The Lexington Leader (Lexington, Okla.), Vol. 25, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, September 24, 1915 Page: 11 of 12
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THE WEEK'S NEWS
ED STEPHENS ALMOST STARK
MAD AS RESULT OF MURDER
FIVE YEARS AGO.
OTHER NEWS OF THE NEW STATE
Little Incident* and Accldente Thit
Go To Make Up a Week't
Hlatory ot • Great
Commonwealth.
UNITED BRETHERNJSSIGNMEHTS j^TT flKLAHCMA RAINFALL FOR AUGUST, 1915 \h\
Chickasha—The body of Oscar
Stephens was found by Sheriff Hodge
Bailey in a cornfield, twenty miles
northwest of Chickasha where it was
buried five years ago by Ed Stephens,
cousin of Oscar Stephens.
On a hot August night five years ago
Ed Stephens, a farmer about 45 years
old, murdered his cousin, a boy 19
years old, using a paper knife and
dragged the body to a grave in the
corner of a cornfield. Stephens threw
the body into the grave and told the
family next morning that the cousin
had run away to join the army.
Nothing more was thought of the dis-
appearance until a few months ago,
when Ed Stephens began to show signs
of insanity and while in his insane fits
he told of having murdered his cousin.
During a lucid inlervai he called his
family together and confessed lo them
that he nad murdered his cousin and
thorwu his body into a grave. He was
arrested last week at Union City and
brought 10 the county jail, where he
told his story to the sheriff. He seem
ed to be relieved here after he had told
It and volunteered to go with the offi-
cers to where he had buried the body.
A vain effort to find the body was made
last week.
The exact spot was found by Steph-
ens, but the ground had washed over
the body .ind buried it much deeper
than it was originally burled.
The sheriff went prepared to dig
Oeeper and at about five feet in tne
earth the skeleton was found. The
skull was crushed on one side and the
paper knife, a slender steel knife with
which Stephens had stabbed his cousin
after hitting him on the head was
found in the grave on top of the body.
The sheriff had the body taken to a
graveyard and buried after it was iden-
tified as the body of Stephens. Ed
Stephens is confined in the county jail
here and is almost stark mad as the
result of pondering over his crime.
Last week officers received word that
Stephens was acting as though insane
and when they went to a house near
Union City where Stephens was in hid-
ing, the officers found the doors and
windows barricaded, with Stephens in
side the house.
He was armed with a rifle and i
pistol with which he held the officers
at a distance for three hours. Steph-
ens finally surrendered and when
taken to El Reno hs confessed to hav-
ing murdered his cousin across the line
in Grady county. He was taken to
Chickasha where he reiterated the
statement and gave directions which
finally resulted in the body of his vic-
time being found.
Or. L. Walter Nine la Continued as
Evangelist and Director.
Thomas.—Continuing Dr. L. Walter
Nine as evangelist and director of the
children's churches In the state, the
conference of the United Brethren
church has made assignments of pas-
tors for the next year as follows:
Superintendent, Rev. C. A. Hender-
shot, D. D„ of Shawnee; Aline circuit,
Rev. John Slnkens; Alva station, Rev.
J. L. Burket; Anderson circuit, Rev. J.
N. Bodine; Ackly circuit. Rev. J. F.
Reeves; Bar rcircuit. Rev. D. L. Doub;
Blackwell station. Rev. C. A. Strlcklen;
Capron circuit, Rev. O. E. Robins; Ces-
tos circuit. Rev. Fred C. Roe; Dacoma
station, to be supplied; Dacoma circuit,
to be supplied; Enid station, F. J. Gat-
tiher; Elk City station, J. W. Riley;
Farry circuit, to be supplied; Gate cir-
cuit, to be supplied; Hayward circuit
Rev. C. A. Cottrell; Hooker circuit, W
J. Foshee; Ivanboe circuit, Ella
Tharpe; Ketchum circuit, Rev. L. A
Pertarche; Kremlin circuit, D. B.
Clark; Media circuit, to be supplied;
Oklahoma City, First church, Rev.
Frank H. King, D. D.; Capitol Hill,
Walter H. Smith; Optima circuit. W.
B. McMunn; Pawnee circuit, 0. O.
Johnson; Purcell circuit, Eouis Melott;
Ctillwater station, S. A. Phillips, Still-
circuit A. E. Gammage; Thomas sta-
tion, L.. A. Holbrooke; Thomas circuit,
J. Barkheimer; Tonkawa, to be sup-
plied; Vici, to be supplied; evagelists,
J. F. Keith and T. M. Wood; evange-
lists at large, Mrs. Calli-e" King, Mrs. H.
J. Mussellman and M. J. Powel.
Alice B. Riley was elected president
of the Women's Missionary Associa-
tion.
,w a
His Plea.
"Well, Cuddyhump," said Squire
Peavy, addressing a colored citizen
who "as suspected of having wan-
dered from the straight and narrow
path, "what have you to Bay for your-
■elf?"
"Dea dig, yo' honah—dis yuh am
muh prevarication;" was the reply.
"Nemmine wadder l's guilty or not,
but (Jess tempt mercy wid Jestice and
tubn me loose, Tuhn me loose, sah,
and sho's yo' bawn I'll da as much for
yo' soiue time!"
Answered.
Barber (finishing up)—How do you
part your hair, sir?
Customer—With a comb.
The Appropriate Thinj.
"What did they do when that speak-
easy caught fire?"
"Sent In a still alarm."
The General S >s:
Why end your
money w y lor
._ "bargain roofing"
j when you can get
the beat roofing at
• reasonable price of your
own local dealer whom you know?
Certainteed
Roofing
19 nuarantwd in writing 5 yMi* lot 1-PjT.
10 years (or 2-ply. and 15 years tor 3-pIy.
and the responsibility of our big mills
stands behind this guarantee. Its quality is
the highest and its price the most reasonable.
General Roofing Mfg. Company
World' lar j-ft manufacture of Hoofing
an t Huildtnp 1'apert
N.wT.rlOIr Bo.t.B CUcsn
Pkiledtlpkit Atlanta Cleveland Detroit
Si. Lo«U Cincinnati Kan a Ci T MinneapoH*
Saa FrancUce Seattle Leoooa Haabarg Sydney
SLAYS HIS SON AND WOUNDS WIFE
Quarrel Over Livestock Has Tragic
Ending in Craig County.
FINAL APPROXIMATION, STATE'S
TAXABLE VALUES, AUDITOR'S
FIGURES ARE $1,185,804,000.
Vinita.—John Morris, 54, residing
fourteen miles northwest of Vinita,
shot and killed his son, John Morris,
jr., 24. The cause of the killing is still
unknown but the story told by his
wife, also seriously wounded during
the fight, is that the boy returned a
few days ago from a tour through the
western states and at once a quarrel
arrose over the ownership of horses
and cattle on the place, said to be
jointly owned by the father and son.
Tho quarrel ended in the shooting
and neighbors rushing to the scene re-
clare that the father then mounted a
horse and shouted his intention of
going to Vinita to surrender to the
officers who were already on the'r
way to the scene, having been notified
of the tragedy by telephone. He is
still missing.
Big Revival Meet Planned At Tulsa.
Tulsa.—Preliminary plans for a gi-
gantic religious camapign to be known
as the "United Revival Meetings" of
Tulsa have been perfected and the
workers in the interest of the meet ings
are canvassing the city with the view
to obtaining information that will en-
able the pastors of the different
churches to do the most efficient work.
This campaign i£ to last from Octo-
ber 24 to November 14 during which
simultaneous meetings will be held
every night in a dozen of the city s
churches.
Scak.f5haIl IZlle tl'« 4i cl1c e4t.UnA ®««8' rt^Hi«tolOl«cK„fflOycrlOlncl«.
tlons,
period,
gs2es=^S85SSr!«s sre. ~ -
nice condition fur plowing at the rlose of tlie
Lyon Refuses A Charter.
Secretary of State J. L. Lyon filed
in the district court <m answer to the
writ cf mandamus prayed for by the
State Rural Credit Association seeking
to compel him to issue u charter al-
lowing the concern to do business in
Oklahoma.
In the answer the secretary ot state
charges that the name urder which
the company asks for a charter would
lead the public to believe that it was a
state institution and the credit of the
state would he loaned thereto in the
deceiving of the people. It is set out
that for this reason tRe issuance of a
charter to the association, is contrary
to lr. and not permissible under stat-
utei, vf Oklahoma and the state con-
stitution.
It is further claimed that certain
sections of the proposed articles of in-
corporation are too broad in scope and
too indefinite as to the powers con-
ferred, to constitute a compliance with
the law.
That the charter sought to be filed
authorizes the plaintiff company to act
as a guaranty company without giving
bond in the manner prescribed for cor-
porations of that character, and to
own and deal in real estate, contrary
to the laws of Oklahoma, is another
j part of the state official's reply.
In addition, Mr. Lyon states in his
10c Worth of
Will Clear $1.00 Worth of Land
Get rid of the stumps and grow I
big crops on cleared land. Now
is the time to clean up your farm
while products bring high prices. Blasting is
quickest, cheapest and easiest with Low freez-
ing Du Pont Explosives. They work tn cold
weather.
Write for Free Handbook of Explosive* No. 69 F,
and name of nearect dealer.
DU PONT POWDER COMPANY
WILMINGTON D
OKLAHOMA CITY NEWS EVENTS
What the State Officials and Depart-
ments Are Doing.—Items of In
terest About the State
Governmest.
Oklahoma City.—
According to estimates made by
State Auditor E. B. Howard, the total
valuations placed upon corporations as-
sessed by the state, together with the
total valuation of the counties, will be
approximately Jl,185,804,000, or about
$9,000,000 more than the valuations as-
sessed last year.
The total valuations of corporations
as assessed by the state board of equal-
ization up to September 15, are:
Corporations Valuation.
Railway companies $2°°,540,787 | "that" article'No. 7 of the char-
Express companies b.o.uuu , ^ exemptg the property of the stock-
Electric light, heat, water j holders from execution for debts con-
power, gas 9,9oo,bi>.. , , which is
Oil and gas pipe line com-
panies 10,456
Street car and interurban
railways
Private car companies...
He Took a Chance.
"It's a good thing you had accident
Insurance, isn't it? That fall must
have laid you up for two weeks."
"I know, but It doesn't help me out
In this case.'
"And why not?"
"Why, it carried a clause forbidding
me to engage in any extra hazardous
occupation."
"Well, you weren't, were you?"
"Yes, I was trying to sell Jones some
life insurance."
710
Telegraph companies ....
Telephone companies ....
Bridge companies
Total $236,969,036
Total valuation of counties 0932,760,230
4,573,498
1,062,862
1,480,000
8,193.527
130.000
TICK DIPPING VAT IS DESTROYED
Dynamite Is Used By Two Men at
McLain As Protest.
Muskogee.—The stock dipping vat,
erected at. McLain recently by the
county of Muskogee, was dynamited
and totally destroyed, apparently by
two men, who Sheriff Barger believes
are farmers in the neighborhood.
McLain is a small town a few miles
south of Muskogee. There has been
much opposition there recently to the
enforced stock dipping, the farmers
asserting that they believed in the
campaign, but did riot think it was cai-
rled on intelligently.
Farmers declared that they were
losing many catt'.f, some of which
died even while in the vats and others
would develop sickness after beir.s
dipped. Stockmen declare that the
regulation requiring every cow to be
dipped twice a month has proved too
severe or an improper solution is be-
ing used.
Sheriff Wilder Ousted,
Sapulpa.—John S. Woofter has been
named acting sheriff of Creek county
by District Judge E. B. Hughes, fol
lowing the bringing in of an accusation
against Sheriff Lew Wilder by the
grand jury that is engaged in probins
a situation in this county wherein vio-
1 lators of the porhibition and anti-gamb-
ling laws have met with little real in-
terference from thos'e who are sworn
to uphold the law. Sheriff Wilder lias
retained Henry Asp of Oklahoma City
and Ben Thompson act as his attor-
neys.
Grand total $1,169,729,266
Not included in the above are the
valuations yet to be equalized, of the
Prairie Pipe Line Co., the Texas com-
pany, the Gulf Pipe Line Co., of Okla-
homa and Texas, the American Tele-
graph and Telephone Co., together with
about thirty smaller companies and
some other car companies, which are
expected to bring the total valuation
of the state for 1915 up to $1,185,804,-
000.
traded by the corporation, which is
against the law, and that article No. 8
clothes them with authority to alter
and amend the by-laws at will, also
illegal under the Oklahoma statute.
Answering further, the secretary of
state says that ostensibly the plain-
tiff company was incorporated under
the laws of Delaware when in truth
and in fact it was the purpose to only
do business in this state, and that
therefore it is not permitted to operate
here as a foreign corporation.
Of Course.
Mamma was taking daughter to
task.
"I don't like the way you and Jack
hang over the front gate every eve-
ning,'' she remonstrated.
"Well, as to that, there's a great
deal to be said on both sides," replied
daughter.—Judge.
Waning of the Honeymoon. ,
Young Wife (six weeks marriage)—
Darling, do you love me still?
Husband—What a silly question!
Why, of course I love you still and
the stiller the better.
Nothing to Feed.
Donald—I'm tryin' feesh, Sandy. It's
an elegant brain food, ye ken.
Sandy—Fine! But, man, in your
case it seems a pity to waste the
feesh.
NEW CURE FOR RHEUMATISM
Woman Who Had Suffered for Many
Years Is Cured by Bolt of
Lightning.
The medical faculty was put to
shame by a bolt of lightning which
the other night struck the farmhouse
ot Charles A. Burdick, on Washing-
ton Ridge, Bays the Berlin (Conn.)
correspondent of the New York Her-
ald. The electric bolt destroyed arti-
cles In nil the eight rooms of the
house and did damage exceeding $1,-
000, but it cured Mrs. Burdick ot rheu-
matism, from which she had suffered
for many years.
Mrs. Burdick was about to put wood
in the kitchen stove when the bolt
struck her, knocking her down and
rendering her unconscious. One of
her feet was on zinc beneath the
stove. The lightning took a nail out
of the sole ot her shoe and her foot
was severely burned. Dr. Thomas
Mulligan of New Britain soon revived
her.
Today Mrs. Burdick, although suf-
fering from the burns on her foot,
was freo from rheumatic pains. She
does not think the price her husband
must pay in repairs to the house too
high, but Mr. Burdick is discreetly si-
lent.
Add Thousands To Tax Rolls.
Many thousands of dollars in prop-
erty valuation were added to the state
tax rolls last week by the state board
of equalization, when it met to con-
sider omitted properties of oil com-
pnies, private car lines and other cor-
porations. The following items were
considered:
Indiahoma Refining Co., for th«
lDlii 1913. 1914, $10,7o0 a year, on 83 etna.
American Refining Co., 310 cars; con-
tinued t.i September 27.
Consumers' Refining Co., 239 cars; con-
Relaxation.
"What did your husband think of
the ball game?"
"Oh, he doesn't go there to think.
He Just hollers."
When a young man is sure he can't
live without a certain girl he ought
to marry her and discover his mis-
take.
Some Town.
"We're a growing town." Bald th«
leading citizen of Painted Post.
"1 don't know," said the traveling
man, "there aren't any more people
here than there was last year."
"I know that," said the proud resi-
dent, "but the Smith twins put on lon
pants last week."
No man is afflicted with the lov«
germ if he doesn't act foolishly.
Mis. Province Is Cleared of Charge.
Muskogee.—Mrs. W. B. Province,
charged with the murder of her hus-
band, was dismissed at the conclusion
of her preliminary hearing Saturday
when County Attorney Fred J. Bron-
son stated that he did not feel justified
in asking a court to hold the woman
for trial. Mrs. Province denied the
testimony of witnesses who had sworn
to her alleged relations with men
other than her husband and also de-
nied that she had ever threatened to
kill her husband.
Telegraph Operator Robbed.
Antlers.—While Pat Heavn, night
telegraph operator at the rrisco rail-
road depot, was alone in the depot two
young men came to the depot to have
some trunks checked. When Hearn
went to check tho trunks he was hit
on the head with a blunt instrument.
He fell to the ground and the robbers
placed his body across the railroad
track. In the meantime the robbers
ransacked the ticket office. They se-
cured $21.70.
Prairie Gets a Raise
Upon motion of Governor R. L.
■Williams, the state board of equali-
zation raised the valuation of the
Prairie Oil and Gas Company for as-
sessment from $5,750,000 to $6,616,000
for the year 1915. This action Im-
mediately followed a raise in the val-
uation of the Texas Oil Company, up-
on motion of Secretary of State J. L.
Lyon, from $4,750,000 to $5,250,000.
Credit For Sunday School.
McAlester.—To encourage attend-
ance at Sunday School this winter, pub-
lic school authorities in McAlester an-
nounce that they will give five points
credit to pupils for each Sunday spent
at Sunday school. All Sunday schools
anticipate an increased attenadnce
Sunday.
Oklahoma Live Stock Increase.
In only one item, that of cattle, is
there shown a decline numerically ir
1915 as compared to 1914 in the re-
ports of the assessors as rendered tO| '"pJ^aKetiVilng Co., 8 oars for 1!)13 and
the state board of equalization. Val-|"i3 ear# for 1314, were assessed at JiwO
ues, on the other land, show an in-1 Beflnlns Co., 10 cars, *5,500 for
crease of $4,846,915. ;L914.
The tabulation, as prepared by Stat* i pierce Oil Corporation (successor to
Auditor B. B. Howard, follows; W.ters-Plerce oil Co.,, US cars, 149,000
Year
1915
1914
Decrease 1915
Year
1915
1914
rtorses.
Number Valuation
623,289 J37.040.203
642,411 36,r 26,314
19,122 Increase 513,9.^9
Valuation
19,608,794
19,608,794
increase 1915 16.814 Increase* 588,23!}
Cattle.
Number Valuation
1,317,096 $36,505,172
1,369,027 32,87^,844
Year
1915
1914
Decrease 1915 51,931 Increase $3,62«,3*8
Sneep.
Number Valuation
39 285 * 105.S.S
28 211 64,940
Year
1915
1914
Increase 1915
Year
1915
1914
Increase 1915
Year
1915
1914
Increase 1915
1915
I37.ft40.203
20,196,927
36,505,172
105,378
45,414
3,868.909
10.074 Increase
Goats.
810,438
Waters- Pier
1)1' 1-1", 1U14.
Riverside Western Oil Co., 4 cars,
*2,000.
\merlcan Linseed Oil Co., one car, ?300
1 * year, 1910, 1S>14.
I Wllholt Refining Co., $2,000 for 1914.
Maonolta Renins Co., 15 ears fur 1912,
5 car# tut 1! ta. 10 car# for 1914 }500 per
car.
Kans-.is City Refining Co., $5,500 for
■1914.
Armour and Co, $10,000 fo 1 fM• pn
$5,000 i year for 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913.
Fruit Growers' Express, $2,000 for 1914.
National Refining C6 , $156,000 for 1915.
Armour and Co., J10.000 for 1914 and
$5,Uu0 u year for 1910, 1911, 1912, 1J13.
American Refrigerator Transit Co.. M10,
$2,750. 1911. f-',2.",n; :• 1 J. 1913,
1914, $5,500.
Frisco1 Kerinlng Co 5 ears for 1914, and
a part of l'.'U, (12,500.
it's Western Car l.ine, $1,000 a year
11 :i 111 tn 11 ' • ■ 1 •
",4™ tor 1911, 1912. 1913. 1914.
42].'68 Mathers Stuck < ar Co., $7;
School Boy Killed by Fall From Auto.
Enid.—While riding on the running
board of an automobile conveying
him to school, GeQorge, the 8-year-old
son of Mrs. A. P. Webb of Enid, fell
under the wheels of the car just be-
fore it tsopped in front of the school
building and was killed almost in-
stantly. With ihs brother and a boy
filend. George asked the driver to
take him to school. In falling he was
thrown to the pavement and his skull
fractured and the machine passed over
his body.
Pastor Dies While Driving To Church.
Guthrie,—Rev. Lawrence J. Parker
died while driving to a country church
ten miles south ot Guthrie. His wite
sat beside him and wnen his head fell
on her shoulder she stopped the car,
and when help arrived he was dead.
He was fifty years old and hed he«e
pastor and evangelist in the uongrega-
tional church of Oklahoma since the
opening, residing most of the time in
Guthrie He was well known all over
the state, an able worker and highly
respected. He leaves a widow and
i two sons.
Valuation
$ 3,868 '4' • '
3.793.630
1910, 1914.
Dowl Stock
year, i ♦12, 1914
Nut
I'Jl4# $4,'
.0 a year for
ar Co., 2 cars, $1,000 a
Co., 6 cars, 1913, $1,500
20.037 Increase
Totals.
$7
.279
1914 t
$36,526,314 t
19.60S.794 1
32,878,844
64.940
42,566
3,793,630
$97,762,003
$92,915,088
Pacific Kxpress, IR curs at ?500 each,
19 it. 1912; 29 t-.irs, $500 each, 1913, 1914.
Swift liegriferator Line. $100,000 for
1911: $5,000 u \ oar for 1910. 1913.
S. ami •- •> 10,000 for 1914; $5,000 a year
/or 19H), 1913.
Jacob lx>lil Packing <'o., and Glenn
Pool Tank line, continued to September
27.
Arms Palace Horse Car Co., $GUU a yeai
1910, 1914.
Life Sentence Is Affirmed.
Conviction and sentence of life im-
prisonment imposed upon Jeff Poling
in the district court of Washington
county for the murder of his wife,
field county mnuis -■ were aflirmed by the criminal court of
ranidlv as did the lands in Woods and f appeals in an opinion by Judge Ihom-
Alfnlfa The prices are placed toe I as H. Doyle. Following a family quar-
WBh and bidders take a chance on get-1 rel Poling cut his wife's tliroat with
HtTb 'the Droperty at a lower figure later I a razor, almost severing her head fron
nn lands that are not sold will be her body. They were alone in the
lontiPil for a term of five years, but are room at the time and Poling denied
rb,ect to sale by the state at any that he cut his wife, declaring that she
I committed suicide.
time.
Land Sale Is Dull.
That 38 of the 41 tracts of school
lands offered at Enid on tho third day
of the auction sale were sold was the
report that came to the state school
land commission's office. The Gar-
field county landu are not going as
Triply Protected
First, the Inner container of paper,
next the big yellow carton, and
then, the outer wrapping of waxed
paper, sealed air-tight and dust-
proof. Superior protection for the
Superior Corn Makes—
Post Toasties
These delightful flakes are mad©
of the finest white Indian Corn,
Bteam-cooked, daintily seasoned,
rolled and toasted—crisp and gold-
en-brown.
Post Toasties reacn you fresh and
delicious, perfectly protected and
ready to eat. They are mighty
good with milk or cream, or with
any kind of fruit.
"The Memory Lingers"
—void by Grocers everywhere
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The Lexington Leader (Lexington, Okla.), Vol. 25, No. 2, Ed. 1 Friday, September 24, 1915, newspaper, September 24, 1915; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc110692/m1/11/?rotate=270: accessed April 23, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.