1885 Murder of George W. Handy, Cattleman

GEORGE W. HANDY.
Cattleman.

Arkansas City Republican, September 19, 1885.
ANOTHER MURDER.
Ollie Soule Shoots Geo. W. Handy Dead at the Latter’s Cattle Ranch
Last Thursday Evening.
The Crime Committed in Self-Defense—Soule Gives Himself into Custody.
Yesterday about noon Ollie Soule came in from the territory and placed himself into the custody of Capt. O. S. Rarick, telling him that he had murdered G. W. Handy, the man for whom he had been working. But a short time had expired until the dead body, with Mrs. Handy and daughter and the teamster, arrived. The following is the cause as near as we were able to ascertain up to the time of going to press.
Soule is a youth about 20 years of age. Since the first of July, he has been employed by Handy as a herder on his ranch on the Chilocco, near the mouth of Duck Creek. Thursday evening at about 8 o’clock, just as Soule had finished eating his supper, Handy came to the door of the tent and called him out, telling him he wanted to talk with him. The couple walked a short distance from the tent, when Soule remarked that he guessed that they had gone far enough. Handy persisted that he go out further on the prairie, which Soule refused to do, and demanded to know what was wanted of him. Handy replied that he wanted him to leave the country, for good, which Soule refused to do. In the quarrel which followed, Handy became extremely angry, and made at Soule with his open pocket knife; Soule began walking backward and warned his adversary to leave him alone. Handy kept following him until he got close enough to strike at him; and then stabbed at him. Soule dodged, pulled his revolver, and shot, the ball taking effect in the bowels. This did not stop Handy; he made another stab at Soule; this time the knife was stuck through the boy’s pistol scabbard, but not cutting the flesh. Soule fired again, and this time Handy fell dead. Soule did not attempt to get away, but came in and gave himself up. The reason that Handy wanted Soule to leave the country was because he was a witness against him for the theft of a saddle. Some time ago Handy was arrested for stealing a saddle. His trial was to have come off September 29, and he did not want Soule to appear against him. No inquest was held as the county attorney announced it was unnecessary. The prisoner was taken to Winfield to jail. His preliminary examination will be had on the 29th, before U. S. Commissioner Bonsall. The U. S. District Attorney will be here then, as he was to have been to prosecute Handy. Mrs. Handy and daughter witnessed the killing and heard nearly all of the quarrel and their statement corroborates the above, we are informed.
Arkansas City Traveler, September 23, 1885.
Fatal Shooting in the Territory.

Some excitement was produced in town on Friday afternoon by the arrival of a young man from the territory, who confessed to having shot and killed his employer, and by the production afterwards of the body of the dead man accompanied by his wife and daughter, the latter a girl about sixteen years. The shooting occurred on the Michigan Cattle Company’s ranch, where the deceased was herding a small bunch of cattle of his own, about 80 in number, and who was tenting with his wife and family. The locality was Duck Creek, within a short distance of the Nez Perce reservation.
The name of the slaughtered man was given as George W. Handy, aged 54 years, formerly of Chautauqua county, and that of his slayer, Oliver Soule. The difficulty grew out of a saddle said to have been stolen by the deceased, for which offense he was to be tried in the United States Commissioner’s court on Tuesday next. Ollie Soule had been subpoenaed as a witness, and to escape what damaging effect might be produced by his testimony, Handy had several times urged his employee to leave the country. On Thursday night, when the fatal encounter occurred, Mrs. Handy says her husband left the tent, saying Ollie had got to leave the country, or one of them must die. A short altercation ensued just outside the tent, then two shots were fired, and the death lot had been awarded the aggressor. Soule tells that on Handy’s demand that he get up and leave, he replied it took money to carry a man any distance, and he had no money to go away with. This infuriated his employer, who is known far and wide as a man of violent temper, and taking out a clasp knife, he made at the young man, aiming at him a murderous blow which was arrested by encountering his pistol scabbard. Soule drew his pistol and fired two shots, one taking effect in Handy’s right breast and passing out between the shoulder blades, the other entering his abdomen. The wounded man died instantly from the effect of the wounds.
The charge of stealing seems to have been a trumped up case, as no criminal intent is shown. It is told by those knowing to the facts that Handy had a saddle pony badly lacerated on a neighbor’s barbed fence, and his rude idea of reprisal was encouraged by two employees of the neighbor, who suggested to him to take a saddle, they promising to be absent at the time of the theft. It is now supposed this was done to entrap Handy, he being a dangerous and undesirable neighbor.
There was an inquest held on the body, and it was buried on Saturday. Capt. Rarick conveyed Soule to the county jail, and he will be examined on the 29th inst., by United States Commissioner Bonsall.
ANOTHER TERRITORY MURDER.
Oliver Soule Kills G. W. Handy, in Self Defense. Soule in Our Bastille.
Winfield Courier, Thursday, September 24, 1885.

Deputy U. S. Marshal Rarick brought Oliver Soule up from Arkansas City Saturday and lodged him in Cowley’s bastille. Soule shot and killed G. W. Handy, thirty-five miles below Arkansas City in the Territory, Thursday. Handy was under bond to answer the charge before U. S. Commissioner Bonsall, on the 29th, of having stolen a valuable saddle from a Territory ranchman. Soule was the principal witness against him. He tried to buy Soule off, but he wouldn’t sell. Then a quarrel ensued and Handy said Soule had got to “cave” or one of them would die. More words warmed his blood, and whipping out a big pocket knife, he made successful passes at Soule, who has a crippled spine, and couldn’t physically resist. The first slash or two went through Soule’s clothing, and backing off, he drew his revolver and shot Handy in the left breast. Handy didn’t fall, but made at Soule furiously, severing the latter’s revolver belt in an effort to strike his stomach. Soule fired twice more and Handy fell dead. Handy’s wife and two children and others saw the tragedy and justify Soule, who is a young man of twenty-two or more. Handy had a good ranch in the Territory, where the killing occurred, and Soule had been in his employ three months. Handy was a man of violent temper.
Arkansas City Republican, September 26, 1885.
The murdered man, Handy, was buried last Saturday in the Riverview Cemetery.
Arkansas City Republican, October 3, 1885.
Ollie Soule Bound Over.
Tuesday the preliminary examination of Ollie Soule for the killing of old man Handy took place before Judge Bonsall, the U. S. Commissioner. U. S. District Attorney Perry was hence and prosecuted and Judge Sumner appeared for the defendant. The evidence gleaned was sufficient, Judge Bonsall thought, to hold Soule for manslaughter. He was bound over in the sum of $1,000 to appear at the next term of U. S. Court. Mrs. Handy and daughter were also put under a bond of $500 to appear. They all gave the required bonds.
Arkansas City Traveler, October 7, 1885.
Ollie Soule was bound over by U. S. Commissioner Bonsall, in the sum of $1,000 to appear at the next term of the United States court in Wichita. It will be remembered that this young man shot and killed his employer, G. W. Handy, on the 24th ult., in what he claimed to be self-defense.
Arkansas City Republican, November 21, 1885.
Next morning Dr. J. W. Sparks will go to Topeka to attend United States court. He is a witness in the Handy murder trial.
Arkansas City Republican, Saturday, September 18, 1886. From Monday’s Daily.
At the preliminary trial of [WORD OBSCURED] Soule, for the murder of J. W. Handy, at Wichita in the U. S. Court last week, the jury was only out above five minutes when it brought in a verdict for an indictment for murder against Soule and the women. The women are held as accessories to the crime. New evidence has been adduced since the parties were bound over in this city some months ago, and it will go hard with them. It seems that Mrs. Handy was too handy with her tongue for the safety of all. They are all in jail at Wichita now awaiting trial.
[CHEROKEE STRIP: JURISDICTION.]
Arkansas City Republican, Saturday, November 27, 1886. From Wednesday’s Daily.
Col. H. T. Sumner went to Topeka this afternoon to attend some cases the firm of Sumner & Miller have in the supreme court now in session there. One is the Soule murder case. In the trial of Ollie Soule at Wichita before Judge Foster recently, the question was raised concerning the jurisdiction of the Cherokee Strip, as that is the place where the defendant shot Handy. Judge Foster referred the case to the higher court. Judge Sumner will argue the question before Judges Miller, Brewer, and Foster Friday. This point has never been raised before and we look for the decision with interest.
Arkansas City Republican, Saturday, December 4, 1886. From Monday’s Daily.
Mrs. J. W. Handy and daughter, who have been in jail for some months at Wichita, have been released on giving bail in the sum of $3,000 for their appearance at the next term of court. At first their bail was fixed at $5,000, but last week it was reduced to $3,000. Mrs. Handy and daughter are held as accomplices of Ollie Soule in the murder of J. W. Handy.

Arkansas City Republican, Saturday, February 12, 1887. From Thursday’s Daily.
Judge A. J. Miller, of the firm of Miller & Cummings, went to Topeka yesterday to attend the murder trial of Ollie Soule. He is retained for the defense.