Volume 16 , Issue 11

100 Years Ago - 31 March 1914, Tuesday

One hundred years ago, Tuesday, 31 March 1914, in The Daily Ardmoreite, front page headlines read: Woman In Quarrel Slays Husband. This domestic quarrel lead to the killing of J. R. Lawson, a farmer at Bennington.

Durant, Okla., March 30 (1914) -- J. R. S. Lawson, a farmer of Bennington, Oklahoma, was instantly killed late last night by his wife, an entire load of buckshot striking him in the left side of the head. The killing took place on the Lawson farm two miles north of Bennington, with Mrs. Lawson's daughter, aged 12 years, a son aged 19, Lawson's stepchildren and Barney Stewart present. The details of the killing conflict, the parties telling different stories each time.

It was alleged that the son had borrowed a gun from a neighbor last Saturday for the purpose of hunting, and took it to the Lawson house. The son went to Bennington Saturday night, meeting his father and asked for money to buy shells. The father gave him 50 cents and the son purchased two shells loaded with heavy shot. When he arrived home he placed these shells in the gun. Sunday evening after Lawson went to bed, he and Mrs. Lawson quarreled, and he told her she would have to leave him. It was charged that Mrs. Lawson grabbed up the shotgun, shooting her husband through the right hand and left side of the neck and head while he was lying on the bed.

Mrs. Lawson claimed that he threatened to kill her and was rising up out of bed to attack her when she shot, although he had no weapons of any kind. The other persons were in the other room and heard the shooting. They all went over to the nearest neighbor's houses, Mr. Davis', which was a quarter of a mile away. The neighbor notified the sheriff and the wife and son were brought to Durant Monday night, and held without bail awaiting the preliminary trial.

Mr. Lawson lived in Durant until his first wife died, a little over a year ago. He married again and moved to the farm near Bennington last spring. Nothing was known of his folks as he came from Mississippi. It had been known for some time that the couple did not get along well together. Lawson was buried in old Bennington Monday.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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