Trouble for Harley Dailey - Part 2

In Part 2 of my blog posts about Harley Dailey and his troubles, let's continue to learn his fate.  Imagine my surprise when I pulled up the first article and the headline said, "Brother, Sister Shooting Victims"! I kept pulling up more articles and more scandalous headlines.  Here is a transcription of one of the articles that explains the situation. 

DOUBLE KILLING ENDS QUARREL. Paoli News, 13 December 1939.

"A quarrel between brother and sister over who should stay at the family home and care for the mother led to a fatal shooting in which two were killed.  The tragedy took place place on the Dailey farm near Valeene and seven miles southeast of Paoli.  

Mrs. Edna Landrus, 42, of Paoli, and her brother, Harley Dailey, 48, patient in Hillcrest Tuberculosis Sanatorium at Vincennes, were shot fatally. Dailey was home on a vacation.

Deputy Sheriff Floyd Morris of Orange County related that the woman's son, Jewell Dailey, 21, of Paoli, said his uncle shot his mother. Then young Dailey killed the uncle."

Ok, what the what?  Read that again and again and again.  Seriously.  Brother shoots sister, nephew shoots uncle!  Need more details?  Keep reading.

"The brother and sister had quarreled, the deputy sheriff quoted the young man as saying, over which should live with their 76-year old mother, Mrs. Josephine Dailey, on her farm, where the shooting took place. 

The deputy sheriff said young Dailey gave this account of the shooting.

Mrs. Landrus and her son had been staying on the farm the last three weeks. Her brother drove there Sunday from Vincennes.  

He went rabbit hunting. Back at the farm house he parked his automobile, got out and stood holding a shotgun.

A quarrel followed. All four on the farm took part. Mrs. Landrus ran up to her brother and he struck her.  His mother then ran up and he hit her too.  Young Dailey went into the house and obtained a pistol.  

When he came out his uncle had shot his mother once in the back and killed her.  He emptied five chambers of the pistol into his uncle's body. 

The young man was jailed here on an open charge while Sheriff Noble Ellis and Coroner George Dillinger investigated.  

Funeral services were held for Mrs. Landrus from the Ellis Funeral Chapel, Tuesday afternoon, conducted by the Rev. D.M. Boyd and burial made in the Community cemetery.  

Mr Dailey will be buried this afternoon (Wednesday) at Concord with funeral services at the Ellis Chapel with Rev. Boyd conducting."

How can this be?  Can you imagine this poor mother witnessing and seeing two children killed in front of her in her own front yard?  This just makes me so sad.

In reading a few more articles, a few more details emerge.  The Logansport Pharos Tribune claimed that Harley died instantly and Edna died en route to the hospital.  In addition, Edna was a defendant in a divorce suit filed in English by her husband, Jerry Landrus.  The Monroe Morning World, stated Edna was on her second marriage and her son, Jewell, had adopted his mother's maiden name.  While the Manitowac Wisconsin Herald stated that Harley was killed by a .38-caliber revolver while Edna was murdered by a .410 gauge shotgun. Another article in the Paoli Republican said that Jewell fired his shots at his uncle through the window and three of the pistol bullets struck Harley.  

Now you may be wondering about Jewell and if he escaped punishment for the murder of his uncle.  Remember what Grandma Leona said when I asked her if the persons responsible went to jail, and she said, "No, not back then. It was justified. They didn't have to go to jail."  Well, let's find out exactly what happened.  

Apparently Jewell was held in the Orange County Jail immediately following the killings and a special session of the grand jury met to decide his charges.  He was indicted and faced the charge of voluntary manslaughter for the killing of his uncle. Bond was set for $2500, and his trial was set for February 26, 1940.  I also learned his full name in the court news of the paper, Charles Jewell York Dailey.  However, another article put "Jack" by his name as well.  

  
At the court hearing in February, it didn't take long to acquit Jewell for the charges.  The trial lasted for two days and the jury gave the non-guilty verdict with only fifteen minutes of deliberation.  Mrs. Josephine Dailey testified in the courtroom on the first day of the trial and stated, "Harley came to her home, seven miles south of Paoli, the day he was slain to visit her and go rabbit hunting. After hunting a while he came back to the house and told her he was going back to Paoli on business."

Sheriff Noble Ellis testified as well and stated, "Harley and a man he identified as Roy Gerkins came to him that morning and asked if there was some way to make Mrs. Landrus and Jewell leave his mother's house because they were living there on her pension money."  The sheriff told him there was nothing he could do.  

Josephine also stated, "They came back and said a heated argument was engaged in by Edna, Harley and Jewell during which the aged woman said she was knocked to the ground and when she regained her senses she found Harley lying on the ground near her and Edna lying on the ground a few feet from Harley.  She said Jewell asked her to help him get Mrs. Landrus, his mother, to a doctor since he did not believe she was dead and they met a doctor about a half mile up the road who pronounced Edna dead and they brought he back home."

The courtroom was said to be packed for the two day trial with standing room only, and when the ordeal ended, the courtroom erupted in what was described as a "joyous uproar" and "compared by some spectators to that of a close basketball game" when Jewell's acquittal was read.   

Seeing the Indiana Death Certificates for both Edna and Harley solidify this awful fateful day where two siblings were killed by members of their own families.  So you see, Grandma Leona's story was correct.  She would have been about 21 years of age at the time this tragedy happened in her family.  It made an impression on her just as it has made an impression on mine while I have been learning about our family history.  In closing, let's learn to love one another, folks!    

Sources

Newspaper Article, Paoli News, Paoli, Indiana, 13 Dec 1939, Page 1, Column 3 and 4, Double Killing Ends Quarrel.

Newspaper Article, Logansport Pharos Tribune, Logansport, Indiana, 12 Dec 1939, Page 5, Column 3, Youth Held for Murder.

Newspaper Article, Monroe Morning World, Monroe, Louisiana, 11 Dec 1939, Page 4, Column 5, Two Killed, Son of One Arrested.

Newspaper Article, Manitowoc Herald Tribune, Manitowoc , Wisconsin, 11 Dec 1939, Page 7, Column 3, Family Quarrel End in Shooting; 2 Dead.


Newspaper Article, Paoli News, Paoli, Indiana, 14 Dec 1939, Page 1, Column 6, Jury To Meet for Sifting Of Dailey Deaths.

Court News, Paoli News, Paoli, Indiana, 27 Dec 1939, Page 1, Column 1, Court Adjourns Until February.

Newspaper Article, Paoli News, Paoli, Indiana, 28 Dec 1940, Page 1, Column 1 and 2, Jewell Dailey Acquitted Tuesday on the First Ballot. 

Newspaper Article, Paoli Republican, Paoli, Indiana, 29 Dec 1940, Page 1, Column 5, Packed Courtroom Applauds Dailey Manslaughter Acquittal. 

Ancestry.com. Indiana, Death Certificates, 1899-2011 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Indiana State Board of Health. Death Certificates, 1900–2011. Microfilm. Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Trouble for Harley Dailey - Part 1

When sitting with Grandma Leona Dailey Collins over ten years ago, she told me a story about people being shot in the front yard of a family member's house in Valeene, Indiana in the 1930's or 1940's. I was skeptical.  She couldn't give me a lot of details but she kept saying, "It's true, I tell you. They were dead in the front yard."  I asked her if the persons responsible went to jail, and she said, "No, not back then. It was justified. They didn't have to go to jail."  

This story kept rumbling around in my head, and I kept coming back to it in my notes. I decided it was time to find the real story.  I spent some time online searching for a murder that happened in Orange County around this time period with "Dailey" in the article.  Well, it didn't take long to find the details of the story.  In fact, I found it first in a newspaper in Utah, and then one in Ohio, and then Wisconsin, and then Louisiana.  This story went nation-wide because of the premise around what happened. 

My two times great grandfather, Jeremiah McCullough Dailey, had a brother named, Mort. Mort had a son named, Harley, and a daughter named, Edna.  The sensational murder story involves these siblings around  December of 1939, but first let's learn more about Harley. 

Harley had a history of being a nuisance and had run ins with the law starting at 18 years of age, and it seemed to continue throughout his life. At 18 years of age, there was a rather lengthy article in the Salem Democrat about him and a friend running around with two young girls and the father was extremely angry with them. 

Newspaper Article, Salem Democrat, 7 Oct 1907

He also had troubles with a farmer in 1915 and was taken to court for attempted murder at the age of 25. It appears Harley was shot at by a Jot Lamb, but Jot claimed it was self defense because Harley shot at him first with a revolver.

Court Announcement, Paoli Republican, 28 Jul 1915

To my surprise, I learned that Harley was also sentenced to Michigan State Prison on 22 Sept 1921 for the crime of "accessory after the fact to grand larceny".  According to www.legalmatch.com, this type of crime involves, "An accessory after the fact for someone who shelters, relieves, or assists a felon after a crime has already been committed (such as the driver of a getaway car). Assistance can take the form of financial, material, or even emotional support of the principal actor." In addition, grand larceny is defined as theft of something of larger value.

I found a few small Court docket records in the Paoli newspaper regarding this crime.  I could not find the details of exactly what happened, but it must have been serious enough for a prison sentence. I will add this to my list to research further the next time I am in Orange County. 

Here is the last entry in the Paoli newspaper for his sentencing and an entry about an escort to Michigan City Prison. 

State vs. Harley Dailey, Paoli Republican, 28 Sep 1921

Court News, Paoli Republican, 12 Oct 1921

One of my very favorite genealogy finds to-date is Harley's mug shot from Michigan City State Prison that I found at the Indiana State Archives!  It appears, from his mug shot, we can learn a few things about him.  He's 5 feet 11 inches tall and 173 1/2 pounds.  On a side note, apparently they take lots of other measurements when you go to the slammer, including the head length, cheek length, left foot and left forearm length, among other measurements.  Reading the back of his card, you can see he loved getting tattoos!  He had lots of them!  A woman's head, a snake, clasped hands, Indian head, broken dagger and the word, Mother, just to name a few. He also had a razor and shears tattoo, which I am speculating represented his occupation, which is stated as, barber.   

As I am wrapping up this blog past, I just found that Harley might have been dishonorably discharged from the military. Oh, boy, there's another tangent!  We haven't even gotten to the murder, and now there is another thing to research!  At the age of 49 and in 1939, Harley will be involved in the ultimate murder case.  More to come in the next post. 

Sources

Court Announcement, Paoli Republican, 28 Sept 1921, Page 4, Column 1, State vs. Harley Dailey.

Court Announcement, Paoli Republican, 12 Oct 1921, Page 4, Column 1, Charles Breeden.

DAILEY, HARLEY. Sentenced 1921/09/22 to the State Prison at Michigan City., 22 September 1921, DOC, Prisons, Mugshots, Corrections, ; Indiana State Archives, Indianapolis, Indiana; , Photo Box: 28, Photo Location: A 4043, Table #:6466.

Newspaper Article, Salem Democrat, 7 Oct 1907, Page 4, Column 1&2, Wages of Sin.

Court Announcement, Paoli Republican, 28 Jul 1915, Page 5, Column 4, Judge Baggerly.

Let's Get Started with the Dailey Family

I have been on this genealogy journey for the last few years and focusing on my married name of Woods.  I decided it was time to start digging into my Collins and Dailey roots!  I'll admit, it scared me a little bit to get started. I think that's why it took me so long to start.  With such common names as Collins and Dailey, I thought, "This is going to be soooooo hard!"  But then I thought, "When have I ever skirted from a challenge? Um, NEVER!" 

So here goes....I will do my best to start gathering some good stories for us and sharing what I learn.

I'm going to start with posting a look at our Dailey family tree for reference.  It appears we may have roots in Virginia, and our Dailey ancestor (George Washington Dailey) migrated to Indiana sometime around 1857. 

Before my grandmother, Leona Dailey Collins, died, I spent some time with her over several visits and gathered some family history.  Oh, how I wished I had asked more questions!  Don't we always wish that as genealogists?  If you are reading this and are thinking of speaking with a relative about your family history, seize the day! 

Grandma had some old pictures and a little booklet entitled, History of the Dailey Family, and quite honestly, this is probably the reason I got the genealogy bug!   I was mesmerized by the old picture of George Washington Dailey and his second wife, Mary Ann Bridgewater, and all their children.  The little booklet was also intriguing because I was thinking someone actually took some time and researched MY family. 

The booklet appears to have been compiled in 1966 by Bert E. and Norah J. Marshall.  This has been my starting point for the Dailey family history I have been gathering.  When someone published and compiles a family history, one should view it as hints to the truth and not gospel, unless they have well documented sources and you have verified those sources.  This booklet does not have any sources documented, so I have been dissecting it and thoroughly enjoying it! 

The first page starts out with some interesting news.  My four times great grandfather and grandmother were from Frederick County, Virginia.  I have been working on proving this fact and it is more difficult as I'd hoped, as there are multiple James Daileys in Frederick County, Virginia around this 1800-1850 time period. 
However, if I go back to the first paragraph of this blog, I am up the challenge and see if I can sort out the James Dailey mess over the course of the next few months. 

While I sort out this mess, I may have to digress and tell you some interesting stories I have found already and more current than 1850.  The first one involves MURDER!  Yes, I said murder, and in this little Dailey family and in the little county of Orange, Indiana.  Stay tuned folks! 

Sources:

Bert E. and Norah J. Marshall, Published Stout's Print Shop, Paoli, Indiana, History of the Dailey Family; supplied by Leona Ethel Dailey Collins, Orleans, Indiana, United States, History Published in 1966, Collected and Written in 1964 and 1965; Small 16 page booklet photocopied and stapled. Given to Deidre Collins Woods by Leona Ethel Dailey Collins (her grandmother) in 2008.

George Washington Dailey Family pictured are: George Dailey, Mary Ann Bridgewater Dailey, John Dailey, Daniel Dailey, Jeremiah McCullough Dailey, Ulysses Morton Dailey, ; digital image, ; privately held by Deidre Woods, Greenfield, IN 46140, 2019. Photograph copy given to Deidre Collins Woods by her grandmother, Leona Dailey Collins.