Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2014 All Rights Reserved USGenNet Data Repository Please read USGenNet Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the USGenNet Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ =========================================================================== Formatted by USGenNet Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== The Pentwater News October 16, 1884 MURDER MOST FOUL ---------------- Willie Makin, of Hart Township, shot in Cold Blood by his Brother-in- Law, Al. Barker. ---------------- The usually quiet village of Hart was wrought up to a fearful state of excitement on Saturday morning last by the reported murder of Willie Makin by Al. Barker, his brother-in- law. Jesse Howe, a neighber, bro't the news to town and anxious throngs soon gathered upon the street dis- cussing the affair. Ira C. Ford, con- stable, hearing the report, secured a rig and started for the scene of the tragedy immediately. Arriving at Barker's place he found the dead body of Makin lying in the barnyard and the murderer at Johnson's house just across the road. Upon arrest- ing Barker he found upon his person a revolver fully loaded. He was somewhat under the influence of liq- uor when arrested. In the afternoon M. H. Brooks, Esq., empannelled a jury and proceeded to the body, after viewing which and taking some tes- timony they adjourned to Brooks' of- fice Monday morning. After assem- bling Monday morning, witnesses were sworn who testified as follows: Flora Barker, a witness produced, sworn and examined, upon oath says: Mr. Albert Barker had a grist at his barn, that be- longed to my father. Willie asked him to bring the grist down with the horses. He said he would presently if I would go and help harness the horses up. I did not want to go. I wanted Willie to go and Barker said yes, Willie could go and that I should come with him, and Willie went out and got the oxen and Barker went on ahead. When we got there the gate was open and I told Willie not to drive in; go in and see Al first. Maybe we had better carry the grist out. Willie threw the whip down and I sat in the wagon, and Al met him at the door of the barn, and at that I saw Al strike Willie with a club. Then I jumped out and ran up to the barn and before I got there he made one shot at him and that went through the rim of his hat, as I suppose; there was a hole in his hat. The revolver was pointed then at me. I dodged down and he shot over my head, and I rushed up to him and tried to grab the revolver and knocked it out of his hands on the barn floor, and I made a grab for it and he made one, too, and he slatted me one side so far that I could not get back quick enough to get the revolver first and Al got it first, and got to the door and began firing it at Willie, and kept right on firing four or five times and Willie walked off a few feet and fell down on the ground, and I went up to Willie and asked him if he was hurt and he made no answer. He gurgled two or three times and died. Then I walked towards the road and I saw Mr. Hardy and told Mr. Hardy to come and look at him. Then I turned around and went back, and Hardy said he would let my father and mother know and turned around and ran. Al walk- ed out of the barn towards the house. I said, "Oh, Al, you have killed Willie," and he said he did not care a damn if he had. Then he went into the house and staid quite a few minutes, and came out by the gate and stooped down, and I was standing at or near the cellar. Then he walked down the path to the barn and to the barnyard and kicked the boy three times, and after that he opened the barn and went in and got his bottle and came out by Willie, and drank. As he went by Willie he drank out of the bottle and dropped it, and he went over across to Mr. Johnson's, and I still remained there un- til Mr. Tennant came along and I related my story to him, and that was the last I saw of Mr. Barker. Flora M. Barker Jesse Howe says: My boy and I were coming home past Mr. Al. Barker's place, coming from the east, and when we came up in sight of the gate in front of the barn doors I saw a man start from the gate that was open, to the barn. The door was open and the man had a club in his hand. The man was Al Barker, and we was moving along. I turned and looked and he stop- ped on the east side by door with club in his hand, and I saw Willie Makin go up to the barn door. As he got up to the door Barker struck him with stick over the head. He sank 'most to the ground and raised again, and then the firing commen- ced, some two or three shots, and while the fire was flying I saw a small woman pass through into the barn and the firing stopped. Then Willie Makin moved 'round to the west of the barn to a stone pile and made a motion as though he pick- ed something up, and firing began again, and during that firing I see him fall. I then went up to Mr. Johnson's, the young man Johnson's. That is all I saw. I was about 20 rods from the barn on the road. I saw the flash of fire come out of the barn. I did not see who shot. J. K. Howe [Transcriber Note: There are pieces missing from the next few lines.] George Howe says: [missing] with my father with a [missing] in front of Al Barker's house I [missing] come out with a club and open [missing] and then Willie Makin drove up and [missing] ped and went up towards the barn, and when he went to go back in Mr. Barker struck him over his head and broke the club. Then Willie picked up one of the pieces and threw back at him, and then Mr. Bar- ker commenced shooting. Then Mrs. Barker went into the barn. When he was shooting, the shooting stopped for a mo- ment. Then Willie went down to stone pile, acted as though he picked up one; did not see him have one in his hand. Then he went back and Mr. Barker went to shooting again. Then I saw Willie start to come toward the road and he went a few feet and fell and died. The barn was open a little ways. I saw Mr. Barker's arm stick out of the barn door when he was shooting. George Howe. John Hardy sworn: On Saturday last, Oct. 11, 1884, I got down by the corners at the Randall school house in Hart, and I came along pretty well up to Al Barker's house I heard the report of revolvers, two or three shots, and I don't know but the fourth one, and Willie Makin was there, and I saw Willie Makin run out of the barn, as I supposed, and fell a little ways from the barn door, and I went down there and Mrs. Barker wanted I should help get him in the house. I told her I could not; had better not touch him, and I came right along west. John Hardy. I saw this man, Willie Makin, bleeding on his head; I supposed he was shot in the head. John Hardy. After deliberating, the jury re- turned the following verdict: State of Michigan, county of Oceana, ss. An inquisition taken in the barnyard of James A. Barker, in the township of Hart, Oceana Co., Michigan, said place be- ing near the Randall school house in said township, and finished Oct. 13, 1884, at the office of M. H. Brooks, in Hart township in said county,, before Marcus H. Brooks, one of the Justices of the Peace of said county, upon the view of the body of Wil- lie Makin, then and there lying dead, by their oaths of the Jurors whose names are hereto subscribed, who, being duly sworn to inquire in behalf of the People of this State, when, in what manner and by what means the said person came to his death, upon their oaths do say that James A. Barker, of the township of Hart in the county aforesaid, on the 11th day of Octo- ber, 1884, with force and arms at the township aforesaid in the county afore- said, in and upon the said Willie Makin, in the Peace of the People of this State there being feloniously, willfully, and of his malice aforethought, did make an as- sault and with a pistol (or revolver so- called sometimes) in his hand then and there held, he, the said James A. Barker, in the right breast about 2 or 3 inches above the nipple of him, the said Willie Makin, then and there feloniously and of malice aforethought, did shoot a ball into the said breast of the said Willie Makin, and made a mortal wound of the size of a pistol ball and deep enough to strike the heart or region of the heart, of which said mortal wound the said Willie Makin then and there instantly died, and so the said James A. Barker then and there felonious- ly and with malice aforethought, him the said Willie Makin, did kill and murder against the peace of the People of the State of Michigan, and their dignity. Frank Sprague, Erwin T. Mallory, Josephus N. Mundell, Oswin Johnson, Frank F. Hovey, Joseph Hamen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Pentwater News October 23, 1884 The Makin Murder - The examination of James A. Barker, charged with the murder of Wm. Makin, commenced before Es- quire Brooks, of Hart, on Monday morning last, the respondent being defended by L. G. Rutherford. The prisoner appears to be about 25 years old, and although bearing the marks of dissipation, is hardly the looking person one would expect to see as the author of the cold-blooded trag- edy reported by us last week. Still a closer examination of his head in- dicates a low order of intelligence. The evidence of Jesse Howe and George Howe, his son, was substan- tially the same as given at the in- quest. The testimony of Ira C. Ford was the only additional testimony adduced. He stated that when he arrested respondent he found in his possession a six chambered revolver filled with unexploded cartridges; that respondent asked him how bad- ly hurt Makin was, and when inform- ed that he was dead, said that he "didn't intend to kill the damn puke," and then he proceeded to tell how it happened. That he had tak- en a grist to Pentwater the day be- fore for Makin, and coming home put it in his barn; that morning they came after it he told deceased that he could not have it until they gave up some things of his that he had; to go away and let him alone; that Ma- kin came at him with stones and he shot him. Here the case rested after argu- ment. His honor announced his de- cision, committing respondent to jail for trial for the crime of murder. ===========================================================================