Caddo Herald, May 27, 1921
D. B. Williams is Now Charged with Murder
D. B. Williams was arrested in Durant Tuesday afternoon on a charge of murder and put in jail. He is charged jointly with M. E. Golden and Mrs. Sadie Golden with the murder of T. J. Craghead last week.
Mr. Williams is the father of Mrs. Golden and has lived in Caddo the past 22 years, coming from Sherman, and has been in the furniture and undertaking business ever since. Mr. Williams is a present city treasurer and has held other offices of trust in town; and up to the time of the killing was exceedingly well thought of and liked.
The arrest was the result of an investigation made by the county attorneys and they became convinced that Williams had something to do with the planning and execution of the killing of Tom Craghead. His case was included in the examining trial.
Caddo Herald, June 3, 1921
Williams and Golden Tesify on Their Side
At the hearing before Judge March at the courthouse Saturday afternoon, Mr. D. B. Williams and Mrs. Golden took the stand to testify fully in their behalf.
The evidence upon the part of Mr. Williams, briefly stated, was to the effect that on the evening of the 16th he stopped at the post office on his way home to supper and got a letter out of the office addressed to Mrs. Sadie Golden (Williams) and he took it home to his daughter, Mrs. Golden, who was at that time in the kitchen preparing supper, that Mrs. Golden opened the letter and after reading it came out on the porch where he, Mr. Williams was sitting, crying, and showed him the letter; that from appearance of handwriting and other matters he concluded that it was a woman’s handwriting, they discussed the matter and concluded that it was written by a Mrs. Smith who lived on the same street.
Mr. Williams testified that he tried to get Mrs. Golden to ignore the letter or burn it, but that she felt that she should show it to her husband, and after more discussion he phoned Mr. Golden, that he phoned Pink and told him to let Golden have his car and come to Caddo at once, that Pink inquired as to what the trouble was and he told him he couldn’t tell over the phone, but for Golden to come at once and he, Pink, might come if he wished, that later on he, Mr. Williams went to town and went to his store and turned on the lights to see what time it was and that it was about 9:30, but said the clock was generally half an hour fast; that on the way to town he passed Mr. Craghead between the church and Buffalo street that he thereupon came back out and went home again; that he carried from the store to the house the .25 automatic with which Mr. Craghead was killed, that he took the pistol home for the purpose of having it in case he was called to the store in the night, being also in the undertaking business, that he had frequently taken the gun home with him and generally put it in a chiffonier drawer. That when he got home from the store Mr. Golden had arrived, that he was shown the letter and was told what conclusions were reached as to the author of the letter, that Mr. Golden desired to go down to the church and see who showed up that Mr. Golden asked him if he had a gun and that he told him about the gun in the chiffonier, that Mr. Golden went in the room where the chiffonier was and then out on the porch and from there Mr. and Mrs. Golden went off in the direction of the church, that his wife did not want to go there, but that Golden insisted that she go, that the next he knew he heard some shots, went off towards the Methodist church and when he got there he found his daughter at Mrs. McGee’s. He testified that after Golden arrived in Caddo he put in a call to Pink and told him “Everything is all right”; that after the killing he put in a call for his son and told him “there had been someone killed and to get Utterback or McDonald one to come up here” that after seeing his daughter and Golden at McGee’s that they together with Mr. Alexander went to his house and from there came to Durant, and that about a week later he was arrested and placed in jail.
The testimony on the part of Golden tended to show that after Pink Williams talked to his father, Pink felt there was something wrong, so they fixed up a code as he was preparing to go up to Caddo; so that Mr. Williams could tell his son what the trouble was without disclosing it over the phone. Upon arriving in Caddo he went to William’s home and there found his wife crying, and was shown the letter in question’; that they discussed the situation and were rather of the opinion that the author of the letter was Mrs. Smith’ that he wanted to find out definitely who wrote the letter in order that he or she could be turned over to the officers; he asked his wife to go down to the church with him and that she did not want to do so, saying she was afraid trouble would result; that he assured her there would be no trouble; and insisted that she accompany him. He asked D. B. Williams for the gun to take along for his protection in case it might not be the Smith woman and trouble should arise; that Williams told him where the gun was, and he went and got it. Going toward the church he walked on north side of the street and Mrs. Golden on the south side, as they approached the church his wife went on around in front while he went behind the church and came out on the street running north and south in front of the church; that they had not seen anybody who might be the author of the letter, and he insisted that his wife go on down town and come back thinking whoever wrote the letter might see her and follow her back, that she again begged him not to make her go, but he insisted that she went north Buffalo street and then east down to the garage, turned around and came back up westward, that during this time Golden stood in the shadow of a tree near the intersection of Buffalo and Manning that he sent her back the second time, and then she went on down past the garage crossed the street to the south side and then back up west to Manning avenue south to the church that he told her to stop in front of the church and that he would hide where he could see if anyone approached her; that she did so and he crossed the street south of the church and he hid himself by or behind a little smokehouse or something; presently Mr. Craghead came down Manning Ave. passed the church where his wife was, went into his residence and turned on the lights; that in a few minutes he turned the lights out, and came out and walked around in front of the church going up Manning Ave. and when even with his wife stopped and said “Well, you are up pretty late tonight,” and she answered pretty sharply “Yes, I am” and he next said “let’s go to the house” which was all he understood him to say; that his wife said “well you are the one that has caused all of this trouble are you?” and about that time he stepped out from behind the house where he was hid and started toward them; he walked up and said “Tom what have you done?” and that Tom commenced stuttering and couldn’t hardly say anything at all, and finally Tom said “Why, I haven’t wrote no letter” and he then said to him. “Tom you must have caused all this trouble” or something like that , and Mr. Craghead got so he couldn’t say anything at all, but that he said something else about not writing the letter, that Craghead was standing there with both of his hands in his front trouser pockets and that Tom stepped towards him and at the same time jerked his hands out of his pockets; his wife threw her hands up to her face and commenced screaming; that he thought Tom had a knife or something and was going to attack him; and that he commenced shooting, believing that he was in danger himself; that when Craghead started to fall he stopped shooting, turned and caught his wife and started off with her, and went over to Mr. McGee’s; that shortly thereafter he surrendered to Alexander the constable, who brought him to Durant and lodged him in jail where he has been ever since.
The letter is about as follows:
May 16, 1921
Mrs. Sadie (Williams) Golden: I have long admired you, although I was never with you, yet you know me well and so do I you; and I am lonesome. I have a home, but am by myself now, so if you wish to have a good time for one night only, meet me in front of the Methodist church tonight at 9 o’clock sharp, and go home with me and spend the night and I will take good care of you. I can’t tell you my name but you was almost raised with me and I am no stranger o you. If you don’t’ come or do not wish a good time, tear or burn this up and think no more about it. Lovingly yours,
Caddo Herald, June 10, 1921
Information Against Williams is Quashed
In the District Court at Durant Tuesday Judge March held a hearing upon the application of defendants’ attorneys to quash the information filed against D. B. Williams, charged with complicity in the murder of T. J. Craghead.
The only evidence before the court was that taken in the hearing before Justice of the Peace Brauderick in Caddo. This evidence had been typewritten and had been read to and by the court, and the attorneys on both side submitted arguments upon points involved.
The court sustained the motion to quash the information and announce that the defendant was discharged
Before making the final announcement Judge March said he found no reasonable evidence connecting D. B. Williams with the murder of Tom Craghead, and upon this finding based his decision.
There were about sixty Caddo citizens in attendance, thus evidencing the interest that this case had for the people among whom the people lived.
For the information of the people who do not understand procedures we will state that this does not necessarily end it. It is a proceeding vouchsafed to a free people so that no one may be imprisoned without a hearing before a competent court, compelling the authorities to show a cause for holding a man in prison giving the accused a good chance to show cause why he should not be brought to trial. The quashing of indictment means that another indictment must be filed or a grand jury must find a true bill before the defendant may again be brought into court, on a similar charge. The decision of the court at this time has no bearing on the cases of the others charge with this murder.
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