STILWELL STANDARD, Successor to the Stilwell Times, Adair County, Oklahoma Vol II, No. Front Page; STILWELL I.T., FRIDAY APRIL 18, 1902 ==================================================================== USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. Submitted by: Sharla Linex-Johnson [linex_s@email.msn.com] ==================================================================== HORRIBLE TRAGEDY J. A. Lennox, who with his family, lived about four miles east of Stilwell, attempted to kill his wife and children last Friday night by beating them to death with a piece of plow and a sharp rock. He succeeded in killing his oldest daughter, who was about 8 years of age, and beat the rest of the family, his wife and two little boys, into insensibility-the oldest boy 10 or 12 years old, ran off and saved himself. Lennox had been acting queer for a week or so, and had been staying, or kept rather, at the home of his stepfather, Mr. John Dudley, who lives in that neighborhood. Last Friday he concluded to go home, and as he seemed better, was allowed to go. Friday night at a late hour he returned to Mr. Dudley's and stated that he had killed his whole family, and told what he had killed them with, and where they were laying. Thinking his talk to be the imaginations of a crazy brain, very little attention was paid to it, and strange to say they did not investigate or go to see if his talk had any foundation that night. The next morning, as soon as the neighbors were informed of the terrible act of Lennox by his wife, who had gained consciousness, they went to investigate, and upon arriving at the house where Lennox and his family lived, they witnessed a most horrible and sickening sight. The oldest daughter lay cold in death, beat to a pulp, while two of his young boys, aged 4 and 6 years, were found to be unconscious, having their heads battered and their skulls crushed, laying round in the bloody room. The wife and mother had been beaten almost to death, but had managed to crawl to a neighbor's house and tell of the awful deed. As soon as the news reached town Saturday morning of this terrible tragedy, City Marshal Willis wired Judge Browne at Sallisaw, who sent Deputy Marshal Rogers up to get the crazy murderer, and when he arrived Marshal Willis went out with him to the home of Mr. Dudley to get Lennox, who in the meantime had been chained, and brought him to town, and Deputy Rogers carried him on to Sallisaw before Judge Browne, who held him without bail, and sent him to the Muskogee jail to await the action of the court in his case. The two little boys are yet hovering between life and death, with their skulls fractured in several places, while the wife and mother is out of danger, and ministering to the wants of the little fellows. The innocent little girl, who went to the rescue of her mother while her father was attempting to kill her and pleading for her mother's life, was cruelly sent into eternity by a blow from her crazy or murderous father. While Lennox was here Saturday in charge of the officers he said he had planned to kill his family for a week or so, as he did not think he was long for this world, he thought he would kill his family and send them on ahead so all could be in eternity together. He expressed no regret at his awful deed-and when told what he had done seemed surprised that he did not kill the whole family, as he said he intended to do, and then kill himself. His brain must be distorted or he is a murderous monstrosity. Dr. Johnson, who went to the relief of this stricken family, and others, say it was a horrid sight-that the room in which the tragedy occurred was a ghastly spectacle, and that it was the bloodiest sight they ever witnessed-and the groans of the innocent little fellows who lay swathed in their own blood were heartrending. Lennox made the following statement to City Marshal Willis: "Before I left Georgia, and I was forced to my home, there, I despoiled (to rob, or to strip of one's personal property or possessions by force. SL) the home of my wife's brother, and he threatened to kill me for it. This has weighed heavy on my mind ever since." Here is Lennox's own statement: "My name is James A. Lennox and I was born in Cobb Co., GA., in 1861. I have lived about Stilwell for the past eight years, and was making a crop this season on Buck Starr's place. I lived in Talledega, Ala., before I moved to the Indian Territory and there married my wife in 1888. Her name was Amanda Burdette. I am now 41 years of age and my wife is 30. We had four children, three boys and a girl-the oldest boy being 13 years of age. "I intended to kill my wife and the children because there was so much talk among the neighbors and I was afraid they would find out something that happened before I left Georgia. I lived about three miles from Stilwell and I heard that there was a detective in Stilwell trying to find out something. I would die before telling it unless some one who knows about it accuses me, and then I will tell it all. I have meditated some time about killing my family, and last Thursday night after my family were asleep, I went out and got an ax. I brought it back into the house with me with the intention of killing them while they were asleep, but my courage failed me and I could not do it. "Friday night my wife whipped the children for playing in the dirt and that night after they had gone to bed, I went out of the house and got the foot of an iron double shovel plow. As I started back into the house with it I met my wife in the door and struck her on the head with the iron and thought that I had killed her. At this time the oldest boy ran past me and I struck him with the iron, knocking him out the door. Thinking I had killed him, I went up to the bed where the other three children were asleep, my wife and the boy not having screamed to awaken them. I then beat the little ones to death as they lay asleep on the bed. Only one of them cried out. "This occurred about 8 o'clock Friday night. After beating all the family into insensibility and leaving them for dead, I went to the home of old man Dudley, my stepfather, and told him I had killed all my people. He put me to bed, and the next morning, Joe Willis, the town marshal of Stilwell came out and I surrendered to him. I can read and write, I am not crazy and I expect to be hung for what I have done. My wife has always been good to me, and nothing she has done had anything to do with my trying to kill her." ==================================================================== **** Local news (part of page) **** * George FERGUSON was up from his ranch this week. * George CLIFFORD is fencing 300 acres of pasture for J. P. WILLIS of Stilwell.-Dewey Globe * Judge McCOMBS was here from Sallisaw on legal business last Thursday- to meet a client. * Jack GORDON has his place fixed up in tip top shape-newly papered and overhauled all 'round. * Mayor TUELL in response to a message left Wednesday for the bedside of his sick brother at Cane Hill. * The new Stilwell officers met last Tuesday and organized the town government. Proceedings in our next. * LOST- A black pocket medicine case between Stilwell and Rob't CLOUD's. Return to Dr. J.A. PATTON. * Hon. Mike PRITCHETT, Joe Welch KEENER and Wm. FLUTE, all prominent fullblood Cherokees have died in the last ten days. * Marshal WILLIS, Dr. JOHNSON, John DUDLEY, Pat DUDLEY, and several others went to Sallisaw Monday to testify in the LENNOX tragedy case. * W. H. DAVIS, of Southwest City who will have charge of the new Stilwell Bank when it is opened for business came to Westville Monday. -Wigwam. * The two little boys, the victims of their crazy father, LENNOX, who had their heads fractured, are getting along nicely the Drs. JOHNSON and WOODRUFF inform us. * Another brick building is now contemplated in Stilwell on Division street. This will make three bricks besides the Tuell block now nearly completed to go up in this town. * Marshal ROGERS was here yesterday citing Chulio LIVER, Jess FEATHER, Peter DOUBLEHEAD, John LOONEY, Noah BUNCH and other fullbloods before the Dawes Commission to enroll. * Col. H.H. LUCE of the Fayetteville (Ark) Democrat was here last week to write up Stilwell for his paper. He said Stilwell had bright prospects for being "the town" of all this section. * Mrs. Robert OGLESBEY went to Siloam Springs last week and did some shopping. She praises the great stores of Gambles and Alfrey & Alfrey in that city. Siloam is getting the trade from this section that Fortt Smith once got, and The Standard is glad of it for Siloam merchants are up to date and advertise for our peoples trade.Quite a number of our people do their trading in Siloam Springs these days. * Don't judge Stilwell by the few advertisements carried by merchants here. The advertisements carried in a local paper generally gives the outsider an impression of what a town is. It would be misleading to judge this town on that basis, for if you did, you would be forced to the conclusion that Stilwell needed some more merchants-the live kind who advertise-and she does, to tell the truth. * Mrs. May SHANNON, wife of Mr. Aleck SHANNON, died-passed from earth to Heaven-last Tuesday evening, at her residence in Stilwell. She had suffered much and patiently-but the disease which carried her off-consumption-is no respector of persons. Mrs. SHANNON was a splendid woman, loved and respected by all who know her, and the Standard offers condolence to the bereaved husband, kindred and friends. The remains were taken to Evansville for burial Wednesday. * Ex-Senator Taylor PADEN came to town the other day, after over a month's absence, and Judge Ben PADEN happened to be in town the same day. When Unckle Ben spied the ex Senator he remarked to him: "Why, Taylor, you are all dressed up like a Philadelphia lawyer, I thout you was sick, but I see sickness fattens you." Uncle Taylor had to explain to Uncle Ben that he was going to the Ex Confederate ReUnion at Dallas, Texas, and was simply practicing wearing "store clothes," for the occasion.