The Comanche News (Comanche, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 30, 1908 Page: 1 of 4
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W« Reach the People, end our Motto ie:
$1. PER YEAI
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ESS
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NCHE COUNTY,TEXAS, JULY 30,1908.
-
msmfrnm
ig to get out his gun at that
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T<J l
Deplored
If
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V
ft
■
A Tragedy
Every Citizen of
Comanche
'■ — — —
Vi«,™ D» After
Dtjra ^ Suffering
""'* ’** Li* • 74'Y *Rsr & "> i
The town was thrown into
*
... . ■ -... .»%iay
morning over the enactment of a
pulled loose from m
ran behind hit bugg
his gun' out I gral
and started toward him;
to get to him to
from shooting me.
his buggy and I kept
to him as I could. He shot
two or three times before
he hit me. When be shot mo I
was on the north aide of the
huggy about the hind wheel and
an home near the forewhoel on tha
ay other side. IJ threw two or three
rocks at him during the 4ime,
foungman Takes |)wn
at Loved Profea-
—»'■ “---
i'M
'
sszixsjfjz r“r1■* r
: : ^ T he got his gun. I saw him got
street that crosses the square on
----„----- —about
[*> p. »..th# Jifelea. form of
was found ip
Prof. Roden’s room at the Cox
residence. Death had resulted
from a bullet through the
from a 44-caliber pistol
pistol was gripped in bis
hand.; "
In a pocket of his doth!
found a nets saying that he com-
>
MainLSt,
Mtimm
:
-M
• *
ft
Gainea shot Mr. J. W. Reese.
v . they being opposing candidates
for the legislature, and from the
^^■effects of which Mr. Reese died
Saturday night at 8:90. Mr.
Reece was shot about midway
between the nipple and the point
Iff the right ahoulder with a 38-
gjmttbar pistol, the ball coming out
about the bottom of his ribs, be-
hind and near ,the right aide
npsdng through the right lung.
Reports of the affair do not agree
with each other as to the mater-
ial facts which would shift the
blames trom one party to the
other. .An uninterested party
who witnessed the latter part of
the affair and the
thereof stated to a Hews reporter
that they saw* Mr. Reese mov-
ing about the horse and bum.
as it teemed to them in an efTorfl
to keep the bum or boras be*
tween he and Mr. Gaines to keep
him from shooting him. and
beard Mr. Hesse tell him he was
unarmed and not to shoot him.
This witness oegged Mr. Gainea
not to ahoot Him. While Mr.
Gainea has not given out any
personal statement for the1
press, we understand that his
virtion of the matter and the
facts leading up to tbe unfortun
affair differ from that of
Reese. The unhappy affair
atOS
»v
nh»pi
• Johi
n
occurred near Uncle John Robin-
Igfn’s home and Mr. Reese was
moved at once to the back gal-
lery and there were five or six
physicians there in a few min-
utes; he seemed to be suffering
intensely and about 80 pitoutes^
after the wound was inflicted the
d(itrict attorney after question-
ing him as to whether he thought
he would die took his dying
qfstement 4 and i some \ one
present held up his head while
i<* signed his name to It which
statement is as folIowvr^MM
Declaration of J. W. Reese
taken at 10 o’clock a. m. Thurs-
day July 28, 1908.
’T had started for my mail
I mat E. C. Gaines coming up
the street in his bum- I
on the sidewalk. He turned his
horse to tbe left end started to
get out. He unbuttoned his
coat, then asked me if I publish-
ed that circular denouncing him
as a coward. He then picked
; he got it with his
right hand boa the InaMa of
M* coat” V (Stentd)
l ■ Aw.
Mr. Opines was going
and Mr. Reese east; from state-
stents of parties who saw Mr.
Gaines jast before tbe shooting
he left his house which is in the
west part of town also west of
where the difficulty occurred and
drove in an easterly direction on
the street two blocks north of
H. Maim'where the tragedy oc-
curred, then turned south to
main, then west and came im-
mediately upon Mr. Reese.
From the statements of the dif-
ferent parties there were evi-
dently but few second intervened
between tbe meeting of tbe tifo
men snd tbe shooting. T1
are possibly 1 more than
thaory, but it would not t be
illogical |0 advance this one.
Taking info count the fact
that the ground ie virturely
level at that piaos, they
both on the ground, and all par-
ties agree that they were mov-
ing around the buggy, that Mr.
Reese was unarmed and
sensible enough to realise be
ceuld stand no sh>w with rocks
or sticks against a man who was
armed with a gun or pistol and
the fact that the bullet entered
and came out as above describ-
ed leaves the conclusion upon
tbe miod that the statement of
the party above, who saw
tbe greater part of the whole
affair, is a correct theory.
To say the least it was a
deplorable affair and w£ ext
our sympathy to living
eathe dead and theit families
alike. It has cast a shadow up-
on our town and county that her
fait name will not recover from
for years to come.
Mr. Reese was buried Sunday
afternoon at Oak wood cemetery
at 4:90. Dr. O. L. Halley con-
ducted the funeral services at
the grave and made a very beau-
desire,but giving no reaaon forjt-
except that he did ait deeirt to
Hve. The piste
from his home a
phone to their respective neigh-
c-.. ijssarsr**- *
000 people on the
down tbe street, and in bis desk 99g^ after that hour
,a*ea went H
of his writing to which he fciade
a hasty will, gava directions as
to hit burial and made numerous
small gifts to friends and all tbe
members of the classes which he
Had recently taught to tka pub-
lic school there, and to which he
gald that there was no love affair
or disappointment that caused
his act, but that be preferred
death, lhia writing was dated
July 16, which showed that be
had reaplved to commit the act
tbe day before, then
oi •* at the house where it*
red et tbe time. >
t The report’|of the pistol was
beard by neighbors and an laves*
tigstion was made whiel
to the finding of tbe body about
minutas after tbe shot was
fired, but death bad been inatan*
taaeous. He bad free aoeeas to
the room where he waa found
and often went there to read.
Prof. W. J. Roden _ had been
the 17
y south of
9 and
officers brought the
8:90 Tuesday and
Jrhe streets were
remained during the
OAmt* • picked their
Th.pMpt.ffho
Sit:
m
to the
wh.rt . lk.
Ksgs&n -sorscErL „
night hflgaa to fair gaining force, but as the toes
Wonted higher tbs negro began
to squirm and strain at the ropes ,
to the jail and demanded
that the sheriff carry the negro
to the girl’s home and let the
girl identify him, and after as-
surance that he would not be
molested, he did so^and shade*
dared him to be the guilty one.
The officers started back to the
jail with the prisoner and were
still followed by the crowd which
had been oq the street all night.
Tbe officers reached town safely
with the prisoner, but when they
reached the jail the mob rushed
upon and over powered tbs sffi-
soroe of whom were badly
beaten up, and took tbe negro to
the square in front of tbe court*
house, being closely followed by
the officers. They began pill
wood and booting oil on tbe ne-
gro. Fire waa set to tbs negro
at 9:80 a. m. and two or throe
cords of wood were piled on the
flames as fast as it could be
hauled to the scene.
. . . , - ■, Smith never made a confes-
M. tMchcr and principal of th. lion> ^ th. po.ltiv.nM. with
school in which Jm Marti whlch th. rounff Ud, identified
wood an which fe. vu doomo^ 5
to die. The negro, however re-
tained his stoicism and toiled to '
make spy outcro of any kind,
as he had refused, to aaewer any t
since having been cap- ’
lured by the ^offloers several!
miles away from where the
crime was committed.
During the burning, an uld
negro made a "remark about it ♦
being too bad and was severely
horsewhipped. *
On Thursday afternoon, the
last day of <
Vi.
;w
of the picnic, the old eet*
tiers of Comanohe organised an
*‘Old Settlers ’-Hon” sad
elected the fobs rrs jre:
T. O. Moore, Pre^vFJ ^
Russell, VictrProsr
Jenkins, Secretary.
ft was Igreedi that the aga be
limited to 25 years rssidsacs to
the oounty. A morion to make
all ex-Confederate soldiers bon*
.L
school to which he taught
last year and was his cIowj and
intimate friend
Deceased was Pot yet 21 years
old, and was a young man of
•mrling qualities, and all who
knew him loved him. He
the youngest son of Mr. and
Mrs. D. L. Mitchell of that place
and had lived there all hie life.
He was very studioui, hem* well
r when a
up a stick and struck at me. (f during
tifui talk, reviewing Mr, Reeae’s
life and the tragedy. He said
he had been with him since the
hour he was shot till his death.
He would all but break down
every little bit, and of the 4,000
people who were there to < pay
their last homaK« to tbe man
they admired and respected dur-
ing his life; there was hardly a
one whose eyes remained dry
*i'iippedg8 a teacher
mere boy, and his applintion to
his studies. T9 his ill health is
attributed tbe nose of his act
He was proparing to enter the
medical department of the Uni*
varsity of Texas at tbs coming
term. His highly respected fam
ily is prostrated with grief end
a cloud of sorrow hov in over the
entire town and surrounding
community.—Dublin Telephone.
Mrs. Will McCullough:: was
driving to advance of her hus-
band Thursday on their way to
town, she and three children
being to a buggy and heir bus-
bend riding to a wagea with a
neighbor when tbe bores became
frightened about a mil# sooth
of town, and ran away. She
aad children wdro thrown oat
but none hurt further than a Tee
bruises. The home ran away
again before he reached town
him makes it a certainty that
the right negro was burned.
Besides tbe 5.000 or 6,000 men
who witnessed tbe burning there
was a large number of small
boys and women present yho
cried out, “Burn him!” "It is
too gopd for him!” etc.
In trying to quiet the ern
about 7:80 Tuesday morning
Judge R. D. Thompson and
Judge T. D. Montrose made
speqphee in favor of letting the
law take Its course, but even
when the mot' was given assur-
ance that a grand jury would be
impaneled today, the negro triad
ovicted snd hanged all to eoa
ly, this would not satisfy tbs
mob, who, a fsw momenta after
tha speeches were made, demand
ed that tbe negro be, token to
the country for identification,
which was the first stop toward
the Miming. They were de-
termined and carried out tMr
determination. , ,
It was first 1 dacidod to lynch
him and a reps was placed
around his neckband* Rs IffH
draped to the square. It was
then suggested by some v out
that Hanging waa too good fir
him and there were erita of
“Rom him!” 1 "Burt ; him!”
The following members ware
enrolled: f. O. Moore, 86
years; L. B. Russell 82 years;
W. D. Jenkins# 42 years; Btb
Gamer, 87 yean; J. M. Loggins,
years; Adam Sligtr, 88 years;
W. T. McGhee, 87 yean; W. J.
Moore, 88 years; W. P. West. 25
years; P.ML Williford, 35 years;
V. F. Bowman, 87 years; G. W.
Bean, 53 years; Capt J. A.
Wright, 58 years; Mj*; j. A.
Wright, 52 years; J. E. Robert-
son, 86 years; W. A. Robertson,
26 years; Grandma Russell, 25
years; L. K. Carr. 82 years; Mrs.
Julia Kims, 80 years; M. Eh
Williford. 88, yean; R. F. Davis,
83 years; Mrs. W. T. Lee, 35
years; Mr* F. M. Williford. 36
years; Mrs. T. O. Metre, 86
yean; Bud Robertson, 40 years;
T. H. Holcomb, 48 yean; Mm*
Holcomb. 60 years; Bill Carnes,
65 yean; &<D. Whitney# 66
yean; Mn. ML F. Carnet, 55
ean;1 Geo. McKinney, 5$
The chair appointed as a com-
ilttee on entertainment, L B_
Roleeil, F. M. WilMford, W. D*
Jenkins.
The Association adjourned to
set subject to a call of tbe
4pDK. * i •4 %*> s
All old seUietf WJte hgfS J9»*
all aid soldiers Of
|to join the
.wjf*
id
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The Comanche News (Comanche, Tex.), Vol. 10, No. 28, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 30, 1908, newspaper, July 30, 1908; Comanche, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth888738/m1/1/: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Comanche Public Library.