Ada, Indian Territory - Killing of Jim Reece by Frank Kelley, his son-in-law

Submitted by: Celeste <celeste@gpcom.net>

Hello,
I have the following newspaper article regarding my gg uncle:

The following was taken from The Marshall Mtn Wave 24 June 1905:

Killing in the Territory
>From the Ada Daily News, 16th
"Last evening about 6 o'clock, near Beebee, Frank Kelley shot and
instantly killed his father in law,
Jim Reece.  It seems that Reece had offered some inducements to Kelley
to move here from
Arkansas, and for some reason did not come to his agreement.  Kelley
became angry and made
threats on Thursday morning, and while Reece was in the field working
Kelley took a shotgun from
the house and hid in some rank weeds near the house.  Reece came to the
house and was warned
by his wife not go out, but he would not listen and started in the
direction that Kelley was supposed
to be hiding, when Kelley rose from his hiding place and Reece began
running, but had not gone far
when he received a load of No. 4 shot in the back of the head.  He ran
to the house, being followed
by Kelley, who had by this time reloaded, and when within a few feet of
him emptied another charge
into his back.  Kelley gave one of Reece's boys a pocket knife to lay a
gun by Reece's side to have
it appear that he (Kelley) did the deed in self defense.  Marshalls
Brents and Chapman went to the
scene last night and arrested Kelley, who was lodged in jail here this
morning.  Brents and
Cummings were at Beebee today gathering evidence and Mr. W.B. Johnson
will be here Saturday
to prosecute the defendant.  Kelley does not deny the act and his
statement is in line with the above."

(Frank Kelley is a son of Mr. John Kelley, one of our well-known
citizens, and Mr. Reece was also
from Searcy county, both parties having lived on Rocky, and having but
recently moved to the
Territory.

The following is from the Marshall Mtn Wave 19 Aug 1905

Word was received here a few days ago of the death of Frank Kelley, of
pernicious intermittent
fever in the Territory, on Thursday of last week.  Kelley was awaiting
trial for the murder of his
father in law, Jim Reece, which occurred near Ada, I.T., about the 15th
of last June.  Both men
were formally residents of Searcy county.
____________________________________________________________________
Frank was my gg uncle!  Here's to skeleton's uncovered!

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