Hartford Herald Wednesday, December 6, 1899
Back to Old Kentucky
Kentucky is
God's country and Ohio county is its choice spot. Some years ago and from time
to time, many of our good citizens have sought homes elsewhere. They have
profited by experience and The Herald announces with pleasure the return of the
following former citizens: T. W. Hendricks, who for some years has made his
home at Norman, Oklahoma, has returned with his family to this county and will
make his home here. Dee Render, who has been in Texas for five years, is here
to reside permanently. LaVega Hocker, who formerly lived at Beaver Dam and went
from there to Oklahoma some time ago, has returned and is living at Willlams
Mines. Jeff Watterson, who some months ago married one of Ohio county's finest
young women and took her to live in Illinois, will return and make his home in
Hartford. It is said, upon what we hope is good authority, that John Hocker,
who was formerly in business at Beaver Dam and who for some years has been
prospering at Norman, Oklahoma, will soon return to make his borne in this
county.
It is
likewise rumored that Dr. A. B. Baird, who has been living for some years at
Oklahoma City, will soon return to live among the friends of his boyhood. We
hope this if true, as nobody would be more heartily welcomed to Hartford than
Dr. Baird and his excellent wife. Ohio county is big enough and rich enough to
furnish homes for many prosperous immigrants and none will be more cheerfully
received than her former citizens.
GAVE HIM TEN YEARS
Such was the
Verdict of the Jury In the King Case - Unfavorable
Comment.
After the
speeches by the attorneys on both sides, the case of the Commonwealth vs. Cicero
King, for killing marshal Sam Casebier, was given to the jury last Thursday
morning just before dinner. The jury had the case under deliberation until
Friday morning about 9 o'clock, when they returned a verdict, finding the
defendant guilty of man-slaughter and fixing his punishment at ten years in the
penitentiary. The verdict came in the nature of a surprise to most of the
people, for they were led, from the heinousness of the crime, to expect much severer
punishment. There was much general unfavorable comment, though no harsh or incendiary
sentiments were expressed. The people of Ohio county are disposed to abide by
the law, whether it appears justice to them or not.
A more
cruel and unprovoked murder was never committed in Ohio county than that which
deprived brave Sam Casebier of his life. King, accompanied by a companion, both
of whom, it is said, were in a drinking humor, was passing down Market street.
It was the day before Christmas and Marshal Casebier bad been busy all day in
preserving order. The saloons were here then, and there were a number of
intoxicated men on the streets. Just as King and his companion got opposite J. H.
Patton & Co.'s livery Stable, Marshal Casebier stepped up to King and touched
him upon the shoulder. It is supposed the Marshal merely intended to admonish
King and his companion to be quiet, or to tell King to take his friend away.
Quick as a flash and without an exchange of words, King drew a keen, murderous, spring-back dirk and rushed upon
Marshal Casebier, stabbing him a time or two before the Marshal understood the
attack. Retreating back into the livery stable, his antagonist dealing him
death blows in quick succession, Casebier drew his pistol and fired a time or
two at King, but being to badly wounded, his aim was bad, and the bullet bad no
effect. King backed Casebier up against the inside wall of the livery stable
and stabbed him repeatedly, inflicting wounds from which the Marshal died in
less than an hour and before he could be moved from the stable.
So intent
on murder was King that even after he had stabbed the unoffending Marshal to
death, and when citizens undertook to arrest him, he attempted to stab everyone
who came near him. Mr. G. B. Likens bravely rushed up behind King and grabbed him
with his arms around the waist, King all the while wielding his knife. Likens
received a deep cut in the leg which laid him up for a number of weeks and came
near maiming him for life. Finally King was overpowered by sheer force of
numbers, but struggling to the last to use his murderous dirk upon any who came
within reach. Briefly, this is the case and these are the facts upon which
the jury returned a verdict of only ten years. By good behavior King will be a
free man again in less than eight years. There was no evidence adduced to prove that Casebier
intended to do anything but speak to King and his companion Wright, or at the
furthest, to arrest them for disorderly conduct. An unprejudiced view of the
case does not discover that King bad any reasonable cause to stab the Marshal
to death. Casebier was a young man of temperate habits, peaceable and
unoffending. He never seemed disposed to enforce his authority as Marshal only when the occasion demanded it. He was not of an
overbearing nature, but was generally genial and pleasant. And yet be was
compelled to give up his brave young life in the simple discharge of his duty.
In view of
the law and the facts in the case, which were certainly not disguised, it seems
to be the general opinion that the verdict in this case was a travesty upon justice
and a perversion of the law. The jurymen were no doubt conscientious in the
discharge of their duty, but we believe we simply give voice to a general
expression by stating that, in the main their verdict in this case was almost
unanimously condemned. Most of the people seem at a loss to understand how human
life and the crime of taking it, could be so lightly regarded.
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