Pittsburg County Guardian (McAlester, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 20, 1921 Page: 1 of 10
eleven pages : ill. ; page 20 x 13 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Ills
<•0;,'
*ocie:
Pittsburg County Guardian
GUARANTEED LARGEST WEEKLY CIRCULATION IN PITTSBURG COUNTY ALL HOME PRINT
VOLUME XVII, v STANDARD COUNTY NEWSPAPER
Mcalester, oklahoma, Thursday, October 20, 1921 the newspaper that goes home
Jury Can't Agree on J. W. CLARK NAMED ROCK CREEK BRIDGE Want Road Material
Beachboard Verdict CANADIAN CONSIABLt AGAIN KEADY FOR USE Freight Rate Let Alone
* *********
*
NO VERDICT *
————— *
After being out on the case *
for nearly 27 hours, the jury *
in the lieachboard trial re- *
ported to Judge Melton, Eli- *
day afternoon that they could *
not agree. Judge Melton ask- x
ed them to go back and try it *
again, and they returned to *
the jury room. No verdict had *
been reached by 3:00 o'clock *
Friday afternoon. *
*
A little watch, a gift from a mother
to her son, piayed the big part in the
trial of C. M. lieachboard, former
business man of the city, who was
facing a jury for three and a half
days in district court this week, on
a charge of conjoint robbery, growing
out of the robbery of the Rafael Ca-
viello place, mid way between Mc-
Alester and Krebs, on the night of
August 9, last.
lieachboard was charged with com-
plicity in the affair, with having ar-
ranged with Joe Lacy and Horace
("Short") Lacy, whose trial is to fol-
low his, to rob Caviello on that night.
The Caveviello place was robbed and
all the customers at the place were
held up and relieved of their money
and valuables by a masked man,
who, the state charges was Joe Lacy.
Among the things taken was a wo-
man's watch, a gift to Charley Cheno-
weth from his mother, and in the
back of which was engraved his name,
"J. C. Chenoweth. This watch was
later found in Beachboard's room,
and around the circumstance of its
being there lawyers and prosecuting
attorneys have battled largely on the
case as to lieachboard's guilt or in-
■ocenec.
The case was submitted to the jury
at noon Thursday, after nearly five
hours of argument by counsel and
prosecution in the case. George por-
ter and John Fuller represented the
defendant. County Attorney Whitt
and Assistant County Attorney W. E.
Gotcher, with 1. P. Keith assisting as
special prosecutor, represented the
state. The state charged that Beach-
board took the watch as part of his
share of the spoils. The defense con-
tended that Beachboard had found the
watch in the car where it had been
dropped or left by the hi-jacker.
At the time of the Caviello robbery
there were at his place Charley Chen-
oweth, Bill Savage, Short Lacy and
C. M. Beachboard, in addition to Ca-
Tiello. Tetimony was to the effect
that all were held up and robbed,
▼arying sums being taken. Cheno-
weth lost about $45, Caviello about
$50, Savage about $15, Beachboard
about $12, and Short Lacy about the
tame amount, according to testimony
offered.
Chenoweth, Savage, Caviello, Night
Watchman Jim McCulley and Patronl-
tnan 'lark Hohbs were the chief state
witnesses, with testimony also given
for the state by Police Chief J. 0.
Petri , Patrolman Dave Tat pin, and
other . Beachboard was the princi-
pal witness for the defense, himself,
with other .supporting defense wit-
nesses being George Larrison, Willie
Jennings, Hattie Yandell (or Miller),
and numerous character witnesses.
The state's testimony sought to
show that on the night of the robbery
Chenoweth and Savage had driven
out to Krebs about midnight and on
their return they stopped at the Ca-
viello place to get some refreshments,
consisting of weinies, beer, etc; that
when they arrived Beachboard and
Short Lacy were already there, with
lieachboard's car parked in front of
the house; that Savage and Cheno-
weth went in, ordered their lunch,
and while they were disposing of it,
Beachboard "left the room, returning
about five minutes later, and that
shortly thereafter, a masked man
came in and hi-jacked all the occu-
pant of .the loom, including Caviel-
lo, Savage, Chqnoweth, Beachboard
and Short Lacy; that after this he or-
dered all of them out of the room
and int: the cars, but allowed only
Short Lacy and Beachboard io get
into the lutter's car, and ordered
Cheowcth to get down and away from
the car when he started to get in.
Testimony for the state also showed
that Savage and Chenoweth then got
into Savage's car. The big car came
on toward McAlester and disappear-
ed, after the robber had fired one
shot into the air. Savage and Cheno-
weth came nn to McAlester, then
drove back over to Caviello's place
to talk over with Beachboard what
should be done about the robbery, but
not finding him they came back, met
Beachboard and Short Lacy and
they all went back to talk to Caviello;
drop the matter; that after their re-
turn from Krebs the second time
they met up with the officers and told
Xight watchman McCulley the circum-
stances; that Beachboard did not
come with them to discuss the matter
with the officers at the time, hut
drove on away toward hi: room after
Short I.acy had left his car and start-
ed south on Main.
Testimony further showed that Of-
ficer McCulley, suspecting a frame-
up between Beachboard and the Lacy
boys, followed Short Lacy down the
street to Hattie Miller's hotel; that
he saw a man he identified as Joe
I.acy come down the stair and let Short
Lacy in, and that both disappeared up-
stairs; that their room was soon after-
wards searched, and money was found
concealed in several places, together
with a gun, one chamber of which
was emptv and which state witnesses
testified looked like the gun carried
by the hi-jacker.
| State testimony also showed that
J later, after the Laiy boys were ar-
rested and taken to the city jail, Sav-
age and Chenoweth identified Joe
Lacy as the hold-up man; that Beach-
board was then summoned to the city
jail, and while there a search was
( made of his room, the watch belong-
j ing to Chenoweth and hearing the
| younv man's name being found in a
machine drawer in Beachboard's
loom; that Beachboard said nothing
about the watch until some time af-
j ter he had been transferred to the
countf jail and after he had learned
that the officers had found it in his
loom. Further state testimony
identified certain garments found in
! lieachboard's room as resembling
! those worn by the man who held up
the men at Caviello's place, particular-
; lv a suit of unionalls. Testimony
was also offered to show that Joe
I acv and Beachboard had been seen
\ talking together on the evening of the
i robbery.
The defense offered the testimony
i of George Larrison to show that he
had been O'-t with Beachboard on
the dav of the robberv. and that
lieachboard was sick that dav; that
hi had made collections of $100 or
more, and that this sum of money
tied been displaved b>- him ft the
j soda fountain where Chenoweth was
I working on the afternoon of the rob-
| hery, when Beachboard paid for some
j drinks at the fountain.
j Other defense testimony was to
I the effect that Joe Lacy was at the
. Hattie Miller hotel on the night of
| the robbery, that he had registered
about 8:30 o'clock and had later gone
I up to his room, about 10 o'clock, and
I hi i not been seen to come back down
that night. This was the testimony
of Hattie Miller herself.
| Beachboard's. testimony corroborat-
i ed much of the state's testimony as
to the happenings at Caviello's place,
lieachboard said he had gone over to
On the pettition of a large number
j of prominent citizens of Canadian, the
icoonty commissioners last Monday ap-
i pointed J. W. Clark as constable of
| Canadian Township, with particular
| reference to the section immediately
adjacent to the t .vn of Canadian.
Among those requesting the appoint
ment of Constable Clark were .Judge'
Connors. M. P. Priddy, J. D. Browder, j
.1. 11. (iann, C. E. Janeway,. J. C.
Richards and others.
The commissioners also had filed
Threaten
ed legal action against
the countj
commissioners over the
approacl c
loading to the bridge
over Rock
t reek, near Crowder, has
been um t
ed, through the action of
ourity ( o
mi- ioner Hess and oth-
er« who \\
eut to Crowder early this
week and
laid tjie county's case be-
to i e John
1 lolling, fanner and stock-
man, whe
bad tiled strenuous objec-
i oris to ti"
maniiei in which the new
appronchc-
to the bridge were being
put in.
Not onlj
ha~ a lawsuit been nip-
ped in the
bud. but the work on the
[•pair- of tile bridge and the const rue-
with them a request from the citi-' tion of the approaches has been so ex-
liool District 8, in Dow j pedited that travel has been resumed
' ov< r the bridge. Mr. Hess and party,
ineludin • County Clerk Melvin Wilk-
ins, (hove across the bridge and over
the new a.>pi. aches Wednesday. By
th( end of the week, it is expected
zem
Township, foi the opening of a new
road beginning at the new Gaines
Creek bridge in that district and ex-
tending a mile east. This request
was signed by J. E. Lewis and others
Several deputy sheriffs, who had that the work will be completed, and
been named by Sheriff Sanders, were, '.n ^be e\ent ot high water now traf-
given official approval by the com- ^'c m''' "ock ( reek on the Jefferson
missionei -. These weie '.lake Neal; High *aj will not he impeded.
If. M. Giler, special deputy for Pitts-' M''- Bollni!' claimed that the new
burg; P. S. Wells, special deputy sh'er- ; construction would endanger his farm
iff at Indianola, and Fritz Sittle, Sr.. I from overflow. He was finally con-
of McAlester. Mr. Sittle was a can-1 vinced that the new approaches were
didate for sheriff against Sheriff I "eeded and made the best solution
Sanders in the last republican pri- j o the problem all round. He con-
mary. ' • I sented to file his claim for whatever
The county commissioners also ap-1 damages he has sustained or may
proved the ' appointment of J. M. i *"*tain with the commisioners and let
Nelms, Jr., by Sheriff Sanders, to beMhe 'natter take its course this way.
under-sheriff at the county Jail. Mil. I meantime, according to^ Mr.
j Neliny succeeds William E. Browne, u"" 1 " " ' ' 1 ' ' *"'
who recently resigned.
The resignation of T. W. Smith, as
assitant county attorney and the ap-
pointment of w. e. Gotcher to the
vacancy thus created, were also con-
sidered by the board, the resignation
lies, the Rock Creek bridge and ad
jacent highway has been put in condi-
tion to make it give the greatest de-
gree f servico to the public.
It is also stated that the work on
the big Gaines Creek bridge, near
Canadian t'ne biggest bridge project
Incident to an enthusiastic discus-
sion of better roads for Pittsburg
County, at an overflow meeting of
tin Commercial Club, last Thursday,
and at which resolutions cordially ap-
proving an extensive policy of per-
manent road construction were unan-
imously adopted by the club, the fol-
low ing resolutions were also adopted,
urging the State Commission not to
disturb the pre.-cnt freight rate on
road materials, as such proposed
change change w< dd be, in effect, an
increase of the freight rates to the
extent of 35 per cent:
Kcsolu t ions A dop ted.
Whereas, the Oklahoma Corporation
i oiiitnission have promulgated a spec-
ial reduced rate on road building ma-
terials- moving within the State of
Oklahoma which is in effect a 85 per
rent reduction from the regular tar-
iffs, and because of such rates much
materials is being used from what is
known as Salina gravel pits and other
places, greatly aiding and promoting
good roads work throughout the state,
and whereas, the Council for unem-
ployment at Washington have urged
that all proposed and contemplated
road work be hastened and begun at
the earliest date possible in order to
aid the many unemployed of the na-
tion, and whereas, it is proposed to
discontinue the rate now in force on
material moving within the State,
and restore the regular tariff, which
would result in an increased rate of
1!5 pei cent on such road materials,
and the Oklahi una Corporation Com-
niission having jurisdiction of such
Inter-State rate,
Therefore, Be It Resolved; by the
Chamber of Commerce and Agricul-
ture at .McAlester, Oklahoma, in ses-
sion October 20th, 1921, that we pray
the Oklahoma Corporation Commis-
sion to not disturb the existing rate
under the preailing conditions.
Be It Further Resolved, that a copy
of these Resolutions be sent to said
Cammision and also furnished tlio
press and a copy given to the Cham-
bers of Commerce presenting the
same as well as their public expres-
sions relating to the matter.
McAlester chamber of
COMMERCE AND AGRICUL-
TURE,
Frank G. Anderson, President.
lioone Williams, Secretary.
being accepted and the appointment now ur,der way in the county, has
approved ' progressed to the point where three
R. H. Holt was appointed as road P'e a!e already erected and the
over eer for Carbon district, and tubing is being placed for the others,
the bond of Albert Bristow, as road ' ',e abutments on both sides of the
.overseer for Candian Township, was "ave already been constructed,
Upnroved. Also the bond of J. E | a,n.d ,mi a comparatively shott time
Fuller a> road overseer in Dow j thl« wnpS.fcant project will \u finish* i
Town. * eit and the road ready to open across |
The Carbon Coal Company was 1 ncw bridge.
i gi\ en the right to erect a private tel-
rSr-VSnloT fcby*ht?£r,E ran tints
ing a line from the traction company,
but changes in the charging of the
line made it necessary to abandon
this plan.
Bonds were filed by D. F. Cook, con-
tractor for the Medicine Creek bridge,
near Indianola, and the Kansas City
Bridge Co., contractors for the bridge
over Peaceable Creek, recently award-
ed bv the commis Vmers.. • Work is
to start at once on these bridges.
I Walter Richardson tendered his
! resignation as constable at Kiowa,
j which was accepted but no appoint-
I ment made for the place. Two peti-
! tions for appointment were denied
I by the board.
I The appointment of Miss Lola B. jn the interest of ,t ; , ir .
j Stanton as countv court stenographer an<1 hos_raiiiin A series ^ meeJng*
for Judge S. F Brown, was approved. having been ,anm.d fol. the ,tate K
Bond of J. T. Adams, as constable, The (lat(is B0 far announced in this
!°fv 'r'nr\aPPrT , f J county are: Pittsburg, Nov. 11, and
, . .. Dbnaehev. McAlester, filed : Hartshorne, Nov. 12. Whether addi-
his livestock mark and brand. ' t-onat dates will be given the. countj
I is not known, but in any event, these
two will be of far-reaching value to
the poultry, dairy and swine inter-
RAILROAD INCLUDES
COUNTY IN CAMPAIGN
Two important meetings have been
announced through Secretary Boone
Williams, of the McAlester Chamber
of Commerce and Agriculture, with
special reference to livestock inter-
ests of the southern and eastern parts
of the county.
These metings are part of the Ok-
lahoma campaign being made by Al-
exander Jackson, agricultural agent
for the Rock Island railway and are
"Ml LE" IS PLUMB
GONE AGAIN FROM PEN
\ orgil Smith, for some, reason fa-
miliarly designated as "Mule" about
the state prison, is again out of pock-
et. His accustomed duties as barber
at the penitentiary are having to be
discharged and the lather spread on
by a substitute. "Mule," like the
wings of the morning, has fled.
About 18 months ago, Smith made
a sensational get-away from the pen-
itentiary by climbing the prison
walls and scooting dawn to freedom
outside almost within a stone's throw
of where a guard was on duty. He
escaped in broad daylight and about
the noon hour. After reaching the
outside of the walls, he stopped and
coolly rolled n cigarcttc, lighted it and
puffed the ittle. jigger as he walked
on down, out and awav.
He was gone for months, and finally
came back of his own accord, declar-
ing his mother had persuaded him to ,
come back and resume his servitude.
In fact, he admitted that he was
tired of staving awav.
Last Friday, Smith t ok an awful .
"toothache" and wanted to come to
town to have his molars doctored. A
new guard named Greer was assigned I
to see that he made the round trip j
and interview the dentist incidentallvJ
On the wav back to the pen, Smith !
cleverly dodged his guard and is once |
more out communing with the goddess j
of liberty.
As he had been sent up for life on
a conviction several years ago, it is
not considered likelv that he will vol-
untarily resume his connection with
the state institution here soon again.
And he was such a good barber, too.
YLLEGED HI-JACKER
SKIPS OUT BY JAILOR
Bill Easter, alleged hi-jacker, made
his get-away from the county jail,
Thursday morning, while Jailor Wal-
lace was allowing him to have a talk
with Mrs. Easter. He had been al-
lowed to come out of the "slam," and
was standing just inside the run-
around grating, talking to his wife,
who was standing just outside. As
a trusty opened the door to the run-
around to take some groceries into
the jail "kitchen," Easter made a
dash through the doorway. At the
same instant, according to Jailor Wal-
lace, Mrs. Easter grabbed him from
behind and pinioned his arms to his
side, so he could not follow Easter. By
the time he had gotten loose and se-
cured bisTevoIver from the office, Eas-
ter was gone. Searching parties and
posses of deputies were put out on
the scout but had not found Easter up
to Thursday night. .
Easter lives at Talihina. He was
arreted last week and is being held
on a charge of hi-jacking a bunch of
fellows e i. Haileyville. Mrs. Eastei
•had come over from Talihina Thurs-
day morning to visit her husband. Sho
is being held at the county jail,
charged with aiding an escape.
THE WEATHER
* *
*
*
* 4
*
*
*
* Robert Combs, U. S. Weather *
* Observer, McAlester, Okla. *
* #
Weather report for week ending
October 19, 1921.
Date Max. Min Rnfall, Weather
■I. D. Loftis, one of the substantial IS
citizen^ of the west side of the coun- ; H
get some "choc" to drink, as he
wasn't feeling well, and that when
he left the room that night it was
bee; use he was compelled to do so
by illness; that he had not seen Joe
Lac on the day of the robbery, and
had been delivering cars from the
timi he returned from his collecting
< sts of the county. Mr. Jackson i
ileal authority en the subject he is
handling, and it is a foregone conclu-
sion that he will have an intensely
cordial hearing in this county.
Full and complete programs will
I . . . „ .. , - j be announced through The Guardian,
| trip to Savanna until the time he t.overinK the forthcomin>r meetings.
| drove out to Caviello s that night. , ]f ,jve convenient to ejtht.r pit*s.
: He also testified that after the rob- b 01. Hartsho mak it int
hery, the hi-.,acker made him dnve . to be at one or both ()f th meet^8.
' was in from Cabaniss Saturday. 15
Mr. Loftis says the cotton in that1 IB
section is practically all gathered. 17
1'e did not raise anv this year, him- 1 18
self. ' 19
73
11
.00
Clear
77
51
.00
Clear
80
58
.00
P cloud \
8«
50
.00
Clear
88
75
.00
Clear
87
56
.00
Clear
84
52
.00
Clear
back to McAlester and out to the
In this connection it is of intrest to
Not a Thing
But a Service
The Home Town Paper
SOME folks make the mistake of thinking of the
home town newspaper as a thing, a contrivance
of ink and paper, sometimes not a great quantity
of either, when compared with big city papers. But
the home town newspaper is not a thing, it in a serv-
ioe, just the same as is the telephone. And just as the
$12 or $15 a year which we pay for the telephone
service seems not too much, bo is the $2 or $3, which
at most is charged for the home town paper, trifling,
compared with the real service which the paper, itself
an institution, renders to all the other institutions of
the community.
Subscribe to Your Home Town
Paper Week, November 7-12
fair grounds, where the robber left state that Secretary Williams, of the
the car, telling him to turn round chamber of Commerc, would like to
and come.back and not lose any time, have the names of any who
1 tbat he and Short Lacy did so and a„, interested in shipping cream or
[ that he lost considerable time at the who are interest(.d in mj|k op d ,
Rock Island crossing on his return, |)Usiness> or who comtemp!ate6 going
| waiting for a train to clear the track, into the businea8. H(i has on haml
! an,l ha,J dnvP ''ack down some infoimatiorl that wi„ bc inter_
to Mam Street to cross to his garage esting. for such ,)artiegi an(, woul(,
on East Choctaw Avenue. like to aid them in getting satisfac-
I He^ explained the presence of the torily into the businegs. Writc him
watch in his room bv saving 'hat he or caI1 on him Th(1|e are bi
j found it in the car after he rot home, tunities in this section for the dairy-
| and that he had laid it on the top of man,
I the machine in his room at first, but
later dropped it into the machine- .STATE TAX LEVY IS
I drawer, intending to give it to Chen-1 ONLY ONE-HALF MILL
oweth next day; that he had no time
to notifv Chenoweth of findinir it nn-1 At the anneal meeting of the State
til he was arrested and placed in jail.. ,;oard of Equali7ation, Wednesday
Th<jre was a sharp conflict jn testi- final sctj0n was taken fixing the gen-
mony relative to a statement Beach- e,al tax levy, which was agreed to bv
hoard was alleged to have made to an members and set at onelhalf mill,
the county attorney about knocking, the smallest general levy ever made
the watch :nto the maeh'ne drawer as I since statehood.
he passed bv it that night in his room. It was estimated that this would
Defense also introduced testimon" to take care 0f the appropriations made
the effect that Chenoweth had called , by the last legislature, in view of the
at Benchboard's rarage in the eveninn-1 fact that the state already has on
and innuired "Where is Beach?", and hand a large cash general fund, ami
on heinr told that he had gone to collecting more constantly from the
Kreli=. drove awav. Beachboard also various forms of tax that go into the
testified that Chenoweth and the oth-1 general fund, suuh as gross produc-
ers had been as much disposed as' tion, etc.
he to drop th« matter and not inform j The levy fixed bv the board a vear
tV nolice- that the" had all discuss- ago was 1 1-2 mills, since declared
.. J ti 4 L /. u r .. . I 4 V* '' I .. . ■ ? .1 1 n ••• a I • • I I . > . ...
ed it together, and that Caviello was
particularly onnosed to anv notoriety
about the matter, on account, pre-
(Continued on Last Page)
invaliid bv the courts. State Auditor
barter had opposed the mill and a half
levy, on the ground that the state
ad ample funds for its expenses with-
out this levy.
The
McAlester I rust Company
The l,art< -l .Slate Bank in Southeastern Oklahoma
DEPOSITS GUARANTEED UNDER STATE LAW
"IN THE HEART OF McALESTEK"
M Choctaw and First
OFFICERS
W. B. MCALESTER, President
G. C. COCHRAN. Vice-President
GEO. B. HALL, Active vice-pres
W. S. O'NEAL, Cashier.
W. E. NASH, Asst. Cashier.
M. K MOt'SSA Assistant Cashier
C. W. KELLEY, Asst. Cashier.
DIRECTORS
E. M. FRY, Chairman.
J. H LEWIS
R. C. NELSON
PAUL MILLION
w. b. Mcalester
FRED C. SWITZER
GEO. B. HALL
M. L. HARRIS
Dr. E. N. ALLEN
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Garrett, Forrest A. Pittsburg County Guardian (McAlester, Okla.), Vol. 17, No. 9, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 20, 1921, newspaper, October 20, 1921; McAlester, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc141827/m1/1/: accessed June 2, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.