The Hobart Republican. (Hobart, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 20, 1913 Page: 1 of 8
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RY
THE HOBART REPUBLICAN.
VOLUME 11.
HOBART, KIOWA COUNTY. OKLAHOMA, THURSDAY. NOVEMBER ?(>, 1913.
NUMBER 35.
CRAZED WITH JEALOUSY
i WOMAN COMMITS CRIME
Bride of Littleness Thai Year Kills
Man She Loves—Is Now in Jail
Charged With Murder
RUMOR SAYS DEAD MAN REFUSED TO
MARRY AND HIS LIFE PAYS FORFEIT
Prisoner is But Mere Girl and Was Separated From
Husband—Notified Victim She was Coming
But He Did Not Heed the Warning
(From Saturday's Daily.)
Mrs. Anna Russell, a bride of a little
less than a year, is In the county
jail, where a charge of murder will be
lodged against her; and , Barney
Phisney, age 20, is dead from
four pistol shots fired into him by
Mrs. Russell at close range, any one
of which would have caused instant
•death.
Speculation is rife over the probable
cause of the tragedy which happened a
little after dusk iast night 15 miles
southwest of town, near Red River, a(
•the home of Mrs. Ed Battles, his sister,
where young Phinney was residing.
Uncertainty About Motive
Particulars leading up to the shooting
are meager and varied. It is reported
that Mrs. Russell had not been living
with her husband, Bernie Russell, for
some time and that she wai insanely
jealous of Phinney. Some time prior to
the shooting she sent him word, so,
reports say, that she was coming to kill
him, but Phinney ignored the threat as
a jest, and was unaware of any danger,
until about 7 o'clock in the evening,
when Mrs Russell, in company with
her sister, Mrs. Geiger, drove up to the
home of Mrs. Tom Battles. Without
leaving the buggy, she called Phinney
out, and when he approached she
opened a deadly lire on him at short
range, with a pistol; shooting him four
times, once through the heart, twice in
the right eye, each jshot going through
and coming out at the back of the head,
and one shot through the right side of
his head tearing away the lobe of the
ear. The pistol with which Phinney
was killed has not been found and the
size and kind is not known, but is
thought to have been an automatic.
Evidently Phinney was taken un
awares. He must have been standing
■between the buggy wheels when shot,
as he fell in such a position that the
buggy psssed over his legs when the
women drove away. And besides his
face and clothing were badly powder-
burnt, showing that he was but a few
inohes from the muzzle of the pistol
.when the fatal shots were tired.
Officers Make Arrest
After the shooting, the two women
■drove home, and the fact* were phoned
to the officers at Hobart. Sheriff Terry
and Deputy Allen went down and took
the girl into custody. She appeared
calm when the officers arrived and
vu willing to accompany them. She
was placed in the county jail immediate-
,ly on the officers return, and this morn-
ing was mute to all visitors, and refused
to make a statement of any kind.
Only iast August Mrs. Russell was
married to Bernie Russell, but re-
ports say her matrimonial venture did
not prove happy and it was not long
vitftil she and her husband separated.
What connection, if any, Phinney plaj^
«d in bringing about a dissention be
tween the two is not known but cur-
rent rumors say Mrs. Russell was in-
fatuated with Phinney and that she
wanted to marry him, but was repuls-
ed. His repulses aroused her jealousy,
until it is thought fit unbalanced her
mind, causing her to commit th^ rash
set. She is s mite of a woman, weigh-
ing, perhaps, 90 pounds, and is only
sixteen years of sge. Her parents sre
Mr. and Mrs. F. M. Battles who live
2 miles north and a mile west of Roose-
velt. They are well to do farmers, and
own several valuable quarter sections of
land in this county. Both Mr. Battles
and his wife visited Hobart this morn-
ing, but refused to make any statement
in connection with the killing. They
have retained Judge L. M. Keys for the
defense, but at this time it is not known
along what lines The defense will be.
At thi9 'time Mrs. Russell has not
been arraigned.
The dead lived with hia Bister,
southwest of town in the little pasture,
and was known as a hard working
young man, and his sister married a
brother of Mrs. Russell.
QUICK
bg. jones
fcatiNannANw BLO6 hobart Q«
ANOTHER VERSION OF THE CASE
*
i
(From Monday's Daily.)
In regard to the shooting of Barney
Phinney by Mrs. Anna Russell on the
evening of November 14, fifteen miles
southwest of the city, near Red River,
another theory as to motive leading up
to the homicide has been advanced, and
more detailed facts are now at hand,
than were procurable Saturday.
It apppears that Mr. and Mrs. Russell
were married the 21st of last August
against the wishesof the bride's parents,
the bride being only a little more than
sixteen years of age. Two sisters of the
deceased are married to two brothers of
Mrs. Russell, and while the deceased was
considerably older tjj£n she he had kept
company with her long before she met
Russell, and had been her suitor from
the time she ^as thirteen years of age.
At one time she was engaged to marry
him, but as she grew older, it is claimed,
her affections subsided.
Whei^'she subsequently met and
married Russell, Phinney, according to
the report now in circulation, was greatly
incensed and threatened that if she did
not abandon him that he would take her
life. Failing to separate the newly
married couple by his alleged threats,
the deceased, it is claimed by the same
authority, resorted to slanderous talk
regarding Mrs. Russell, which, when
coming to her husband's ears, caused
him to abandon her.
Mrs. Russell having vainly endeavored
to get the deceased to desit from talking
about hsr, it is further claimed, on the
evening of the shooting aade a final
appeal to correct the evils which his
alleged slander had brought upon her,
and to stop slandering her in the future.
This appeal, the statement continues,
only resulted in additional threats
against her and the defendant was led
to believe that he intended to take her
life in event she should refuse to comply
with his demands. With this fear in
her heart, it claimed that she tired the
fatal shots.
It is claimed that the alleged slander-
ous reports and the alleged fear of the
deceased had so worked upon the mind
of the defendant, that she was not at the
time of the shooting mentally balanced.
Mrs. Russell was arraigned this after*
noon before Justice Lohmuller upon a
charge of murder. She entered a plea
of not guilty and the preliminary trial
as set for November 19.
MRS. RUSSELL'S PRELIMINARY
(From Wednesday's Daily.)
The preliminary trial of Mrs. Anna
Russell, th- sixteen year old slayer of
lUruey Phinney, was commenced this
aflvrnooa befoie Justice N. B. Lohmul-
ler. The ac count of the hotuioide had
h:id aroused wide spread interest und
drew a lartte crowd to the court house
which was tilled to overtlowiug. Kvory
available neat was occupied, both on the
main 11 or and in the gallery, atiu many
stood up between thn seats, in the
aisles and around the walls.
The defendant is acoused of murder.
It will be remembered that she and her
sister, Mrs, Geiger, on last Friday after-
noon drove to the home of Mrs. Ed Bat-
tles, where the deceased resided with
his sister, called him out and shot him
to death.
The.first witness called by the State
was Mrs; Ed. Battles, a sister of the de<
ceased and a sister in law of the defend-
ant. She testified that Mrs, Russell and
her sister, Mrs. Geiger, arrived at ber
home, the place where the shooting oc-
curred, about four o'clock in the after
noon; that she went out to the buggy,
which was stopped at the rear of the
house, and talked to the women for some
time about various things; that finally
the defendant asked her to call the
deceased out, that she wanted to talk to
him. She complied with the request.
Phinney did not come at first and she
had to make the second trip to the house
to get him to come out. When he ap
proached the women, Mrs. Battles went
into the house.
The witness further testified that
while the defendant and the deceased
were talking she went out to the oil
can to till a lamp; that on her return
she passed near the buggy and saw the
deceased and the defendant holding
hands and kisBing eachother very af-
fectionately, but that she did not hear
any of the conversation that occured
between them. This, she said, was
about five minutes before the shooting
took place.
She did not see the shooting, as she
was in the house, but heard the reports
of the pistol. She screamed and ran out
of the house just in time to see the two
woman drive away. She testified that
Burke Battles came up about that time
and was the first to go to the deceased.
Mrs. Battles was not a willing witnesa.-
All the faots adduced were the result of
persistent questioning.
The second witness was Pearl Cleer,
seventeen years of age. She testified
that she was present when Mrs. Kussell
and Mrs, Geiger drove up.to the Battles
home about fouro'clock in the afternoon,
but that she went to her home and did
not return to that of Battles until about
seven o'clock; that when she was within
ten or twelve steps of the buggy the
shooting began; that she saw Phinney
fall down between the buggy wheels,
and heard Mrs. Geiger cry'out/'O, Anna,
don't, don't!''
At th« first shot she'turned and fled
toward a neighbor's, but heard three or
four other shots as she ran,
IS DENIED BAIL
(From Thursday's Daily.)
vThe third 'witness was William
Francis Battles, a brother of the defen-
dant, who testified that he was one-
quarter of a mile south of -the Ed
Battles place when he heard one 6hot.
He was driving in a northerly direction
and met the defendant and her sister,
Mrs. Geiger, aoout twenty steps from
the house wh^re the tragedy was
enacted as they were coming out into
th6 road; that he Btopped and asked
them to give him the buggy in which
they were riding, it being bis vehicle.
Mrs. Russell said they couldn't do it,
and for him to use the one he bad.
With this, the women drove on and he
went on to the bouse, not knowing that
a shooting had taken place.
Driving up to the house, he heard
Mrs. Ed Battles scream, and asking her
what was the matter she told him that
"Anna had shot Barney." Then he
went around to the west side of the
building where the body lay and called
to the deceased several times, but re-
ceived no response. Finding that
Phinney was dead, he jumped into his
buggy and followed the two women,
overtaking them about a half mile from
the bouse. Asking Anna way fhe had
shot the deceased, she said that she
had a cause for shooting him. She 11
then inquired if Phinney were dead, and ; (
being told that he was, the two women
proceeded cn their journey and the •
witness returned to the house. The'
(Continued On Page 8.)
HBCr'JON
What An Expert
Tree Man Says
An expert tree man. Mr. Hradley, who has fol-
lowed the nursery business in Oklahoma for twenty
years comments most favorably on our article on
"MILLIONS OF TREES NEEDED IN OKLAHOMA",
which appeared in this paper last week. "The need
and value of more trees is just what 1 have been preach-
ing for twenty years to the farmers of Oklahoma and I
am happy to say that more trees are being planted
each year. More have been planted in the past three
years than all the other years put together."
Mr. Bradley emphatically states that the Catalpa
Speciocia is the best all around tree for Oklahoma,
then the White Ash, then the Norway Maple and then
the Bungei or Umbrella Catalpa. There are two large
species of the Catalpa and he declares that the one
growing on the Court House square in Hobart is not
the right sort of a Catalpa for growth on the farm or
even for lawn purposes, being in all respects inferior
to the best kind of Catalpa—the Catalpa Speciocia.
Mr. Bradley declares from long experience and
wide observation that all of these four excellent trees—
Catalpa, White Ash, Norway Maple and Umbrella Ca-
talpa—are absolutely dependable in Oklahoma, being
proof against all our insect pests, blight and fully
adapted to the climate. All are beautiful trees and
quite rapid growers except the Norway Maple which is
a slow grower.
He disapproves the locust, the soft maple, syca-
more, basswood and evergreens for Oklahoma and the
elm save on low bottom lands and even then it is sub-
ject to scale and blight. He strongly objects to the lo-
cust as bound to sprout for many feet on all sides and
as coarse and unsightly when compared with such su-
perior trees as Catalpa Speciocia, White Ash, Norway
Maple and Bungei Catalpa.
Mr. Bradley recommends several varieties of the
peach, plum, pear, apple, apricot and nectarines. He
says the peach and all fruit trees do well on upland,
except the apple which does best on loose sandy upland
or bottom lands. The peftch grows too woody on bot-
tom lands. He considers' that blackberries, plums
grapes and peaches, in the order named, pay best for
market. In the nut Mr. Bradley recommends first the
pecan, then the chestnut and the Japanese walnut.
The pecan pays best but the Chestnut makes the most
Handsome tree. All are slow growers. Pecans will
grow on any soil and pecan groves should pay big re-
turns.
Mr. Bradley recommends that each farmer plant
at least an acre of Catalpa Speciocia trees with rows
only four feet apart and the trees only four feet apart
in the row, or about 2,700 trees to an acre. In about
five years, he says, such trees would sell at a good profit
for posts. Being close together they would grow
straight and high and smooth without branches or
shoots.
f
We give Mr. Bradley's views for what they are
worth being valuable as from an expert in trees of
years experience and observation. We make no argu-
ment against his recommendation that each farmer set
out an acre of Catalpa Speciocia with trees but four
feet apart, for rapid growing of posts, but first we
insist, from the standpoint of permanent value to Ok-
lahoma, that each farm should haye a beautiful, useful,
permanent grove of about 150 forest trees and a profit-
able, useful bearing orchard of pteeh, pear, plum, apple,
apricot, pecan, chestnut and walnut with a good patch
of blackberries to furnish fruit for the family to eat
and perhaps a goodly surplus to can or seU. But let us
have the trees—your kind, his kind or any kind—any-
body's kind—only Oklahoma must have millions of
trees before it can rank as a first class agricultural
state and look and be homelike for everybody.
Scott & Blackmer
Farm Loans
First National Bank Building
Hobart, Oklahoma
*
mLrn
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Pate, J. M. The Hobart Republican. (Hobart, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 35, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 20, 1913, newspaper, November 20, 1913; Hobart, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc235312/m1/1/: accessed March 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.