Criminal Case 1913 Book 1 page 477 case #475 Fort Towson Enterprise Dec 8, 1911 pg. 4 Killing at Spencerville. J.J. Young, a prominent and highly respected farmer of the Spencerville community, was shot and killed Monday afternoon by Will Willburn while the former was going home in his wagon alone. An old grudge is said to have been the cause of the killing. Wilburn was arrested by Deputy Sheriff Pink Anderson and lodged in jail. The following list is a list of witnesses called on behalf of the State, to prove allegations of the information charging Will Wilburn and W.M. Hullinger with the murder of J.P. Young. Wilburn was arrested January 5, 1912. During the examining trial on January 11, 1912, both pleaded not-guilty. Wilburn tried to get out on bail by saying being enclosed in a jail cell with loud noise was bad on his health since he had lived his life on the farm. Request denied. The trail began at 9 a.m. March 27, 1912. Hullinger was acquitted. I believe he had an alibi. Wilburn was found guilty by all 12 jurors (J.W. Davis - Foreman) and sent to the State Penitentiary in McAlester, April 6, 1912. P.C. Anderson Ft. Towson A.J. Harris Unknown R.M. Broadhead Idabel L.W. Oaks Hugo Tom Brannon Spencerville Mrs. A.J. Harris Unknown J.P. Ricket Spencerville Rosa Ricketts Spencerville Tom Young Spencerville J.J. Young Spencerville Claude Earthman Spencerville John Kennedy Ft. Towson A. A. Iglehart Ft. Towson A.W. Teal Spencerville G.W. Young Spencerville H.F. Teal Spencerville P.C. Archer Ft. Towson Ira Henderson Spencerville Ed Henderson Spencerville George Buchanan Spencerville Wesley Teel Spencerville J.C. Young Spencerville B.J. Blair Spencerville D. Roden Ft. Towson H.A. Grant Bennington James Thoir Ft. Towson John Grant Bennington Bob Hinch Hugo Marlow Cole Sawyer N.N. Nelson Spencerville Elmer Broadhead Idabel Effie Rickett Spencerville T. S. Brannon Spencerville Thomas Wright Spencerville R.D. Anglin Sawyer V.T. Stephenam Sawyer Julius Frazier Spencerville Jim Tuck Sawyer F.C. Roberds Spencerville Elmer Green Spencerville Jonas Smith's boy Spencerville Sam Thomas Spencerville Dick Floyd Spencerville Jimmy Johnson Hugo There were others who were subpoenaed, however they did not attend the trial. Witnesses for the defendants: J.H. Maynard Belzonia Will Maynard Belzonia W.C. Self Rattan Pete Williams Corrine Fort Towson Enterprise Apr 5, 1912 pg. 1 Willburn Gets Life The jury in the case of Will Willburn assessed his punishment at life in the penitentiary. The case was hard fought by both the prosecution and the defense, and the jury was out with the case many hours. The crime for which Willburn will serve the balance of his natural life in the state penitentiary is the murder of John Young on the evening of Dec 8, last. Young, who had been to Fort Towson, was returning home in his wagon, and when near his home at Spencerville a man stepped from behind a tree and emptied the contents of a double-barreled shotgun into him. Young was found in the road and carried to his home where he lived for several hours. Before he died he made a post mortem statement that Willburn was the man who did the shooting, and that he saw and recognized him as he stepped out in the road. Willburn was arrested on this statement and brought to Hugo and placed in jail. A few days after his arrest, he refused to eat, trying to starve himself to death before he came to trial. The killing was caused by a feud, which had existed between the two men for sometime. There were a large number of witnesses in the case. The whole Spencerville neighborhood, nearly, was summoned in the case. It was proved that Willburn had made many statements concerning Young, which had great weight with the jury.