Criminal Justice Matters: P. P. Barber, 1894, Winn Parish, LA Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: Inquest Book, Office of the Clerk of Court, Winn Parish, LA Inquest Held Over The Body Of P. P. Barber, Dec'd., Before W. M. Long, J. P., 1st Ward State of Louisiana Parish of Winn Testimony of witnesses taken on oath at an inquest held over the body of P. P. Barber on the 13th day of March, 1894 at the late residence of the said P. P. Barber, before me, W. M. Long, Justice of the Peace of Ward One, Winn Parish, and acting herein as Coroner, the said coroner being absent and the Jury in said case being empaneled and duly sworn and all present as follows, viz: J. D. Wright, J. M. Blackstock, J. R. Hand, Eli Jordan, and G. D. Smith. W. W. Wallace, sworn, says, I was acquainted with P. P. Barber, he is dead lying in his house on yesterday the 12th. I was at stave camp about « mile from Barber's residence and my attention was attracted by the noise of two screaming and I was informed by them that their father had been killed by two men and for me to go there quick. Myself and Mr. Stewart went to Barber's house as rapidly as possible and when we got there we found P. P. Barber about five feet from his front door step lying parallel with his house, dead. I got the body in the house and with the assistance Ed Hemphill and others washed and dressed the body. We found a small bullet hole directly below the left nipple about « inch below and a small hole directly in the right nipple and appeared to have entered below the left nipple and came out in right nipple which caused his death. This all occurred in Winn Parish, La. W. W. Wallace Sworn to and subscribed before me on this 13th day of March, 1894. W. M. Long, J. P. 1st Ward Mrs. A. M. Barber sworn, says, I am the wife of P. P. Barber, he is now dead. On yesterday between three and four o'clock p.m. my husband was lying down in the northeast corner of the house where we are now living on a pallet and my little boy Earnest came in and said Ma, yonder is Mr. Lindsey and about that time Mr. Riley Wright came to our front door and throwed his gun down on my husband and said throw up your hands, throw up your hands. My husband instantly jumped to his feet and grabbed Mr. Riley Wright by points of the shoulders and he was pushing Mr. Riley Wright and Wright was backing out and got on the porch of the house, about one foot from the edge of the gallery and my husband was about half doubled over and Mr. Lindsey was in the yard about fifteen or twenty feet from where my husband and Mr. Wright were and he shot my husband with a rifle gun which I took to be a Winchester. My husband fell instantly off the gallery into the yard and Mr. Wright went with him, I don't know whether Wright fell or jumped out. I got to my husband within two or three minutes and he breathed two or three times after I got there and he was dead. There was a puddle of blood in the yard where my husband was lying and his chest was bloody, about « hours after I this I sent my two little boys to Mr. Wallace's stave camp after him. I knew Mr. Lindsey. I knew him in Indian Territory. I knew him there for two years and we left there two years ago last January. Mr. Lindsey was a United States Marshall in the Indian Territory. I do not know whether he had warrants against my husband or not, he showed none here. Mr. Lindsey & Posse arrested my two sons they carried my elder son A. M. Barber to Parris, Texas and turned the other loose at Little River. My husband knew Mr. Lindsey; he was at our house frequently in Indian Territory. My husband came to his death by the effects of a gunshot wound as above stated in the hands of Mr. Lindsey. He was struck by bullet just below the left nipple and the ball came out in right nipple which caused his death as above stated. All this occurred in Winn Parish, La., March 12, 1894. Mr. Wright told me when I started out after my husband was shot not to come out there. Mr. Lindsey was one of the leading United States Marshals in the Indian Territory. A. M. Barber Sworn to and subscribed before me on this the 13th day of March, 1894. W. M. Long, J. P., 1st Ward A. D. Hand, sworn, ways, on yesterday morning about 9 o'clock, Mr. D. B. Williams came in my field where I was plowing and told me that Jones, a U. S. Marshal from Indian Territory was up at my lane and was in here to arrest Mr. Barber and his son, and wanted to deputize me to go with him. I did not go but went out home and the Marshal, Mr. D. B. Williams came down there and the Marshal deputized me and told me I must go. The Marshal had stopped at my house until after dinner, we then got with Riley Wright, W. J. Long, S. P. Smith, and D. B. Williams, we went to Mr. Barber's field and arrested Melvin Barber, deceased's oldest ons, took him back to my cotton house and myself and W. J. Long guarded him while the U. S. Marshal and the other named parties went to arrest the old man Barber. In about 25 minutes I heard a gun fire in the direction of Barber's house and in ten or twelve minutes I saw the U. S. Marshal, Riley Wright, and D. B. Williams coming through the field in a trot and had under arrest Bud Barber. The Marshal seemed to be in a great hurry and told me to get up the horses and go to the Rail Road. We went on to the house and as we went I asked the U. S. Marshal if he shot him and he said yes. I asked him where and pointed to his left side. We got horses and myself, Riley Wright, and D. B. Williams all went to the Rail Road with the U. S. Marshal. While we were going on to R. R. the U. S. Marshal told me his name was Lindsey instead of Jones. After we got to Rail Road he exhibited some papers which he said were requisitions papers, warrants, etc., for the Barbers and authority as Marshal. The Marshal told me the young man Barber was charged with shooting into a crowd and hitting a man in the leg and told me the old man Barber was charged with murder, perjury and some other offenses I do not now remember. A. D. Hand Sworn to and subscribed before me on this 13th day of March, 1894 W. M. Long, J. P., 1st Ward R. B. Wright, sworn, says, Mr. Lindsey represented himself to me to be a United States Marshal and deputized me with others to assist him in arresting Mr. Barber and his son. He said the boy was charged with shooting in a crowd and hitting someone in the leg and that the old man was charged with murder, perjury, and some other offenses. I don't know remember, in the Indian Territory and that he had been following them for three years, that the young man had been arrested twice and had forfeited two bonds when he deputized me. He, I, D. B. Williams, A. D. Hand, W. J. Long, and S. P. Smith went to field where Melvin Barber was and arrested him and left in charge of W. J. Long and A. D. Hand. Mr. Lindsey, the Marshal, S. P. Smith, and D. B. Williams and myself came to the residence of old man Barber to arrest him when we got to the enclosure about 30 yards from the house myself and the Marshal climbed the fence and ran to the house. The boys we arrested in the field told us his father was at home sick in bed so when I got to the house I looked in the bed behind the door, did not see him, turned and saw him getting up off a pallet in the northeast corner of the house. I at once threw my gun on him and told him to surrender and my recollection is he said, "I don't have to." He then started towards me, I back to near the edge of the gallery and he there caught hold of me and I got tangled in my spurs, like to have fallen down, jumped to the ground and Mr. Barber jumped out after me, caught me by the shoulders with one hand and my gun with the other was trying to take my gun away from me. Mr. Lindsey told him to surrender and he said "I don't have to," and Lindsey shot him and Barber fell to the ground instantly. I could not have shot him when he was advancing on me for I had lost the capp off my gun. He, Lindsey showed me some warrants against these parties and heard him read them. I did not see any requisition papers that I know of. R. B. Wright Sworn to and subscribed before me on this the 13th day of March, A. D., 1894. W. M. Long, J. P., 1st Ward D. B. Williams, sworn, says, on last Sunday evening while I was going home near my house I was stopped by a man who explained to me that he was a United States Marshal that his name was Lindsey and had warrants for the arrest of old man Barber and his sone Melvin. He told me the old man was charged with murder and perjury and the boy was charged with shooting in a crowd with intent to kill and wounding a person. He exhibited to me his authority as Marshal and warrants for the arrest of these parties. He stayed with me that night and the next day we came up in the neighborhood where the Barbers live and he deputized A. D. Hand, W. J. Long, S. P. Smith, Riley Wright, and myself to assist him. We went to the field where Melvin Barber was. He was arrested and left in charge of A. D. Hand and W. J. Long. Mr. Lindsey the Marshal then took R. B. Wright, S. P. Smith, and myself and we went to the residence of old man Barber. We came up the string of fence towards the end of the house and saw the other son of Mr. Barber plowing when we got within about 35 or 40 yards of the house Mr. Lindsey and Mr. Wright got over the fence and ran towards the house. Wright got to the house first and went in. I heard scuffling in the house and in a few minutes saw Wright and Barber appear on the gallery and the seemed to be tussling over a gun. When they got near the edge of the gallery I heard Lindsey command Barber to surrender. Wright and Barber jumped or fell off the gallery and were still scuffling over the gun and I saw Lindsey raise his gun and shoot, saw the smoke, and saw Barber's face. I then saw Lindsey say look yonder and threw up his gun and say stop there, throw up your hands and I looked and the young man Barber who was plowing when we came to the house running towards the house and saw him stop as he was commanded to do by Lindsey and Lindsey and Wright carried him on to where the other young Barber was. We then, that is Lindsey, Hand, Wright, and myself, went and carried these two young men to Rail Road, where there Lindsey released the younger one and carried Melvin on with him to Indian Territory. D. B. Williams Sworn to and subscribed before me on this 14th day of March, 1894. W. M. Long, J. P., 1st Ward W. C. Barber, sworn, says, I am a son of the deceased, P. P. Barber. I am acquainted with Mr. Lindsey. I knew him for one year in Indian Territory in 1892. He is a Deputy U. S. Marshal in Indian Territory. My father was charged with perjury and my brother with an assault with intent to murder. The indictment were laid in Indian Territory. My father and brother thought there were indictments against them but did not know for sure. I was plowing back of the house and saw two men run across the patch near the house and I thought it was Mr. Wallace and Mr. Lambert. In a few minutes I heard a gun fire and I then run towards the house and Mr. Wright threw his gun down on me and told me to throw up my hands I did so and Riley Wright said God Damn you hit the road if you don't you will go like your daddy did. They carried me on to where my brother was and carried us to Little River. Lindsey carried my brother on and released me and I came back home and found my father dead. I got home at 1 « o'clock a.m. W. C. Barber Sworn to and subscribed before me on this the 13th day of March, 1894 W. M. Long, J. P., 1st Ward S. P. Smith, sworn, says, I was deputized by Mr. Lindsey to assist in arresting Mr. Barber. We came on from field where we left Melvin Barber under arrest in charge of Hand and Long. When we got to yard or patch fence about 45 or 50 yards from house, Mr. Lindsey and Mr. Wright got over fence and ran to house. Mr. Wright got there first and went in house and heard him say Barber, throw up your hands and heard Barber say I don't have it to do or it won't do or something of that kind. I heard a scuffle immediately and saw Riley Wright and Barber tussling over Wright's gun. Barber seemed to be pushing him back and when they got near the edge of the gallery Wright stumbled and fell out of gallery but caught on his feet. It seemed that Barber had stooped over or fallen to his knees in scuffle and just as he went to jump off gallery toward Wright Lindsey fired and Barber fell to the ground. I heard someone either Wright or Lindsey say just before the gun fired turn it loose and surrender. S. P. Smith Sworn to and subscribed before me this the 13th day of March 1894. W. M. Long, J. P., 1st Ward State of Louisiana Parish of Winn An inquest taken at the late residence of P. P. Barber in Winn Parish on the 13th day of March, 1894, before me, W. M. Long, Justice of the Peace of Ward One, and acting in the capacity of coroner, upon view of the body of P. P. Barber, there lying dead. The Jurors whose names are hereunto subscribed, having been sworn to inquire on behalf of the State when and by what means said P. P. Barber came to his death upon their oath do say that the said P. P. Barber came to his death by a bullet entering the left side about 1.2 inch below right nipple and coming out in right nipple, discharged from a rifle gun in the hands of one Mr. Lindsey, a Deputy United States Marshal, while attempting to arrest the said P. P. Barber, under a warrant issued by the United States Court in Indian Territory, charging the said Barber with murder and perjury said party P. P. Barber receiving the mortal wound while resisting arrest and while assaulting R. B. Wright one of the parties summonsed by said Marshal to make said arrest. In testimony whereof we the undersigned Jury of Inquest and W. M. Long, J. P., Acting Coroner, have hereunto signed our names on this 13th day of March, 1894. W. M. Long, J. P., 1st Ward, J. R. Hand J. M. Blackstock J. D. Wright Eli Jordan G. D. Smith State of Louisiana Parish of Winn I hereby certify that the foregoing testimony of the several witnesses appearing upon the foregoing inquest was at the time and place of holding said inquest reduced to writing by me and subscribed by the witnesses respectively in ______ of the statute in such case made and provided. W. M. Long, J. P., 1st Ward, Acting Coroner Filed for Record and Recorded March 14, 1894 J. M. Abel, Dy. Clerk & Ex-Officio Recorder