The Butler Weekly Times Newspaper, April 16, 1903, Page 1

The Butler Weekly Times. VOL. XXV. BUTLER, MISSOURI, THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1903. PAYS THE PENALTY. —-—0—-——_ Dy. James L. Gartell to be Executed To-morrow, April 17th, 1903, in the night and saw his fatherstand- ing over the body of Donegan with an ax, that the blood was gushing from a gaping wound in Donegan’s head. Will said he fainted trom the shock, and when he came to it was early morning and his father had prepared some coffee which he order ed him to drink. Donegan’s body was gone and he learned that his father had wrapped it up and placed itiu the wagon. He asked his father what bad become of all the blood, | night, said the doctor. and his father said he had caught it} “In your former statements you in» pan and threw it iu the fire, He | claimed to have killed Donegan in said his father hitched up the team | Self-defense. Is that a fact, or did and drove a long ways aud threw you kill him while he slept? It will and is making spiritual preparation to meet his fate. Elder E. H. Wil- liamson, of the Christian church, is his spiritual adyiser, ‘Sheriff Smith, we understand, only admit the number of witnesses provided by law, The reporter called at the jail Tues- day and held a short interview with the doctor, who made a atate- mnt, as final, to this effect: The hour of the killing of Donegan twas between 10 and 11 o’clock at Murdered D. B. Donegan in March I9OIl. HISTORY OF THE CRIME. Third Legal Hanging in Bates County. Dr James L. Gartre!l will bo hang: : rado, formed the acquaintance of Dr. ed to-morrow, Aprii 17th, on u seal; Gartrell iu Kansas City, Mo., and in- fold erected for that parpoos, vj ius formed him that he was on his way jug the jail, by Sheriff Joe, T. Smith) tothe Indiana Territory, The Doctor in the discharge of his official duty, | expressed a desire to go along, but unless executive clemency should be | said be had no monev. Donegan exercised by Governor Dockery, which | volunteered to take the doctor and possibility is very remote, as we un-| bisson, Will, with him, furnish ever) - Aterstand the Governor has written | thing and pay all expenses and after one of our prominent ministers that reaching the new country if the Gar- he will not interfere, | trells were ever able to re pay him, The crime for which Dr. Gartrell is! they could do so, and if not, it was to thus pay the penalty with his life, | all right. was the murder of D. B. Donegan in! Dr. Gartrell accompanied Donegan THE LOG CABBIN IN WHICH THE MURDER WAS COMMITTED, the body in the creek, and threw the , do you no good to further conceal ax in the water at the ford. | this fact and for the information of Dr. Gartrell confessed to the kill- | the public and your own good tell ing, but said it was in self defense. | the truth.” That he and Donegan had quarreled| To this question the doctor replied: and that Donegan would not give! ‘Donegan attempted to drive me him enough covering to keep him | from the cabin, I refused to go and warm, and when he tried to keep up | hecame at me with a wrench. Ithen the fire, Donegan called him a vile; struck him with the ax. I tookfrom name and rushed at him with amon | his pockets $260, $100 of which was key-wrench, when he picked up the| stolen from me on my return to ax and struck him on the head. He | KansasCity. then took his money and valuables} “A man may waver in his state- prepared the body as above describ- ; ments on trial for his life, eaid the ed and hauled it to the creek andj doctor, but now, within a few threw it in, hours, of my death I would have no Miles S. Horn, prosecuting attor- | object in falsifying, as I have hopes hey, was assisted in the prosecution | of eternal life. by General H.C. Clark. The defense} “I have been a member of the was conducted by Col. 8. W. Dooley, | Christian church for thirty years, I J. F. Smith and Rhodes Clay, of | have not done right at all times, but Mexico. held to the faith and now I feel that The following gentlemen composed | my sins have been forgiven and that the jury: T. K. Lisle, Allen Price, | God in his goodness will save me. Samuel Wilson, W. B. Wayts, J.S.| “Opiates and whiskey wrecked my Colyer, William Laney, J. L. Shep- | life and caused_me_to lose.a fortune herd, Geo. Moore, J. M. White, John | of $200,000. Moore, W. G, Dillon and A. J. Ooley. | “No man in the state is better con- The verdict returned was as fol- | nected than myself,” said thedoctor, lows: ‘We, the jury, find thedefend- |. The doctor said he served two ant guilty of murder in the first de- | years in the Confederate army in gree as charged in the first count of | Captain Molton’s company, Col the indictment. (Signed.) High Bledsve’s regiment. Was rep- T. K. Lisle, foreman, | Tesentative of Refugio county, Texas, and also held the offices of sherifi, ; ‘ county and probate judge of the fora new trial and sentenced Gartrell same county. He was also a dele. ve — a on 13tb, gate from Audrain county to the =e Sey OF SEPA D AO | stat counte—convenition-that Tomi: — Te eres nated Chas. H. Hardin for governor Lar cai ' of Mo. the decision of the lower court and The doctor eal ; said he hoped he would set the day of execution for March | 3+ neeak down at the 1 hour of his 6th, 1903. magnate | gag execution, and if able would make a him a respite to April 17th, * ,,| Short talk from the scaffold. His After examining into all the facts ‘1 ae i and circumstances surrounding the nahin E barled in the comotery case, the Prosecuting Attorney was Half Sick convinced that Will Gartrell was not & party to the murder and the case “*T first used Ayer’s Sarsaparilia in the. fall of 1848. Since then I have taken it every spring as a blood-purifying and nerve- ing medicine.” S$. T. Jones, Wichita, Kans. SASAIAAAAAAASAAADAADDLAADAA AL Judge Graves overruled the motion JAMES L. GARTRELL, an old deserted wood-chopper’s log , to the horse market, where thelatter abin, on the banks of the Marias) bought a pair of horses and harness Cygnes river, near Amoret, in the | for $180, exhibiting a roll of bills rn partof Bates county. Early | when paying for them. Henext went bin the spring of 1901 some boys fish-|to Mike Ward’s and purchased a Mulberry creek, east of Amoret,| wagon and again exhibited his ered the body of a man, wrap- | money. blanket and gunny sack. An} Dr, Gartrell notified his son, Will, jt disclosed the fact that he had | who had a job in Kansas City, Kan., sep murdered, his head having been | and he threw up his job and joined wit open with a sharp instru-/them and the three started south at. Parties identified the body | with Donegan’s team. They passed of a man who had passed | through Amoret on March 18th, h Amoret in a wagon with two | 1901, and were seen there by a num- men some time before. A team | ber of men who afterwards identified ng the description of the one | the dead body and the Gartrells in by them had been left near} the jail. It developed that they for several days and abundle | camped in an old log eabin on the he wagon contained bedding and | riverbank foratleast two nights and dy clothing. The team was after- | one day, on account of the inclement ¢laimed by aman with an order | weather. The Gartrells were seen on i $he alleged owners and taken | the morning of the 20th on the road City. Working on this | that crossed the creek when Done- lation the officers werenot long | gan’s body was afterwards found, fing Dr. J. L. Gartreti andeon, | and theax was also found in thecreek 1 : ' | at the ford. Will Gartrell was taken out to the scene of the murder and pointed out to the officers the position of Done- gan’s body when killed. He said thathe was sick, had a fever and had gone to sleep early. That he awoke against him was dismissed. Dr. Gartrell is a man of command- ing appearance, he stands six feet high in his stocking feet and is as straight as an Indian. He is an educated man, has been 4 student, bears all the outward appearance of refinement. fis long, heavy gray beard gives him a patriarchal ap- pearance. His knowledge of public men in the past quarter of a century is remarkable, and he claims to have had close personal acquaintance with many of them. If his story is to be believed, he has enjoyed great wealth and high social distinction and has tasted the dregs of squallar and deg- redation. He lays his downfall to the use of strong drink and of drugs, He has been married three times, two wives divorced and one dead. He was born at Fulton, Mo., in 1835, being in his sixty-eighth year now, gy eee the oldest man ever hi the state. He has given up hope of farther reprieve or commu: If you feel run down, are easily tired, if your nerves are weak and your blood is thin, then begin to take the good old stand- ard family medicine, Ayet’s Sarsaparilla. It’s a regular nerve November, 1901, term of @ severance was granted ll was tried for the ss + <2 2 - 2 - - 2 (SIAASASALASASDSASILBSPBLILSISS SGC NO. 24. poceccoccoccoococcocotceg, THE BIC Butler Cash Dep't. Store. Stands without arival in Southwest Missouri. A steady and substantial increase in sales each year has been the record since ite doors were opened for business Sept. 1st, 1899. The first quarter of 1903 just closed is the banner three months so far. Despite the inclement weath- er and the worst roads ever seen in this part ofthecountry, we show over 16 per cent gain in sales over any previous period, Our goods are first class, our prices are right and the people are awake to the fact. BUY WHERE YOUR MONEY WILL GET THE MOST AND BEST. We show the most complete stock in all de- partments ever shown by us. In dreas goods we show Voils, Ettamines, Serges, Henriettas Granites, Broad Cloths, Albatross, Brilliant- ines, Twine Cloths, Grenadines a 98¢, $1.00-and $1.24. 36 inch taffeta silk at 98e, $1.00 and $1.19. 19 inch Black Taffeta Silk at 48c. 36 inch Peau de Soie dress silk $1.24, 22 inch Peau de Soie dress silk 98. 44 inch Black All Over netting $1.00, The finest line of Embroideries direct from the largest New York importer, ever shown in Butler, Prices 2c, 8c, 4c, Ge, Se, 9e, 14e, 19¢, 23¢c, 29¢, and 35e, Prices lower than ever before. Summer Dress Goods. We always show the newest things in this line, all prices kinds and colors. Make your selections early while the atock is completd. Good LL muslin, ¢ quality, de. 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