James Edmond Murphy (1873 - 1914)

Born Jan 1873 in Madison County, Arkansas

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 7 Jun 1914 at age 41 in Aurora, Madison, Arkansas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alexander Grimaldi-Hendrix [send private message]

Biography

Son of John & Molly DORSEY Murphy Husband of Bertha Esther OFFICER Murphy; they were the parents of ten children.

Regarding the death of James Edward Murphy: Goldie (James daughter) just said, "It was an accident". It was, of course, not an accident, but rather he was shot from ambush, by, it was believed one of two people – viz., John Wolf or Bill Short.

The story Stan Dennis got from C. L. Jackson several years ago went something like this:

According to C.L. Jackson: 7 June 1914, shot from ambush while resting his horses under a tree. He was hauling a load of hay up a hill near the Aurora Cemetery, Madison Co., AR. Two people were suspected in the killing: John Wolf and Bill Short. There was an escalating feud involving the parties, in which Bill Short had fanned Jim Murphy with his hat as if to cool off his temper. Then Bill Short on his way to town had passed Jim Murphy's house. Jim had invited him to have dinner with them. When he refused, Jim made him eat at gunpoint. A few days later, Jim was murdered at the spot where he customarily stopped his wagon to rest the horses.

John Wolf and Bill Short had been deputized to hunt for the Evans Boys. Claude Murphy once encountered John Wolf and asked him if he killed his father. John said he didn't, and Claude said that if he knew for sure he had done it, he would leave him right there.

Bill Short, himself, was killed in an ambush about 1919. Claude Murphy was at first suspected, but it was someone else.

Death of J.E. Murphy The Daily Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock, Arkansas on August 06, 1914 A.B. Short, Will Short, John Wolfe, Arrested near Huntsville.

Special to the Gazette.

BERRYVILLE, August 5. --- Former Sheriff L. M. Shuster of Huntsville, who recently was appointed deputy United States Marshall, was in Berryville Sunday. He was on his way to Harrison to take charge of his new office. He brought the first authentic news of a murder in Madison County last Thursday.

A.B. Short, formerly a citizen of this (Carroll) County, who was tried and convicted of murdering the two Wrights north of Green Forest about nine years ago, and afterward pardoned, is accused of the deed. With him was his son, Will, and John Wolfe. The three men were members of the sheriff’s posse which was searching for men by the name of Allen who had run over a woman with their horses and enlisted serious injuries. The Allen’s were relatives of James Murphy and bad feeling had existed between the three accused men and Murphy for some time, it is said.

About 4 o’clock, the posse was overlooking a road along which Murphy was hauling hay. The Sheriff ordered his men to assemble at a spot on the mountainside to reorganize for the night search. He knew of the bad feeling and did not wish the men to see each other. Upon arriving at the spot indicated, the two Shorts and Wolfe were missing. About that time, the wagon stopped and a gunshot was heard. In a few minutes, the three men were seen leaving the place and going around the mountain in a fast walk. They were stopped, but would not rejoin the posse and denied having heard the shot. About an hour later Wolfe and another man found the dead boy of Murphy. A coroner’s inquest was held, and the next day the men were arrested and placed in jail.

The man who committed the crime did it with a shotgun, the whole load taking effect in the left breast.

September 23, 1914 - all three men were acquitted of manslaugther of the murder of James E. Murphy. .

Sources

• Year: 1910; Census Place: Bowen, Madison, Arkansas; Roll: T624_57; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0069; FHL microfilm: 1374070