Murder of Pliny Worsham (w625) - Grady County, Oklahoma Transcribed by: Maggie Wettengel 19 Feb 2004 Return to Grady County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/grady/grady.html ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== From the Rush Springs Gazette, Rush Springs, Grady county, Oklahoma, Thursday, June 23, 1932, front page. "Pliny P. Worsham Is Killed By Joe Guest Pliny P. Worsham, 62, died Tuesday night at about 10:15 o'clock, a few seconds after he was fatally stabbed in the neck with a small knife by Joe Guest, 56, Rush Springs merchant, on the Main street sidewalk just west of the First National Bank, on the north side of the street. The motive for the crime has not been determined. Funeral services will be held for Worsham at 3:30 o'clock Friday afternoon at the Missionary Baptist church, and will be conducted by Rev. H. E. Waggoner, pastor of the church. The body is now at the Callaway & Mullican undertaking parlors, where it was taken immediately after his death. He is survived by his widow, two sons, two daughters, a sister, Mrs. Ed Coyle of Marlow, six brothers, including Tom and Gailen Worsham of Rush Springs and Jabe Worsham of Roswell, New Mexico, and other relatives. Dan Williamson, constable, who was the person nearest the two men when the crime occurred, says that earlier Tuesday night he had stepped into the Guest store, in the rear of which Guest has made his home, and ordered Guest and Mrs. Mazella Cerrato to appear in Justice of the peace court Wednesday morning; that Guest pleaded with him to be let off, but that Williamson refused to do that and started across the street toward the Ideal Drug store, with Guest angrily shouting at him; that after talking to some boys in front of the drug store for a minute or so, he walked a few steps west and began talking to Pliny Worsham about the Sharkey- Schmeling fight; that Guest then came up to them and, pointing a finger at Worsham, said, 'You're the low-downdest ----------- in the world,' and before Williamson knew what was happening Guest struck Worsham on the left side of the face, apparently with his open hand; that Williamson stepped between them, pushign Worsham toward the building and Guest back into the street; that Worsham clutched Williamson's arm and sank to the sidewalk, with blood spurting through his finger over the left side of his neck. Williamson says he told bystanders to take Worsham across the street to the Rexall Drug store, and that he followed Guest, who was backing across the street toward his store. The constable says he searched Guest and took from him a small store knife, about the size of a small pocketknife. Williamson says he asked Guest if that was the knife he cut Worsham with, and that Guest said it was. The blades of the knife seemed to have been recently sharpend, Williamson says. Worsham is thought to have died before he was taken into the Rexall store, having lost a tremendous amount of blood. Guest was taken to the county jail at Chickasha by Deputies Jim Bond and Abe Evans Tuesday night, and later to Oklahoma City, officers fearing that friends of Worsham might attempt to harm the prisoner. Guest was returned to Chickasha Wednesday, officers having decided their fears were groundless, there having been no evident effort by anyone to avenge Worsham's death. County Attorney Gerald Spencer and Sheriff Horace Crisp have been investigating the case since in search of evidence to be used to Guest's preliminary hearing. Constable Williamson says Worsham said nothing to Guest and made no movement toward him Tuesday night when Guest walked up to them just before the latter slashed Worsham, and that Worsham's last words were concerning the Sharkey-Schmeling fight, which he and Williamson had been discussing. Williamson also says that the rumor that Worsham had given the constable information which led to his entering the Guest store before the murder is unfounded; that Williamson's action in connection with that matter resulted from his own observations and that he was not given information about it by anyone. Worsham was a deputy sheriff during the term of Sheriff Hodge Bailey, and was a pioneer here. Guest is a widower, and has lived alone in the rear of his store here for several years. His only statement about the crime was, 'He made me do it.' Mrs. Cerrato was held by officers as a material witness." ============= From the Rush Springs Gazette, Rush Springs, Grady county, Oklahoma, Thursday, June 30, 11932, front page. "Joe Guest Is Bound Over To District Court Joe Guest, Rush Springs merchant, was bound over to the district court for trial on the charge of murdering Pliny Worsham here the night of June 21, when his preliminary hearing was held in the court of Justice of the Peace H.L. Grissby at Chickasha Wednsday moring. The defense presented no testimony, but devoted itself to cross-examining the four witnesses presented by the prosecution, Constable Dan Williamson, Dr. P.B. Hall, Clarence Harris, and Mrs. Mazella Cerrato of near Agawam. The defense was expected to apply for bond in district court this afternoon." ============= From the Rush Springs Gazette, Rush Springs, Grady county, Oklahoma, Thursday, July 7, 1932, front page. "GUEST IS DENIED BOND IN MURDER CASE Joe Guest, who was bound over to district court last week to answer for the murder case of Pleny Worsham here, has been denied bond." ============= From the Rush Springs Gazette, Rush Springs, Grady county, Oklahoma, Thursday, July 14, 1932, front page. 'GUEST IS RELEASED UNDER $10,000 BOND Joe Guest, Rush Springs merchant who was recently bound over to district court on the charge of murdering Pliny Worsham of Rush Springs, was released from the county jail at Chickasha Friday under a $10,000 bond. Bond had been denied Guest, but Judge Will Linn reconsidered the matter and bond was signed by J.T. Bond, C. H. Reviere and J.P. Bartley." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Grady County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/grady/grady.html