Haskins, W. M. "Mac"

Police and county officers today were searching for Emmett Hedgcorth, 43 year old miner, who early last night shot and killed his friend W. M. 'Mac' Haskins, 35 years old, at the home of Mrs. Mae Caldwell, 427 South Picher Street, Picher Oklahoma, in what was described as a drunken brawl by Mrs. Caldwell and Riley Bowman, another miner who was in the house. Mrs. Caldwell said today she had kept company with Hedgcorth for two years until two weeks ago, when he moved to the Fisher Inn, where Bowman and Haskins stayed. Haskins and Hedgcorth appeared to be friends, Bowman said. Examination of Mrs. Caldwell and Bowman by Perry Porter, county attorney, today revealed that Hedgcorth had been badly drunk Saturday night and Haskins had brought him to Mrs. Caldwell's to sober up. Sunday afternoon Bowman and Haskins went to the Caldwell home to see Hedgcorth, Porter learned, and on this occasion the altercation began which resulted in Haskin's death. Bowman said that both the slayer and the dead man had been drinking Sunday and that Hedgcorth had a pistol. Mrs. Caldwell said that on one occasion Haskins had taken Hedgcorth's weapon, unloaded it and given it back. About 6:30 o'clock Bowman and Mrs. Caldwell were in one room and Hedgcorth in another when Bowman and the woman heard the two men scuffling, they told Porter. Bowman rushed into the room in time to see Hedgcorth strike Haskins on the head twice with a pistol barrel and grabbed Hedgcorth from behind in an attempt to get the gun, he said. Haskins and his assailant then clinched with the gun between them, and two shots were fired. Examination of Haskins' body showed one bullet entered his abdomen. "I intended to kill him," Hedgcorth said, when Mrs. Caldwell told him Haskins was dying, and again ran out the door. "You've shot me," was the only remark made by Haskins after the shooting and before his death, according to Bowman. Examination of the witnesses by Porter indicated that the first of the two shots inflicted Haskin's wound. Porter said he had information that Hedgcorth was an ex-convict. Close questioning of Bowman and Mrs. Caldwell failed to show jealousy as a motive for the killing. Officers in charge of the case attribute the tragedy to the drunken state of the two participants. Haskins died a few minutes after being shot. Both Haskins and Hedgcorth worked for the New Chicago Mining Company, but at different properties. Haskins was unmarried. He is survived by his mother, Mrs. J. F. Coker of Okeene Oklahoma, and one sister. Funeral services will be held at the parlors of the Green undertaking company at 10 o'clock Tuesday morning by the Rev. Billie Bain. Burial will be in G.A.R. cemetery at Miami, by the Greene undertaking company.

Funeral services for W. M. Haskins, 35 years old, a Picher miner, who was fatally shot Sunday night by a friend during a drunken quarrel at the home of Mrs. Mae Caldwell, 527 South Picher Street, Picher, were held at the chapel of the Green undertaking company at 10 this morning. The Rev. Billie Bain, pastor of the First Baptist church, officiated. Burial was in G.A.R. cemetery. Authorities thus far have been unable to find any trace of Emmett Hedgcorth, 43, who disappeared after Haskins was shot. A .32 caliber revolver said to have been the weapon used by Hedgcorth was found in a heating stove yesterday at the home of Mrs. Caldwell, where the shooting occurred. Hedgeorth is presumed to have thrown the revolver into the stove as he ran from the house. The butt of the gun was badly bent, which, combined with the fact that Haskins' head was considerably bruised and cut, gave rise to the belief that Hedgeorth and Haskins were engaged in a fight before the fatal shot was fired. The revolver was turned over to the local authorities by Mrs. Caldwell.