The Caddo Herald
March 31, 1916
Woman Shot Sheriff
One of the boldest escapes ever pulled off in the history of Oklahoma occurred this morning when a murderer in the charge of a Texas sheriff on the southbound Katy Limited No. 9, which reaches here at 4:25 o’clock, made his escape near Checotah, Okla.
From the information that could be obtained concerning the matter, the sheriff was from Beaumont, Texas and had been somewhere north after a man by the name J. O. Kendrick, who was wanted in Texas for murder.
The sheriff, whose name is understood to have been W. J. Biles, had captured his man and was on his way home with him on the Katy Limited. He did not have his prisoners handcuffed or shackled in any way and was sitting facing him in the coach.
When the train was about five miles north of Checotah this morning about 1 o’clock, a woman passed down the aisle of the car and when she got just back of the sheriff, placed the muzzle of a pistol in his head and shot. The sheriff was killed instantly, the bullet entering the back of his head just below the ar.
The woman who did the shooting is supposed to have been the prisoner’s wife, and as soon as the sheriff was shot the prisoner took the officer’s gun and he and the woman covered the passengers in the car and also the auditor who they made stop the train. As soon as the train slowed down the man and woman both got off and made for the hills in that section of the country.
The train proceeded to Checotah where the officers were notified and the names of all witnesses in the car at the time of the shooting were taken.
The officers immediately organized a posse and started in pursuit of the two daring criminals and a report was received this afternoon that the posse had surrounded the fugitives and captured the man and woman who were lodged in jail.

On March 24, 1916, Sheriff W. Jacob "Jake" Giles was transporting his prisoner, Paul V. Hadley (age 30), from Kansas City, Missouri, back to Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas, where he was wanted for "Assault with Intent to Kill". When Hadley was arrested on March 20, 1916, he was running a Motion Picture House in K.C. and going by the name J. O. Kendrick.

Hadley didn't fight extradition; and, when his wife, Ida Hadley, asked the Sheriff to let her go along with them on the train (the "Katy Limited") back to Texas, the Sheriff agreed. Sheriff Giles had some prior knowledge of the Hadleys in Texas and didn't anticipate any problem with this arrangement.

Around 1 a.m., as the train approached Oktaha, Muskogee County, Oklahoma, Ida Hadley walked to the ladies' toilet at the front of the car. As she returned to her seat, passing the Sheriff, who was sitting across the aisle from her and her husband, she pulled a revolver from her clothing, placed the muzzle to the back of his head, and fired.

(Note: According to "Oklahoma Heroes" by Ron Owens {p. 99), Sheriff Giles was the father of nine (9) children from the ages of 4 to 19. And, According to "Texas County Sheriffs" by Sammy Tise (p. 286), Sheriff Giles was a Four-term Sheriff from Jefferson County, Texas, having been elected in November(s) of 1908, 1910, 1912, & 1914.)

The Hadleys escaped from the passenger car as it approached Checotah; however, they were re-captured a few miles away the next day, and jailed at Eufaula. In May (1916), Paul Hadley made one failed attempt to escape jail, but was stopped by fellow inmates.

Paul Hadley was tried and convicted for the murder of Sheriff Giles and was sentenced to "Life!" in prison. Ida Hadley was acquitted on the grounds that she was "Insane"! She was so determined to stay with her husband that she pled guilty to a "conspiracy charge" in the murder, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Paul V. Hadley appealed his conviction and sentence; however, the Oklahoma Criminal Court of Appeals {14OkCr644} "affirmed" the sentence on March 23, 1918.

Hadley invented some devise, while in prison, and was issued a patent. He convinced the Warden that he could make a lot of money with his invention; but, he needed to get out of prison for a short period to refine the item and secure the financing. Hadley was allowed a Sixty-day (60) "leave of absence" from his incarceration. He left, and never returned!

As far as is known, he made NO ATTEMPT to contact, or secure the release of his wife, Ida, or even communicate with her, while she served the remainder of her sentence.

In November of 1921, Paul V. Hadley, who was going by the name William G. Eastover (aka Wm S. Estaver, aka James E. Stover)was arrested in Yuma, Arizona, for the robbery and shooting of a Swedish couple, Mr. & Mrs. Peter Johnson. He shot both of them multiple times, shooting Mr. Johnson five times, who survived; however, Mrs. Johnson did not survive.

He was tried and convicted for the killing of Mrs Johnson, and sentenced "To Hang!" (Note: One newspaper article stated that Hadley's trial was the First Time that 'bullet ballistics' was used in a case. However, I don't know if they meant in the United States, or just in Arizona.)

Ida Hadley pleaded with the authorities to release her from Oklahoma's State Prison at McAlester, Oklahoma, so that she could be with her husband in his final days. The State agreed. She was paroled by Governor Robertson in July of 1922; however, she didn't go to Arizona. Instead, she moved to Texas and married Jack Daughery around April 23, 1923 - - ten (10) days after Paul V. Hadley was executed!

Paul Hadley is buried in the prison graveyard at Florence, Arizona. Ida Hadley died in March of 1924 at either San Angelo, or Hull, Texas.

Sources:

Daily Oklahoman 4/16/1916 (p.1); 5/23/1916 (p.1); 5/25/1916 (p.1); 6/22/1916 (p.4); 6/28/1916 (p.2); 9/8/1916 (p.4); 8/30/1919 (p.1); 8/31/1919 (p.2); 5/6/1922 (p.1); 5/22/1922 (p.2); 8/17/1922 (p.7); 11/3/1922 (p.9); 4/13/1923 (p.1); 4/14/1923 (p.14); 4/23/1923 (p.15); 3/22/1924 (p.2); 6/29/1924 (p.49).
Cushing Independant 3/24/1916 (p.1).
Daily Ardmoreite 5/21/1916 (p.1); 6/21/1916 (p.2); 5/4/1922 (p.1); 5/7/1922 (p.8).
Muskogee Times Democrat 7/1/1922 (p.16).
Shawnee Daily News Herald 6/25/1916 (p.1); 6/28/1916 (p.1).

What a story! Thanks for posting it.

Martha