Beckham County, OK - Deaths: John L. Daniels, 1905 21 August 2008 Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell) ********************************************************************* USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ********************************************************************* MC DANIELS, JOHN L. (24 Aug 1905, Thursday, Elk City Democrat, Elk City, Beckham Co, OK): We are informed that last week J. L. McDaniels, who lived near Cheyenne, was found dead in a shinery patch near his farm. A bullet hole was in the left side of his head and a rifle was laying across his breast. No officer of the county notified Dr. Riley, the coroner of the finding of the body as the law require. A bogus un-lawful coroner's jury was made up at Cheyenne, with J. B. Tracy as the bogus coroner. They went through the form of holding an inquest over the remains; probed the wound with a barb wire and a stick; cut the scalp at the wound and in other ways disfigured it, and then buried the body. On Friday, August 18th, Dr. Riley, the coroner received private information of what had occurred. He telephoned the sheriff and was then informed of the death, inquest and burial. Dr. Riley immediately started for Cheyenne, and upon his arrival there requested the sheriff to summons such witnesses before him as he called for. The sheriff refused to act, making the following affidavit as his reason: Read the sheriff's affidavit: Cheyenne, O.T., August 19, 1905. I, S. A. Elliott, Sheriff of Roger Mills county, Oklahoma, having officiated as Sheriff, in case of inquisition holden over the body of John McDaniels, deceased, on the 17th day of August, 1905, which inquest was held by J. B. Tracy, Justice of the Peace in and for said county, by order of John C. Hendrix, County Attorney, do now refuse to further act on order of the County Coroner, unless my fees for such services are guaranteed as I am now advised by the County Attorney that the county will not pay for further services by me rendered on order of the County Coroner. (Signed) S. A. Elliott. Dr. Riley made a demand on the county attorney and others for the evidence taken in the bogus inquest. No one seemed to know where that evidence was or who had it and it was not found. Dr. Riley had witnesses summoned before him by his own appointed officer and it is said that the evidence from the witnesses and officials when taken together are very startling and opens a route to transactions and mysterious plots, that needs and will get a thorough investigation. Dan Tracy, who publishes a paper, and is a brother of J. B. Tracy, the bogus coroner, published a very peculiar article before the body was found. Said article assumes to know that J. L. McDaniels had committed suicide. Other witnesses have been found who claimed to have heard expressions from interested parties, all of such expressions and publications seemed to have laid the foundation before the body was found for the basis of which the bogus coroner's jury's verdict was found. Further information comes that a letter written by McDaniels before his death was found and that the letter shows that the deceased expected to be murdered by certain parties and we are further informed that one of those same parties sat on the bogus coroner jury. A few questions to the public might not be out of place. Why do the county officials continue to violate the law in not notifying the county coroner when a killing is done or a dead body is found? Why do certain officials violate the law in assuming the office and duties of coroner? And in holding such inquests mutilate the body so that a lawful inquest could not show it up as a suicide or murder? Is some one, with the aid of county officials, trying to hide a murder? Why does County Attorney Hendrix assume the authority to dictate who will be paid and who will not? By what law is he dictator of the commissioner's court? Is this another case like the Ben Clark killing? Is the county attorney prosecuting murderers or shielding them? Why this continued conduct of the officers at Cheyenne, not only failing but refusing to notify the coroner of such deaths when they occur? They must be afraid they can't handle Dr. Riley, the legally elected coroner. If the above conditions do not show a secret motive, what do they show? (30 Aug 1905, Wednesday, Elk City Record, Elk City, Beckham Co, OK): Late last Thursday evening the body of John L. McDaniel, who was reported missing last week, was found in a thicket of shinnery on his farm about half a mile from his residence, with the appearance of having killed himself. The body was found by Frank Sneed, Frank Parker and Alex Griffith. Word was immediately brought to town and the officers notified. Owing to the advanced stage of decomposition in which the body was found, a coroner's jury consisting of G. W. Graves, G. F. Martin, T. J. Smith, J. R. Butler, W. T. Headrick and M. J. Moody was immediately empaneled by John B. Tracy, Justice of the peace, and testimony was given showing the facts about as follows: The last seen of the deceased was Monday morning of last week. He was then seen on the poarch of his residence by Blois Hooten. On Tuesday morning J. R. Butler and Jim Burton called at his house, and found him missing. The same parties later made an examination of his house, and then notified the neighbors of his absence. Search was begun Wednesday morning for him, and was continued until he was found Thursday about 4 o'clock. He was lying on his back, with his coat folded up under his head, his target rifle lying across his chest. His right hand was crippled during his life and served, with his clothes, his stature, and other physical pecularities, to identify him with absolute certainty. Otherwise it would have been difficult to know him. The left thumb was still through the trigger guard against the trigger. The gun had been discharged, the empty shell remaining in the gun. A wound, evidently made by the bullet from the gun, was found in his left temple, entering straight into his brain. The ball did not go through to the outside, but remained in the head. A careful examination was made of the wound, and it was thought the hole in the skull was slightly larger than the caliber of the gun. This caused a careful examination of the ground about the body, but no trace of a suffle or of the body having been moved after death, could be found. No other wound of any kind was found on the body. The jury found that he came to his death from a gunshot wound inflicted by himself with suicidal intent. He had been a man much respected in this community, being a member of the Oddfellows at this place. He had many good qualities as a citizen, and his tragic end cast a deep gloom over the entire community. His mind was doubtless unbalanced, and everybody is ready to wrap the cloak of charity around his rash act. He was buried at the Cheyenne cemetery on Friday. -- Sunbeam (Cheyenne, Roger Mills County). --------------------------------------------------- Return to Beckham County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/beckham/beckham.html