Pike County Georgia Newspapers Oscar Harden kills wife Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Lynn Cunningham lcunnin1@bellsouth.net Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/pike.htm Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm Pike County, Journal Zebulon, GA., Tuesday, February 18, 1890 Shot His Wife Dead Oscar Harden Accidentally Kills His Wife At Liberty Hill, This County, Last Friday - How It Was Done Milner, Feb. 14. - Mr Oscar Harden while out shooting doves at his home at Liberty Hill this morning shot and instantly killed his wife. Mrs. Harden went to the window to see him shoot, and shook her fist at him. Thinking he was too far away to hit her, he raised his pistol and shot in the same spirit. She shook her fist at him again, and he shot again. The third shot struck her on the forehead and killed her instantly. These young people had only been married about ten months. Mrs. Harden was a daughter of Mrs. M.I. Martin, and the family has the sympathy of our entire community. ----- Pike County, Journal Zebulon, GA., Tuesday, February 25, 1890 Barnesville Dark Suspicion - Did He Kill Her Intentionally? The report here is that Mr. Harden who killed his wife at Liberty Hill has left the country, as there [are] various rumors afloat in regard to the matter. ----- Pike County, Journal Zebulon, GA., Tuesday, March 18, 1890 Card From J.W. Hunt A False and Damaging Rumor Corrected Milner Ga., Mar 7, 1890 - I notice in your issue of February 25th in an article from your Barnesville correspondent the following paragraph: “The report here is current here that Mr. Harden who killed his wife at Liberty Hill has left the country, because of various rumors that are afloat in regard to the matter.” There is no doubt but that this report came to the ears of your correspondent but the report itself is altogether untrue and where the facts are not known is calculated to do Mr. Harden great injustice. This paragraph and the sensational heading of the article in which it appears is calculated to give the report considerable publicity and in the way injure his reputation with a baseless rumor. The killing was indeed a sad and most unfortunate affair and it was but natural that the grief stricken husband should choose for a short time at least, to get away from these scenes and associations that would naturally bring about in a more forcible way the realization of his situation and cause his grief to bear all the more heavily upon him. There is not an individual who was present that morning but deeply sympathized with him under the stroke of his awful calamity, and I dare say there was not one present at the inquest who heard the facts as brought out by the coroner’s jury but were convinced that it was purely an accident resulting from thoughtlessness and altogether unexpected and unintentional. The investigating jury were as reputable men as Pike county affords - namely: Jno. T. Brown, T.J. Baird, L.F. Farley, C.A. Littlejohn, Mr. King, and E.C. Akin foreman. If any are desirous of knowing the truth and facts in regard to the matter let them go to any of these or to Mr. J.B. Bevil, coroner, who has a copy of all the facts brought out at the very place and but a few hours after the occurrence. The grief induced by the bare facts as they stand is hard enough to be born and it is extremely uncharitable to say the least of it to add to this the mortification and injury of reputation that this utterly false rumor brought about. With people who know the facts, this correction is unnecessary but in view of the fact that this false report has gained currency through your columns you are hereby respectfully asked to publish this by way of correction; and if any of your exchanges have published the same or like rumors they will fall short of their duty and obligation to a citizen whom they may have thus unintentionally wronged if they fail to correct the error that they have circulated. I will simply add that Mr. Harden has not yet left the country and is in Mr. Farley’s employ at work just as he was before the accident occurred.. Respectfully, J.W. Hunt ----- Pike County, Journal Zebulon, GA., Tuesday, March 25, 1890 A Brother Talks And Gives Some Facts of the Killing of His Sister Harden’s Statement is Ventilated and Held Up For Inspection by an Impartial Public. To The Editor of The Journal. Milner, Ga., March 22, 1890 - I notice in the your issue of March 18th a card from J.W. Hunt bearing date of March 7th in which an effort was made to erase from the public mind some impressions that had been made in reference to the killing of Mrs. Harden by her husband, Oscar Harden, at Liberty Hill sometime ago, and to stamp indelibly thereon the belief that the sad and lamentable occurrence was purely accidental! Now, Mrs Harden being a sister, I naturally feel a deep and profound interest in this matter, and ask space in your column to give the facts in regard to the tragedy as they were given to me by Mr. Harden himself only a few hours after the fatal occurrence and relate also the principal part of our conversation at that time. In doing this I desire to state facts, and facts only, and leave the unbiased mind to place such constructions on his actions as their judgement dictates and in stating these facts I shall do so with as little bias or feelings of animosity as I can under the circumstances. The facts are: I arrived at the scene only a short while after the killing, and on meeting Mr. Harden he asked me to walk with him to where we could see where he was at the time and he would tell me how it occurred. On arriving at that point he said Mr. Farley (with whom he was at work at the time) had gone to Griffin that morning and left instructions with [the next line is unreadable - newspaper was microfilmed with a crease at center page] [continue] hands that were cutting and hauling wood some distance from his house; the he (Harden) left the store about 8 o’clock for that purpose, went by his house, got his pistol, and started to the hands. After passing round the garden he began firing off his pistol, at the same time walking off from the house; after having gone some [dis]tance he looked back and discovered his wife standing at the window; and seeing him looking toward her she began mischievously to shake her fist at him where upon he turned at fired at her; he walked a few steps, turned fired a second shot, she in the meantime continuing to shake her fist. He walked a few steps further, turned and fired even a third time, after which he walked on and did not look back anymore! Just them I asked him most pointedly if he shot at her. He stated that he did, and gave as his only reason for doing so “that he didn’t think he could hit her.” He said nothing whatever as to the distance he was from her, and his pistol not holding up that far as an excuse for his shooting but gave me to understand that his deficiency as a marksman was the only safeguard he threw around her life. I write this that the true status of the case may be known, and as a duty I feel I owe as a deceased sister. Josh Martin Note: Mrs. Harden was Ophelia Martin. She is buried at Milner Cemetery (now Lamar County) She was born 16 July 1867 and died 14 Feb 1890. She was 22 years old when killed.