Beckham County, OK - Deaths: D. A. Vaughn, Eva Vaughn, William Davis, 1911
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell)

 ************************************************
 Copyright. All rights reserved.
 http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm
 ************************************************

VAUGHN, D.  A.
VAUGHN, EVA
DAVIS, WILLIAM
(Nov 1911, Erick Newspaper, Erick, Beckham Co, OK):
Cordell, Okla., Nov. 23. - William Davis, an automobile salesman, fatally
shot his father-in-law, D. A. Vaughn, Vaughn's daughter, Miss Eva Vaughn,
age 14, and then blew out his own brains at the Vaughn farm two miles
southeast of Cordell at about 6 o'clock Thursday morning.  Davis also
attempted to kill Mrs. D. A. Vaughn and Will Masonheimer.
The shooting and suicide are the sequel to a sensational divorce suit
which began two years ago, when Davis was living in Chickasha, where he
worked as a barber.  Wife No. 1, of whom nothing was known, suddenly
appeared upon the scene.  Wife No. 2, who before her marriage was Miss
Vaughn, left her husband and went to her father.  She instituted divorce
proceedings and obtained a decree about eight months ago.
Davis was arrested for bigamy, jumped bond and disappeared, and until his
appearance in Cordell this morning, had not been seen since.  Wife No. 1
has not since been heard of.  He went to the Vaughn home this morning. 
Mr. Vaughn, head of the family, saw him enter the yard and went out to
meet him.  Davis ordered him to throw up his hands.  Vaughn complied. 
Davis then opened fire.  One shot took effect in Vaughn's body and a
second struck him in the arm.  The shot which passed through his body
pierced the lung and his recovery is doubtful.
Mrs. Vaughn and her daughter, Eva, hearing the shooting, rushed from the
house.  Davis then began firing at them.  The girl was struck by six or
seven bullets and it is feared that her death is imminent.  Mrs. Vaughn
fled, bullets whistling all about her.  She escaped unhurt.  Will
Masonheimer, a neighbor, attracted by the commotion, ran to the Vaughn
home.  Davis fired several shots at him, none of which were effective. 
Davis' former wife was not at home at the time of the tragedy.
Davis then entered the house and, lying down on a bed, sent a bullet
through his own brain.  His death was instant.
On the bed beside the dead man two pistols were found.  An empty bottle,
supposed to have contained chloroform, also was found on the bed.
In the dead man's pockets two letters were found, both of which indicated
that he was insane.  One was addressed to his former wife, telling her of
his trouble and wonderings (sic) since she left him.  The other was
addressed to the sheriff of this county (Washita) in which Davis told the
officials that he intended killing himself, after he had shot his former
wife, his father-in-law, Vaughn, Mrs. Vaughan (sic), their two sons and a
brother-in-law named Bliss.  In one of his pockets a roll of bills
amounting to $175 was found.  The letter to the sheriff stated the money
was to pay funeral expenses.
Mr. Vaughn and family will be remembered here by the old timers, they
having lived on a farm 2 1/2 miles north or Erick about seven years ago.

---------------------------------------------------------
Return to Beckham County Archives:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ok/beckham/beckham.htm