I am searching for a newspaper item of my Aunt Wellington Smith Adair who was murdered in 1922 in Mays County by a negro farm hand according to her husband obituary 7 years later.
In the obituary of George S. Adair from Bourbon Co., ky August 9, 1929 it stated he was dispondent about the death of his wife, George committed suicide on August 8, 1929 and it says his wife died 7 years ago yesterday in Oklahoma when she was brutally assulted and murdered by a negro farm hand, it says that the negro was afterward legally executed. I am assuming from that date and 7 years back then she would have died August 7, 1922. he remains were taken back to Kentucky for burial, There should have been a front page articule on this person in the news. can anyone help with this

Mary Bishop mebishop1@alltel.net

This murder gained much press coverage at the time. The "farm hand" was Elias Ridge and was about 15 at the time. Elias was told by his uncle, Hardy Smith, that if he would kill Mrs. Adair, he (Hardy) would give him a red pig (according to the Court of Criminal Appeals summary of the case. Mrs. Adair was supposed to testify against Smith in a whiskey peddling case. Smith was a relative of Elias and also Elias probably was "simple-minded". Both were convicted of the murder with Elias being given death and Smith, Life. Both convictions were overturned on appeal. Smith was released and not re-tried. Elias was convicted a second time by a new jury and again given the death penalty. On the second appeal, his conviction was converted to life. Elias died at the Oklahoma State Pen in 1933 of TB.
The murder happened near the town of Pensacola in NE Mayes Co. I have several newspaper articles about the murder as well as copies of court documents. I am going to be out of state until after Veteran's Day but if you will e-mail me with your mailing address and phone number I will make copies and get them to you in a week or so.