Freestone County, Texas
Obituaries


[This is James Daniel Willard s/o Cantrell Bethel & Lillian Martha (Roper) Willard.
	  Married to Donnie (Murphy) Willard at the time.]

Dallas Morning News - October 1. 1907 - Page: 9

Find Corpse in Road

Tragedy in Freestone County Followed by Arrest After an Official Investigation

  Wortham, Tex., Sept 30 -  Word reached here yesterday evening from Kirven 
that a shooting scrape had occurred a short distance from town.
  Justice of the Peace Anderson and Deputy Sheriff Riley left immediately for 
the scene of the trouble.  They found the remains of Dan Willard lying in the
road one-half a mile from town.  Testimony from eye-witnesses caused the 
issuance of a warrant and Lawrence Rodgers, a single man of that community, was
brought here this morning, where he is being held pending a preliminary hearing
Tuesday morning.
  During the shooting, a young man named Patterson was slightly wounded.  The
exact cause of the trouble could not be learned.

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Fairfield Recorder - Oct 4, 1907 issue

KILLING AT KIRVEN

Dan Willard Killed and Another Man Wounded in Difficulty at Kirven

Dan Willard, a young man raised near Fairfield, but who has been in business at
Kirven, 11 miles north of Teague, on the T. & B. V. Ry., for several months, was
shot and instantly killed, at Kirven, last Sunday.  A man named Patterson was
shot in the leg, but was not dangerously wounded.  Another young man named Rogers
has been arrested charged with the killing.  Willard was shot three times with a 
revolver, all three shots entering the right side under the arm, and death 
resulted instantly.  He leaves a wife and four small children.
 
From the best information obtainable, it seems that the trouble was between 
Willard and Rogers, and that Patterson was a by-stander.  About eight shots were
fire, Willard's pistol having been discharged twice.  Rogers had his examining 
trial at Wortham, Tuesday, and was placed under $1000 bond and released.

Willard was the son of Cantrell Willard, of Ward Prairie.

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Teague Chronicle - Oct. 4, 1907 issue

SHOOTING NEAR KIRVEN 
A Tragedy Occurred At Kirven 
One Man Killed
Justice Places $1,000.00 Bond

Last Sunday at Kirven, Laurence Rogers, Will Paterson and his son and Dan 
Willard became involved over some trivial matter, when a general war among 
them ensued, and as a result, Dan Willard was shot dead, and the Patterson 
boy wounded. 
  
Justice Anderson of Wortham held an examination Tuesday, when Laurence Rogers 
was bound over in the sum of $1,000.

The deceased was a grocery merchant at Kirven, married and leaves a wife and 
four children. His alleged slayer is a young man about 26 years old, and single.
 
The tragedy is deplored by a host of people who are acquainted with both 
parties.