John William Robertson

  General Notes:

[News article courtesy of D. Young]
Cherokee, Alfalfa County newspaper article dated July 16, 1916
C.M. STRAW DEAD - RESULT OF FIGHT WITH SON IN LAW
DEATH COMES TO WELL KNOWN ALFALFA COUNTY FARMER FOLLOWING FIST FIGHT
CHARGED WITH MURDER - FIGHT OCCURED FRIDAY AND DEATH DID NOT COME UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT. ROBERTSON RE-ARRESTED ON MURDER CHARGE FOLLOWING RELEASE ON ASSAULT INFORMATION
C. M. Straw, well known Alfalfa county farmer living west of Ingersoll, died last Sunday night as the result of a fight with his son-in-law, John W. Robertson, which occurred the Friday previous. Following the fight it was apparent that it was only a fist fight in which he had rather severely beaten the old man, Robertson had been arrested on a charge of assault and battery and released on a bond of two hundred dollars. It was not thought that there would be any serious results to the fight and Robertson had moved to Alva to pursue his work and await trial on the assault charge. Signs of serious injury came on Mr. Straw about eight o-clock Sunday evening and at nine o'clock he was dead. County Attorney Kirkendall was notified and Sheriff Duncan went to Alva to bring Robertson back on a charge of murder in the first degree. He is now confined in the Alfalfa county jail without bond and the preliminary hearing set for next Monday at ten o'clock.
The trouble arose over a dispute concerning wages. The original dispute was between Mr. Robertson and Frank Straw, a son of the dead man. The younger man was contending for some wages which he claimed were owed to him by Robertson and the latter evidently disputed the bill. A fight between these two was narrowly averted and it is claimed that during the course of the argument a knife was drawn by one of the participants. Following the argument between the younger Straw and Robertson the latter went to the home of William Brown, a close neighbor and engaged the services of a team to take him to Alva. While Brown was getting the team ready he walked through the field back to the Straw home. In the meantime, the younger Straw had gone some place and Robertson and C. M. Straw met in the yard near the house. Mrs. Straw and Mrs. Robertson were attracted by sounds of fighting and swearing on the outside and rushed out just in time to see Robertson getting off the prostrate body of the husband and father. Straw was in an unconscious condition and was bleeding rather profusely.
Mrs. Robertson examined her father and cried out to her husband "You have killed pa." Mrs. Straw went back to the house to telephone a doctor and stated to County Attorney Kirkendall that Robertson pulled her away from the telephone and refused to let her communicate with the physician. A little while later Bill Brown arrived with the team and he called Dr. Jones of Ingersoll who arrived in a short time. Dr. Jones made an examination of the helpless man and found no signs other than the bruises attending the average fist fight. He was carried in the house and in a short time regained his senses. Both eyes were severely bruised and one ear was bleeding freely.
Sheriff Duncan was called and Robertson placed under arrest. He was placed under a two hundred dollar bond on a charge of assault. He put up a cash bond and went to Alva.
Sunday afternoon Jones took Mr. Straw in an automobile to Alva to make an X-ray examination. The examination did not develop any injuries and on the way home the old man seemed to be in excellent spirits and feeling rather good. About eight o'clock he was seized with violent pains which lasted for about an hour, death coming close to nine o'clock. Dr. Jones could not be reached during the period of the pains and he was dead before Jones arrived. Dr. Jones summoned Dr. Hibbard of Cherokee and they performed a post mortem examination. The scalp was taken off the dead man and no signs of a fracture were discovered. Following this the brain was removed and a large blood clot found in the spot whereon the blows were apparent on the exterior surface of the head. The death was a result of the blood clot forming on the brain. The age of the dead man was decidedly against his recovery from the shock.
Mr. Straw was a man sixty years of age. Robertson was only a few years younger. It was his second marriage being considerably older than his wife. The dispute was over the harvest bill of the year previous. Mr. Straw's home was in the Ashley neighborhood in the vicinity of Short Springs. He was an old time settler in that community. Robertson's home is in Roy, New Mexico, although he is said to own some land in Woods county. At the time of the tragedy Robertson and his wife were staying at the Straw home where Mrs. Robertson visited her parents during the time her husband was working with this year's harvest.
In the county jail Robertson made the statement that his altercation withe the senior Straw started when the latter attempted to strike him with a chair. He stated that he returned from the Brown place and met the older Mr. Straw who started to upbraid him about his row with Frank Straw. Some heated words followed and according to Robertson's statement, Mr. Straw started to hit him with a chair. He declared that he grabbed the chair and knocked Straw down. He admits hitting him after he had knocked him down. Robertson claims that Frank Straw drew a knife on him during the quarrel.
Frank Straw was one of the principal witnesses in the French murder case held in Cherokee several years ago when Charley Bower was convicted of the murder of Bernice French. He was present at the house on the night of the French tragedy.



Pratt County Kansas Marriage Records :
Edward W. Hilliard, age 23, Cairo to Addie Bell Straw, age 18, Isabel. Mar. 15,1894 at residence of Stephen Miller, Minister.
Ed. W. Hilliard, 33 of Pratt to Maud Jackson, 19 of Pratt. Apr. 11,1903 at my office, L.D. Hess, P.J. Charles Benton ...

1900 census Spring, Woods County, Oklahoma
John Robertson b Mar 1852 IN IN NY; m 7yrs
Adda b. Nov 1876 OH OH OH ; m 7yrs; ch:1/1
Lulu Hilliard (step-dau) born Aug 1893 in Kansas

Oklahoma 1910 Census for Spring Twp., Woods Co.
John Robertson head Age 58 Farmer born Indiana
Addie wife Age 33 born Ohio
Lulu Halliard step daughter Age 15 born Kansas

1920 New Mexico Census, Ray twp., Mora Co.
John William Robertson head Age 67 Farmer born Indiana
Addy wife Age 40 Housewife born Ohio
Agnes daughter Age 9 born South Dakota

John married Addie Bell Straw, daughter of Chester Matt Straw and Susan A. Dawson, circa 1893. (Addie Bell Straw was born in Nov 1876 in Ohio, died in 1962 and was buried in Mosquero Cemetery in Harding County, New Mexico.)