The Weekly Democrat-Chief (Hobart, Okla.), Vol. 21, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 1, 1921 Page: 1 of 12
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THE WEEKLY DEMOCRAT-CHIEF
Largest and Oldest Bona Fide Circulation ot any Publication^ The County.
VOLUME XXI
HOBART, KIOWA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, THURSDAY, SEPT. 1, 1921.
NO. 5
JACK GhEGER DRAWS
LIFE SENTENCE ON
GHARGEOF MURDER
Jury Arrives at Verdict Withft Ten
Minute*—One Votes For the
Death Penalty
BODY OF FORMER
GERMAN MINISTER
IS FOUND RIDDLED
Mathiaa Erzberger Victim ef
tat Bullet While en Vacattan
With Family.
"We, the jury
sworn to try the issue* in ihe above
entitle ciiuse, do, upon our oaths, find
the defense guilty of murder, as
charged in the information, and fix
his punishment at imprisonment, in
the state penitentiary, for life."
So read the verdict of the jury in
th© case wherein Jack Geiger, charged
with murder in connection with the
('cath of William G. Hester, farmer,
v/ho was shot and mortally wounded
r,t his home near the Koonlcaxachey
•chool house, sixteen miles south-
wet:, of Hobart, on the afternoon of
March 10, 1921.
The verdict was returned into open
court by the jury at 4:25, thirty
minutes after the ease had been sub-
mitter to them by Judge
for their consideration. They were
cut not more than twenty
when they returned to the district
court room. In the meantime Geiger
had been sent back to jail to
word from the jury, the court, of
course, not expecting such sp<
action upon the part of the jurors.
So when the latter let it be known
that they had arrived at a vcrdict
and were ready to report the defend-
ant had to be sent for. This took
probably ten minutes.
Under-sheriff W. T. Gann went for
Geiger and told him that the jury had
come to an agreement. The defend
ant asked no questions, but
depressed to think a verdict hat! been
reached so quickly, evidently fearing
it was adverse to him. However, he
maintained his composure when
brought back into the court
where he had been tried.
As Miss Ella White, court clcrk,
read the verdict, the defendant turned
ashen pale, but shewed no other
physical signs of the menal anguish
which he must necessarily have suf-
fered in those fleeting moments, nor
did he appear surprised at the 'jury's
action in depriving him of his liberty
for the remainder of his natural life.
His attorneys, who had fought so val-
iantly to beat back the avalanche of
incriminating evidence which ha:l l>een
turned loose against their client, be-
trayed a great deal more concern over
the verdict than did the defendant
himself, being taken completely by
surprise. The prosecution seei
well pleased with the outcome of the
trial.
Those who were present when the
lly The Associated Pre**.
BERLIN, Aug. 26.—Mathias Erz
STATE FORCES AND
ARMED BAND CLASH
IN WEST VIRGINIA
Border Patrol Raturas Fire—Deputies
Drive Back Invader*—Civil
War Threatened
By The Associated Pre «.
CHARLESTOWN, W.
berger, former vice premier and min-
ister of finance, was murdered today.
assassinated near Offenburg
Baden, where he was sojourning with
his family. Ths body contained
twelve bullets.
Mathias Erzberger, German vice
premier and minister of finance, was
shot and wounded on January 26, 1920
as he was leaving the criminal court
building in Berlin after attending a
hearing in a libel suit he had brought
against Dr. Karl Helfferich, the form-
er German vice chancellor. His as-
sailant gave his name as Oltwig von
Hirschfeld, a former cadet officer, 20
years old, a atudent, and was quoted
saying he considered Erzberger
dangerous to the empire. The assail-
ant fired two shots at Erzberger as
the minister was entering his auto-
mobile. One bullet glanced off the
minister's watch chain and another
entered his shoulder.
Erzberger roused a storm in Ger-
many in July, 1917, more than a year
before the armistice, by proposing a
resolution in the German Reichstag
in favor of a peace without annex-
ations and for parliamentary reform.
Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg
clared this formula wa« unacceptable
and Dr. Helfferich subsequently blam-
ed Erzberger's peace proposal for the
moral collapse of the German peo-
ple. The former vice chancellor ac-
cused Erzberger of high treason, de-
nounced him as "a menace to the
purity of our public life" and invited
him to bring suit for libel. He de
claved that Erzberger must be re-
moved from public office "if our po-
litical life is again to become hAdthy
and normal." He asserted also that
Erxberger's fortune had been made
during the war by utilizing his po-
litical and parliamentary position.
Erzberger accepted the challenge
and instituted suit for libel. The
hearing was acrimonious and assumed
much political importance, Dr. Hel-
fferich delivering denunciatory
speeches in court while Erzberger vig-
orously defended himself and his ac-
tion in seeking peace in 1917.
Herr Erzberger was for many years
leader of the German Central party
and one of the leading figures in
German public life after Germany's
defeat in the war. His peace move of
Va„ Aug.
31.—State forces and an armed band
came togetehr in the mountains near
Blair, Logan county, this morning, ac-
cording to dispatches received at the
office of Governor Morgan. Beyond
the statement that there had been
firing from both sides, the Governor's
office announced there were no de-
tails.
JOHN GORE DEPUTY
SHERIFF. IS KILLED
LOGAN, W. Va, Aug. 81.—The
border patrol on Blair mountain
fired upon this morning by a party of
men from the east The fire was re-
turned and the attacking party was
driven back by Log^.n country '
ties who are holding this sector. iWim
Gore, a Logan county deputy sheriff,
was killed in the fighting. This is the
first casualty since the state police,
deputy sheriffs and volunteers from
souhern West Virginia gathered here
"SWINDLE
TRUST" UNEARTHED
BY FEDERAL AGENTS
Twenty-Seven Million* in Stock*.
Bonds. Noe* and Other Securi-
ties Found
r The Associated Pro**. .
CHICAGO, Aug. 25.—With twenty-
seven millions in stocks, bonds, notes
and other securities—some good and
some bad—in their possession federal
agents today renewed the search for
the end of the golden rainbow, which
John W. Worthington, Charles W.
French and associates spread across
the country in what agents believe to
be one of the greatest "swindle trust"
on record.
Colonel John V. Clinnin, assistant
United States district attorney, in
charge of the investigation today,
fixed fifty millions as a conservative
minimum for the total operations.
Twenty companies, it is said, have
been organized by French, with a cap-
ital stock of twenty-one million*, are
under investigation.
HESTER'S SLAYER
IS SENTENCED TO
W. C. KELSAY BUYS
URGE INTEREST IN
LONG PRISON TEP/ F. AND M. NATL, BANK
Ernest White Changes Plea to Gi
and i* Given 25 Year* In Stat
Penitentiary
Ernest White, who shot and • f-
tally wounded William G. HestvJj «n
March 10, 1921, at the tatter s j te
in the Little Pasture, sixl% i £ es
viclfmu of
to resist the forces, which, for days,
have been assembling on the east side
of Spruce Fork Ridge and believed to
be bent upon the invasion of Logan
county.
verdict was rendered and who had fol-
lowed the trial closely, were not sur-
prised at the action of the jury, al-
though many others who had been in
and out duiing the trial expressel the
belief that the defendant would be ac-
quitted.
It took the jury only ten minutes te
-arrive at a verdict. The first ballot
1917 had made him the storm center
of attack by reactionaries; but when
Germany's military power collapsed
he was made minister without port-
folio in the cabinet of Prince Maxi-
milian.
As a member of the German arm-
istice delegation he conducted nego-
tiations with Marshal Fo:h and later
W onderful—America—Oklahoma—Kiow a!
We wish our customers to remember that the United
States holds only six per cent of the population of the
whole world and has only seven per cent of the world s
Ukl,d' YET WE PRODUCE
24 per cent of the world's wheat.
60 per cent of the cotton. m
75 per cent of the corn.
25 per cent ot the dairy products.
40 per cent of the hogs.
40 per cent of the 4r r and steel.
52 per cent of the coal.
60 per cent of the copper.
66 per cent of the oil.
27 per cent of the cattle.
Or saying it in another way we produce twenty-five per
cent of the agricultural products of the world, forty per
cent of her minerals and thirty-five per cent of her
manufactured goods.
Our bank deposits belonging to the six per cent far
exceed the combined bank deposits of the remaining
ninety-four per cent, and before the war we owed other
nations five billion bollars; now the debt is all paid and
other nations owe us ten billion dollars.
In this wonderful nation Oklahoma ranks seventh
In thp value of agricultural products. In Oklahoma, led
by enly aix of the many other wonderful producting
states, Kiowa County has been the leader for two years
and before that she stood among the four leaders.
The future is best judged by the past.
Let's cheer up and go to work.
was taken on the question of the de- j headed the majority Socialists in a
fendant's guilt. Eleven voted guilty; movement to form a new ministry and
one not understanding the question sjlrn the pcace treaty. His attitude
being voted on cast a ballot foi the
death r cnaity. On the second baiiot.
the vole was unanimous that the de-
fendant was Rvijty as -iiarged.
Upon the question of punishment,
two ballots were likewise taken. Up-
on the first, eleven voted for life sen-
tence and one for the death penalty.
The second fixed the punishment, as
above stated, at life imprisonment.
That Geiger felt more, when the
verdict was real, than his facial ex-
pressions indicated, was shown by
the fact that on the way back to Jail,
where he is incarcerated, he adced
fVputy Sheriff John Lindsay, who
had him in custody, to permit him to
sit down on a box near the prison and
rest, as he wns overcome. The re-
quest was granted. Other than this
the convicted man had nothing to say.
In many respects this wa.i the most
unique criminal case ever tried in
the district court is Kiowa county.
According to the evidence in the case
the homicide of which Geiger has been
convicted and others are being prose-
cuted, grew out of Geiger's love foi
i:rnen White's wife, with whom he ap-
pears to. have een insanely attached.
Geiger, according to the theory of
the state, C(inspired to get rid ol
White, the slayer of William G. Hes-
ter, that he might marry this woman.
The state took the view that Geiger
A mamh //V A GOOD row./V
CITY BANK
HOB ART,
OKLAHOMA
sign the pcace treaty
throughout the armistice negotia-
tion* *MUed against him the indig-
nation of German military authori-
ties and in June, 1919, it was report-
ed that his residence had been fired ,
upon by a Berlin mob. A plot to have
been formed by member* of the offi-
cers' corps at I'otsdam to assassinate
him wns revealed in September, fol-
lowing.
Born in Buttenhaus, September 20,
1875, Erzberger was the son of a
poor tailor. He became a schoolmast-
er, obtaining n university education,
studied internr.tior.al law and olitical
economy, wrote several books on po-
litical and economic rul: ject.-, and I c-
came a brilliant speaker and politi
southwest of Hoart, in the
the Koonkazachey school house, en-
tered a plea of guilty yesterday after-
noon in the district court to a charge
of manslaughter in the first degree,
and waa given a sentence of twenty-
five years in the state penitentiary.
The facts of this killing have been
published in these columns a number
of times, and in view of the fact that
they were reported in full during the
Jack Geiger trial last week and the
week before, it is hardly necessary to
go into details again, further than to
state that the killing was the out-
growth of a conspiracy entered into
between the defendant and one R.
Boyett, wherein White agreed to kill
Hester if Boyett would kill Geiger,
Boyett and Hester beta* enemies and
Geiger and White enemies—in other
words, each agreeing to kill the enemy
if the other, that they might better
cover up their tiacks.
In carrying out these plot, V/hlte,
who at that time lived at Granite,
motored over to I'ester's home, on the
day of the homicide, and found Hes-
ter at work in t'.ie field, listing land.
They were aline and talked for a con-
siderable length of time, White fol-
lowing the plow back and forth across
the field a number of times. Finally,
n«id apparently without warning.
White began shooting him in the back
with an automatic pistol, while Hes-
ter was on the lister. Finding him-
self thus assailed Hester jumped off
the plow and started to tun across the
plowed ground, White following and
beating him over the head with the
weapon.
From these injuries. Hester died ten
days later, or on March 20, not befot*.1
however, making a statement as to
who had shot him.
White was arrested tha night fol-
lowing the shooting, at his home in
Granite, and was brought here and
committed to jail.
5 Soon afterward he undertook to
5 smuggle to his wife a letter in which
5! he told enough to implicate Boyett,
§ who was arrested. Following this the
E whole murder plot was by degrees
§ unfolded. Geiger was arrested and
5 after two trials was given a life sen-
2 tence for the part he played in the
- conspiracy. Boyett's case is still
; pending, as is the one against White's
j wife. The charges against Boyett and
i Mrs. White were dismissed for the
! testimony they gave in behalf of the
\ state against Geiger.
White's sentence, since it Is based
! upon a plea if guilty, will stand, but
Geiger will probably appeal to the
supreme court. Following the ove.--
S' ruling of bis motion for a new trial,
3 \ Geiger was setenced to the state pen-
S itentiary at McAlester for ths period
Elected Vice President—in C
tion With ltay Mullenix Will
Have Active Control.
A trade has just been consummated
whereby W. C. Kelsay, a well known
banker of this city, has acquired a
aubstantial interest in the Farmers
ft Merchant* National Bank of Ho-
bart, through the purchase of prac-
tically all the stock owned by pei-
sons living at a distance from Ho-
bart and a few shares from local
stockholders.
Through this purchase Mr. Kelsay
and Ray Mullenix, president of the
institution, own a majority of the
stock.
It ia announced that there is to
be no change in the management of
the bank, further than Mr. Kelsay
will share with Mr. Mullenix the ac-
tive management, the former having
been elected vice president. There
is to be no change in the personnel of
the organization. Mr. Mullenix re-
mains president, P. E. Foltz cashier,
and R. C. Hobbs, assistant cashier.
The directors are: J. A. Portwood, W.
E. Gentry, H. E Patchin, R. L. Cau-
dill, W. H. Carlton, E. N. Smith.
The F. and M. Bank waa organised
in July, 1902, and for seventeen years
had ita place of business at the in-
tersection of Fourth and Jefferson
streets, but in 1919 they purchased
the old First National Bank building,
Fourth and Main, and since that time
have been doing business at that popu-
., of his natural life.
^ jn aU probabllity en(is the
bloodest conspiracy ever entered into
and partly carried out in Kiowa cojn-
ty, and break up a nest of conspira-
tor.-. the like of wh-ch Is seldom seen
in pnv" civilized community.
J. E. Ledbetter, a youth of sixteen,
.. J . ,,, w T r..,„ Went to'ny Th- Assortatfd I'mr. „ _. who had been convicted of forgery.
Under-sheriff W. T. Gtna Wtnt WASHINGTON, Aug. 30.—The was se„tenced to two years'imprison-
treaty of peace w ith Germany, wh eli mcnt> but owing to his tender years
was signed* last Saturday in Beilin, n(Mj to the fact that it was his first
Wolf who wi'l «ent 10 the senate September 0ffen!tei the sentence was suspended
.- « jL. i ... /•>■/<, «• rniu^Pvnhll S. lit- Kahnvint*
ALLEGED KIDNAPPER I SENATE TO RECEIVE
NOW UNDER ARREST TREATY NEXT MONTH
Blanchard Today U Bring
in Homer Sme.'.ley.
Homer Smedleinof 21. the day congrcss reassembles, af- ahring good behavior.
I. charged with kkh,.ppln,:<*£ ^ ^ J>y ^ ,t,w
the White House.
year-old daughter of Mr.
L. E. Higgins" of that town, last Sur.- (today at
DISTRICT COURT ADJOURNS
At present the bank i* undergoing
extensive repairs. New sanitary fix-
tures of marble and bronze are be-
ing installed, and a new marble floor
is being put in. This will make it
one of the most elegant bank build-
ings to be found in this part of the
state.
As a financial institution, >hs F. and
M. is one of the most substantial in
the state and enjoys the confidence
of the people, doing, as it deserves to
do, a large volume of business.
Mr. Mullenix, the president, had
been in the banking business a num-
ber of years prior to coming to Ho-
bart. He was connected with the Al-
falfa County National Bank, Chero-
kee, as assistant cashier, for two
years, and owned and operated the
Farmers' State Bank at Lambert,
Okla., for three years. In 1918 he
purchased ol J. P. Russell a largo
block of the stock in the F. and M.
National Bank and was elected as its
president, an office he has held ever
since, and one which he has filled with
credit to hiimelf and to his associ-
ates and patrons.
Mr. Kelsay has been here so long
and has been so closely and intimately
connected with the banking business
that it is hardly necessary to give
him an introduction. However, ha
came from Plattsburg, Mo., to this
state in 1901, pausing three years at
Chickasha to engage in the wholesale
sash and door business. Tiring of
this he came to Hobart in 1901, as-
sociating himself with the F. and M.
B:\nk as its cashier. He rema'ned
with the bank until 1908, whsn he
nd others organized the Home State
Bank. From that time until August,
1920, he was the active managing of-
ficer of the last mentioned institu-
tion. Upon this date he pold h:s in-
terest to Walter B. Stevens and re-
tired from active business. Since
that time he has been resting and
recuperating his health.
Mr. Kelsay is an excellent banice.*,
is a popular, public spirited citizen,
nnd has a large circle of 'rlends. Wlt'i
day night, and who ia alleged to !ut%e The habeas corpus cases of Israel - . . w_
married her, is under tfreot at Blanch- accordjnK to the confession, all went Powers and Maxino Cizek and the foi- is experience anc popu . • ^ ^
stag in 1903 an member of the Center
aid, between Chickasha nnd Purcell, to purcell, where Smedley and (he lowing divorce cases
and is being held in ja
ing the arrival of the
real asret of the F.
were assigned be considered
• — el«Md *.*• <* ' '« h'M * «■" mm
financial institutions of the country,
Leo ' and with Mr. Kelsay and Mr. MuMrn-
cused and hi* partner, A. B. tason.| -—«• J > . > - VB- ix ln actl,# cwltro,> lt is destined to
mmm* tA Kinnrnnrn. wnri c •■■<«•*
In the case of W. R. Loving vs. M
room"window' got the girl out and 'the" officers located him and arresvd K. I-oving n decree for d|j'orc' ™
her into a car ard spirited her ^ for the sheriff of this county, trran e .. f ail
. . : Do*., Sheriff W. T. C. n S"? *™ j L
t.b.„ , M | f«.ri.n,.nd«rl U, n" H. t" J "a,..*,. court t
h:riff's force t0 j^cne V/o'f "ur.Jay nicut and was fo
(Catholic) party, its representative of1 fl^m this ccunty. ! promptly arrested and committed to will be Sept. 26, this year:
mall farmeis and became one of th j u v.m ^ len,eraberod that i.hc ac jai| upon a charge of kidnapplrg. Greenlee v . Greenlee, Lee vs.
leaders of^a small liberal wing of that cuse<| an(, h g parlneri a. B. Eason. gmedley and his girl-wife, Sunday Geiger vs. Geiger and Warner
party. He Is said to have been a pan- ( wpnt to the Higgins home alter twelve evening, went to Blanchard, where WaiT.er.
German during the early part of the O.c)ock Sun,iay njKht, rais-d the I ed- he hnii"n brother, and it was hore that
war nntl to have engaged actively in 1
spreading German propaganda. He I pUt""her jnto a"car and spirited her r • -- *— granted this morning.
is accused of hr.ving recommended the nway ~ ogtcnsibly for the purpose ot |
Continued ta Pag* 2 )
, fession, and tried to procure a Ilcenre, row. He will also bring the girl
its abandoment. Some time prioi ^ to fjm| the clerk. Then the desires to come. However, since
to thf,' . I they started toward Anadarko, meet- fhe Is not under arrest, her coming 'S8P1' ^ __
a<> i - - gmedley's brother a short die- will necessarily be a voluntary' act
tance this side of that town. Then, upon her part.
ln which he outlined a plan for
Continues on Page S.)
Water tennis is a new sport rapid!.,
gaining in favor on the Pacific Coast
achieve a greater success in thi fu-
ture than it has in the past.
Mr. Kelsay entered upon hl< new
duties this morning.
TULSA—The street car company
officials here have agreed to operate
a jitney bus lire throughout the city,
nnd issue transfers from the bu;s «
to their street cars if the present Jit-
neys are made to operate under * rict
regulations, they sold.
NO. 10.
NGS0U6HT
Merida, I
, la
et. 4.—Search for
unting to $3,000,
ten at the bottom
sars in the wreck
imship Merida ia
t a point 60 miles
capes where the
Iter a collision
Vuit Company'*
ragut. Word ha*
ire hunter* that
ave located th*
easel and expect
surface of the
sr and precious
i be abandoned
treasure ship'*
from the steam-
>utable looking
mount to much
issels go, how-
Ripple is the
•k in hand that
ned by a picked
men the ship
test-known div-
II of them abla
liderably in ex-
, in which th*
• lie.
Merida'* tr*a-
by a group of
re. The Ripple
.ugust 80, and
gging the bot-
tximately sixty
Charles, where
to have found-
in at the posi-
B George W.
V of the Meri-
ix-mile row of
•rt, u
inally the drag
ordstrom, who
'ti
• estimated at
■tie to a mile
Merida rest*.
i it*
% is Frank J.
world's record
■de while he
pts to rescue
tee F-6, sank
its ago, Fred
286 feet when
i task, is also
of the
• consists of
I quantity of
was sunk in
York, by the
pit. The col-
idnight, in a
ng afloat for
•1 Far ragut
if the Merida
ich answered
ins of copper
ballast. She
; on an even
jottom which
i* second to
the Merida.
% number of
fitted up a
r some day*
lieved at one
located but
further op-
( ON
IS SLOGAN
at one mo'«
:est mes^STO
imore, Pres-
As-ocnt'on
t organisi-
it injtsmucii
y thousand
« owners of
hief cxeeu-
at'ona, thev
I the pretext
o no mean
he job r. -
0,000 peoplo
*ld be mu-
} tare are few
who cann~t
• to their
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The Weekly Democrat-Chief (Hobart, Okla.), Vol. 21, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 1, 1921, newspaper, September 1, 1921; Hobart, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc184148/m1/1/: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.