Donnell, Ray

Sheriff Neil Harr late Tuesday telegraphed to the officials of a distant state to arrest Ray Donnell, wanted in Ottawa county on a charge of murder and who escaped from the Ottawa county jail before he was tried. Donnell is accused of placing a large charge of dynamite underneath his home at Picher and blowing up the house. It is said that he planned to kill his wife and a man whom he suspected of being in the home with his wife at the time. Instead, the wife was away and in the house were two little neighbor children. They were instantly killed. A man believed to be a former friend of Donnell and who asserts he knows of the whereabouts, "tipped" off the sheriff.

Picher Oklahoma hard rock lead and zinc miner, who made a sensational escape from the Ottawa county Oklahoma jail about three years ago after he had been arrested on a charge of first degree murder resulting from his alleged attempt to murder his wife by blowing up their home north of Picher with dynamite, has been located according to Sheriff Neil Harr. Donnell's wife escaped destruction when the house was blown to atoms, but two small children who were in the house when the explosion occurred were blown to pieces. Donnell was taken into custody a day or so following the wrecking of his home and he was charged with first degree murder. Ed Freeman was sheriff at the time and it was shortly after the present court house was occupied that Donnell made his escape. His escape resulted in the turnkey not exerting due diligence. Another man had served his term and was to be released. When the turnkey opened the door leading into the cell compartment, Donnell stepped forward and said he was the man whose time had expired. The latter did not pay much attention to the man and permitted him to walk down the jail steps. He walked through the sheriff's office and escaped. It was learned Monday that Sheriff Harr had received a letter from a distant state and signed by a man who stated that he knew Donnell and could tip' the authorities off to where the fugitive is. Sheriff Harr is investigating and he said he will probably request the authorities of the city in which Donnell is said to be living to take him into custody. According to the county authorities, Donnell believed his wife to be unfaithful and he set about to take revenge in a most brutal manner. He believed that the man with whom his wife was said to be infatuated with was to spend the night at their home, so he secured a large amount of dynamite and planted it under the house and near his wife's bedroom. It was an act of fate which caused his wife to be elsewhere and when the dynamite charge was exploded the house was blown into a thousand pieces. Searchers found the bodies of the two little children. Their bodies had been horribly mangled, and they had been killed instantly while asleep.