Van Buren Press Crawford County, Arkansas January 4, 1912 MURDER AND LYNCHING AT MULDROW Muldrow, January 1.- Wilbur Turner, the negro, who was taken from jail here and hanged yesterday morning, was buried in the woods north of the city this morning. George Cason, the farmer, whom he murdered, was buried at 3 o'clock this afternoon at Black Jack, a settlement a few miles north of this place. Mrs. Cason, who suffered a fate worse than death, is prostrated at the home of her father here, as the result of her treatment by the negro, the following exposure to the cold and shock. No such fiendish crime was ever committed in Sequoyah County as the murder of Cason and the ravishing of his wife. The lynching of the negro was the first that ever took place in this county, and everybody says it was just retribution promptly meted out. The only clue to the identity of the Negro is the following letter which indicates his name is Turner, which he wrote during the few hours he was in jail: THE NEGRO'S PARTING LETTER.- Eufaula, Okla. My Dear wife honey I got to Dye today. Baby meet me in heaven, honey, I told you to come, honey don't marry no more. Raise the baby as the Lord would have him. Mamma and papa meet me in heaven. Dear sister I have done rong in my days tell Brother not to do like me. Pray for me. Wilma Turner is my wife. Annie Turner is my mother and lives at Warren, Ark. Please let my mother no how I went. Please telephone to my wife Wilma Turner. Please send my money to my wife. Honey here is my money. I got one dollar commin on the bridge. Wilma don't marry any more. Take care of my baby. The crimes for which the negro was lynched were the murder of George Cason and the ravishing of his wife, at their home, 2 miles west of this city, early Sunday morning. In fact, it was the unwritten law that caused swift punishment to fall upon the negro. At the time of his arrest, only the murder of Cason was known, but when it became known that the negro had assaulted Mrs. Cason while her husband lay dying beside her, about 50 Muldrow citizens marched into the jail, demolished the door and hanged to the limb of a black jack tree, about 100 feet away, and a short distance from the railway right of way. The hanging took place about 10:30 this morning and the body was still hanging in full view of all passengers on trains when Judge Pitchford, County Attorney Shackleford, and Sheriff John Johnson arrived at noon from Sallisaw. Sheriff Johnson cut down the body and turned it over to Undertaker John Brown. STORY OF THE CRIME About midnight Cason was awakened by some one knocking at his door, the negro pleaded to be let in to warm, sa he was nearly frozen. Cason let him in and built a fire, going back to bed. When the fire began to burn down the negro said he would bring in some wood, and stepped outside, returning with a few chips and a double bladed ax. He put the chips on the fire, then turned and covered Cason and his wife with a pistol, demanding money. "All I've got is in my pants", said Cason, pointing ot the garments lying on a chair. The negro walked over to them and picked them up, then ordered Cason and his wife to cover up their heads. With their heads covered the negro then struck Mr. Cason twice on the head with the side of the ax and once on the chest. Cason's skull was fractured but he lived about two hours. Using the pistol to enforce his commands, the brute forced Mrs. Cason to submit to his brutal passion for several hours. He had a bottle of whiskey and to his indulgence in it is due his capture. He drank frequently and ordered Mrs. Cason to drink with him, which she pretended to do. About 4 o'clock he succumbed to the influence of whiskey and fell asleep on the bed where the two babes of Mr. and Mrs. Cason slept. The babes aged 4 years and 18 months respectively. HOW THE NEGRO GOT TO MULDROW Van Buren, Jan. 1- The Negro, Nathan Turner, who was lynched at Muldrow, Sunday, of the brutal crimes, go to the scene of his final tragedy in a dramatic manner. He stole a heavy freight engine out of the Iron Mountain yards and ran it to Muldrow at full speed, where it was derailed. The engine, No. 3, one of the heaviest in the service, had been run out of the round house and stood, with steam up and fires banked, ready to take the 1:30 train to Coffeyville. Turner mounted the cab and was seen to pass the dispatcher's office. Instantly the dispatcher knew something was wrong and tried to get Greenwood Junction. There was no operator there. Muldrow was then tried. Just by chance Muldrow not being a night office the operator was in the office, he having come down to take the train for Fort Smith. He heard the call and order to him to run the runnaway upon the derailing switch, which he did in time to avoid a collision with the southbound passenger train. The engine was going at such a speed that it ran off the derailing switch into the ditch and the negro made off into the darkness. The negro had been working about the Iron Mountain yards and on the free bridge for several months past. Van Buren, Jan. 2.- Thorough investigation here has convinced the railroad officials that Nathan Turner, the Negro who was lynched at Muldrow, Sunday, was not accompanied by any other person in stealing the engine from the yards here. The engine was one of the heaviest type No. 3 of the freight engines on this division, and was steamed up ready to take out a heavy freight train after the passenger had arrived from the west. There would be no difficulty in running the engine to the main line, for it would split switches. The Negro had been loitering about the yards Saturday afternoon, and it is now realized that the many questions he asked of the yard men showed that the taking of the engine was deliberately planned by him. The wrecker was sent up from this city and brought the engine in. it had received considerable damage and went to the shops. Fran Alverson Warren e-mail: [email protected] 501-369-2703 http://www.crawfordcountyarkansas.net/