Van Buren Press Crawford County, Arkansas August 23, 1884 A SHOCKING MURDER IN THE TERRITORY Vinita Chieftain: The somewhat tardy news of a murder, committed on the evening of August 1st, in the Caney Settlement, reached this town last Friday, when the perpetrators were brought in on their way to Fort Smith. As the killing was one of shocking brutality, the victim being a colored man, over eighty years old, many of the details are given. This man was known as Fin Morgan, and for years has been a sort of pensioner on the George Alberty place, some sixteen or eighteen miles northwest of Claremore, who made a living by raising hogs, etc. The trio under arrest for the murder, are F M Ray, his son, Joe Ray, aged about fifteen, and William Meadows, who is probably eighteen. These folks are non citizens, hailing from Arkansas, and were staying with a tenant on the Alberty place, a relative of Meadows. The first Alberty knew of anything having happened, was on the third day following the murder, when we was told old Fin's house was locked, and that he was missing. William Meadows was arrested some miles south of where the murder was committed, and was finally induced to tell all about the affair. He said that, about dark on Friday, August 1st, while the old colored man [unreadable text] companions slipped up on him and demanded his money, presenting a revolver and threatening death if he refused. He protested that he had no money, whereupon, old man Ray took the revolver from Meadows, and shot the victim in the head, killing him instantly. They then took his money, the amount is unknown, and Meadows got $8 as his share. The next move was to bury the body, but as the dogs dug it up the next day, they tried to secrete it in the small lake where it was found. Fran Alverson Warren e-mail: [email protected] 501-369-2703