Beckner - Panel - murdered
“Asking Clemency”
Source: Indianapolis News 5 June 1916 p 7
John James, who killed a man named Panel Beckner near Colfax when the two were hunting and James was drunk will ask for clemency. He was sentenced for life from Montgomery County in 1906.
Source: CWJ 4 April 1902 p 4
“White Church” – Panel Beckner put up about 80 rods of fence for Grant Cook last week.
Source: CWJ 5 Oct 1894 p 1
Panel Beckner and his ax are always seen together. Owing to a small $2.00 judgment that has been hanging over Panel for some time our marshal (Darlington news) has had his best eye out on that ax and on last Monday while Panel’s back was turned he got it (not where the chicken did). Panel got all mad and called the marshal some vile names, whereupon he was ushered into the presence of Cadi Armstrong where he dropped enough to pay for a half dozen such axes.
Source: Huntington Daily News-Democrat 11 Aug 1905 Fri p 1
Mrs. HH Sinnet, living 5 miles southwest of the city this morning received word that her brother, Panel Beckner of Darlington was brutally murdered in a woods near the Montgomery-Boone County line Thursday afternoon. The first knowledge anyone had of the murder was when the two men who committed the crime called in a drunken stupor at the home of the owner of the woods where the tragedy took place. With a gaping gunshot wound in the breast and the pockets of his clothing turned out, the body of Beckner was found in the woods on the farm of Al Cox in Montgomery County. John James, 32 years old and Charles D. Derickson, a negro, 90 years old have been arrested. Considerable mystery attaches to the death of Beckner as both James and Derickson had been drinking and neither told a coherent story. According to the report, Derickson and Beckner left Darlington in a buggy about 4 o’clock. A short distance out of Darlington, it is said, they were accosted by James, who requested permission to ride. The trio drove into the woods on the farm of Al Cox. A few minutes later two reports from a shot gun were heard. Later James and Derickson, the latter bleeding from buckshot wounds in the neck and head, appeared at the Cox home where they told the owner of the farm that Beckner had committed suicide and that his body was lying in the woods. Cox found the body of Beckner lying in a pool of blood which was pouring from a gunshot wound in the breast. His pockets had been turned out and the small among of money Beckner was known to have had was missing. After caring for the body Cox caused James and the negro to be arrested.
Source: Indianapolis News 20 Dec 1905 Wed p 16
Crawfordsville, Ind Dec 20 – Attorneys for John James, the convicted murderer of Panel Beckner, argued a motion for a new trial in the Circuit Court yesterday afternoon. Judge West overruled the motion and sentenced James to prison for life. The sheriff received a letter today from James’ old mother who lives at Thorntown inclosing 30 cents in stamps and requesting him to expend it for tobacco and “give it to Johnny as a Christmas remembrance.” James will be taken to the penitentiary at Michigan City tomorrow.
Source: The Enterprise (Noblesville, Hamilton County, Indiana) Fri 18 Aug 1905 p 4
Darlington, Ind Aug 11 – With his pockets turned inside out and a roll of bills supposed to have been upon his person missing, the dead body of Panel Beckner, a widower 63 years old who lives six and one-half miles east of here was found in the woods. John James, a young man 25 years old known in police circles is in jail here charged with causing his death.
Source: Noblesville, Indiana Enterprise Fri 18 Aug 1905 p4
Crawfordsville, Ind Aug 16 – Coroner Riley in his verdict in the killing of Panel Beckner, which occurred in a woods near Darlington finds that John James is guilty of shooting Beckner and also of shooting the colored preacher, Derrickson who was with them at the time. Coroner Riley found that the crime was premeditated and that robbery was the cause.
Source: Indianapolis News Sat 25 Nov 1905 p 4
Crawfordsville, Ind Nov 25 – After nearly 3 days had been spent in culling jury material, 12 men acceptable to either side were obtained yesterday afternoon to try John James on the charge of killing Panel Beckner. The jury is composed of DT Thompson; WT Glenn; John P Bible; George Largent; Aquilla Groves; Gilbert Blacke; James Galloway; Rice Kline; Thomas Nicely; Millard Buxton; William Mullen and John Swearengen the majority of them farmers by occupation and all living in parts of the county away from the scene of the murder. In his opening statement to the jury, Prosecutor Caldwell said the State expected to prove premeditation on the part of the defendant. Two witnesses were examined yesterday, Charles Harris who was working at the time in a field adjoining the woods wherein the tragedy took place and Charles Derrickson, the old colored preacher who accompanied the murdered man and his accused murderer on their last ride. Harris heard the two shots fired but paid no attention to them, thinking it was somewhat shooting squirrels. Later he was apprised of what had happened and was one of the first to reach the scene. He described the conditions and the circumstances surround the discovered of the body. The colored preacher who will be 89 years old in February was some distance away when Panel Beckner was killed and, as he turned, received a charge of shot himself. He was too badly frightened to know much about what had taken place and his evidence was largely circumstantial.
Source: Tribune Thu 30 Nov 1905 p 2
Crawfordsville, Noc 30 – The defense in the case of John James, charged with killing Panel Beckner put witnesses on the stand with the purpose of proving that Beckner shot himself accidently or with suicidal intent. The state has rested.