday night taking
with him the three little boys of Mrs.
Mollie Benham to place in the Odd Fellows orphan home there.
Mrs. Benham is very low with
tuberculosis.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 >
December > 17
STEWART'S INJURIES ARE VERY SERIOUS
Rev. R.R. Hamlin has received word from Mrs. Frankie Stewart,
whose son was recently injured in a
boiler explosion in Keokuk, Iowa and upon hearing the news, immediately
left for that place to be at
his bedside, the young Stewart is in a very bad condition and
that he has but a slight chance of
recovery. Arthur Stewart is well known here, where he was formerly
employed as the engineer on a
steam shovel and his home was in this city. While on duty a few
days ago, the boiler to his steam
shovel exploded breaking one leg, putting out one eye, and tearing
a large hole in his scalp from
one eyebrow to the crown of his head. He is not expected to live,
although he has a slight chance
for recovery. Mr. Paul Fowler, an engineer of this city and his
personal friend, is also at his
bedside.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 >
December > 24
A BUSY NIGHT FOR THE POLICE
A Suicide, Shooting and Cutting Affray and Killing Made Sanguinary
Night
YEARY IS BADLY CUT
Red Mitchell Shot Through Neck Hank Harrington Suicides - A Negro
Killed
A suicide, a cutting and a shooting affray and a killing were
happenings that made Friday night an
eventful one in Wichita Falls. In addition to these tragedies
an assault, an attempted robbery and
several other minor infractions added to the full measure of
disorder and to the excitement of the
night and cast a red hue over the opening of the holidays. This
succession of tragedies started of
with a suicide at about four o'clock in the afternoon and from
that time until ten o'clock in the
night physicians and officers were kept busy. At a later hour
a second suicide was reported that
kept officers on the hunt for the supposed victim until early
this morning when the rumor was run
down and found to be without foundation.
THE SUICIDE
The suicide was Hank Harrington, for many years a truckman at
the Fort Worth and Denver freight
depot. He ended his life with carbolic acid. At about four o'clock
in the afternoon he was heard
groaning in agony in his room at the Mansion Hotel on Ohio Avenue
and when those attracted by his
groans entered his room they found him writhing on his bed with
an empty ounce bottle that had
contained carbolic acid lying at the head of his bed. A physician
was immediately summoned and a
stomach pump was used and other remedies applied but the acid
had burned too deeply and the victim
died several hours later. The deceased was about fifty years
of age and was said to have been a
native of Pennsylvania, although little is known about his past
life. He had worked for many years
at the freight depot where his honesty and his industry made
him a valuable employee. Several days
ago he asked for a lay off, saying that he was not feeling well.
This was granted and since that
time it is said that Harrington had been drinking heavily, although
he was ordinarily a sober and
abstemptious man. Disappointment in a love affair is believed
to had led to his act. A letter
addressed to a woman for whom he had an affection was found in
his room. Employees of the freight
office where he worked looked after his burial Saturday afternoon.
CUTTING AND SHOOTING
The next affair that required the attention of the physicians
and officers took place at about 7
o'clock in the evening when W.M. Mitchell, better known as "Red"
slashed Charlie Yeary, former
deputy sheriff and constable with a knife and in turn was shot
by Yeary. The affray took place at
the Princess Bar on Ohio Avenue and that two fatalities did not
result was apparently no fault of
the principals. The trouble arose from a grudge borne by Mitchell
against Yeary as the result of his
arrest by Yeary several months ago. Yeary, it appears, was standing
in front of the bar when
Mitchell came in he asked him to come over and when Mitchell
did so asked in a friendly way if the
latter did not feel alright toward him. Mitchell replied that
he did not and is said to have started
hostilities. According to his own statement he cut Yeary before
the latter fired but says that Yeary
was striking him and following him as he retreated backward and
was reaching in his pocket for his
pistol. Others say that Mitchell immediately drew his knife when
Yeary spoke him. Yeary was slashed
to the bone across the back of his left hip and across his left
temple and was slightly cut on the
neck. The weapon used by Yeary was an old fashioned two-chamber
Derringer pistol which he snapped
several times before it was discharged. The bullet entered Mitchell's
neck near the middle and
lodged under the skin at the back of his right shoulder where
it was located this morning. Yeary was
taken to Dr. Miller's office where his wounds were given attention.
The gash in his hip was about
four inches long and several inches deep. Had it been a little
higher up it would certainly have
been fatal. The gash in his temple also several inches in length
but the knife blade did not
penetrate the skull. Yeary was placed under $750 bond and was
later removed to his home. He was not
resting well Saturday morning. Mitchell was taken to Dr. Coon's
office where his wounds were dressed
and he was later placed in the county jail. The bullet did not
appear to give him much pain and he
complained of his arm and of a bruise on the chin received in
the affray. Saturday morning he was
resting very easily and was apparently little the worse for his
narrow escape.
NEGRO KILLED
Before the officers had gotten this case off their hands a call
came in from the Flats that a negro
had been killed on "red row". In response to the call
they found a negro named Charlie Jones lying
dead on the floor of a house occupied by "Homer" McLain,
a negress. A bullet hole behind the left
ear mutely told the cause of his death. The negress told the
officers that Jones had come to her
house and had kicked in the door and demanded to see her sister
who was not in the house. The negro
then attacked her but she managed to pull a revolver from an
open purse hanging on the wall and
fired she said, more to frighten her assailant then anything
else. The bullet entered his skull back
of the ear and he lurched forward upon the floor dead. The shot
was fired from a 32 caliber
revolver. The negress was placed in jail.
Wichita Daily Times (Wichita Falls, Texas) > 1911 >
December > 26
FATAL STABBING AT ELECTRA
Charles Morgan Killed by Jim Jones on Christmas Day in Knife
Duel
HIS JUGULAR SEVERED
Morgan Died Almost Instantly - Jones Arrested and Brought to
County Jail
Charles Morgan, a house painting contractor and a member of the
firm of Allen and Morgan of this
city, was stabbed and almost instantly killed at Electra late
Monday afternoon by Jim Jones another
painting contractor. The fatal stabbing followed a quarrel earlier
in the day when they fought with
knives in the post office at Electra, but neither was seriously
injured at that time. At the first
encounter the two men were separated. At about 5 o'clock Monday
afternoon, Jones went to the tent
occupied by Allen and his wife to which Morgan had gone for a
talk with Allen and calling Morgan
outside the trouble was renewed. Jones stabbed Morgan through
the jugular vein with a pocket knife
and the latter fell to the ground and was dead within less then
two minutes. It is reported that
after stabbing Morgan, Jones seized an ax and started after Allen
and the latter's son, who was
coming to the aid of Morgan and compelled both of them to run
for their lives. Jones was arrested by
Deputy Constable W.A. Lane and was brought to the county jail
here early this morning by Constable
S. Walkup of Electra. D.E. Ashworth, Justice of the Peace at
Electra held an inquest over the body
of Morgan this morning, but at noon had not announced his verdict.
There has been trouble between
Allen and Morgan and Jones for some time growing out of some
personal matters and the clash that
resulted fatally to one of the parties was not unexpected. When
seen at the count jail this morning
Jones declined to make a statement until he had consulted with
an attorney. Jones is about 33 years
of age and says that his home is in Texarkana. He had been working
in Wichita Falls and at Electra
for several months. He is suffering with a knife cut on the side
of his neck, which however is not
believed to be serious. Morgan had lived in Wichita Falls and
has a sister living here. His funeral
was held at Electra this afternoon. This is the first killing
that has ever occurred at Electra. |