Andy and Charlie's Cattle Stealing Trials

 

Andrew and Charlie Patchett with their sister Mollie Patchett Harkins

One thing for sure in the West was you didn’t mess with a man’s horses, and you didn’t mess with his cattle. Everyone knew that.

     Yet somehow Andrew Jackson Patchett and his brother Charlie got entangled in a cattle hide trial that had them in jail and put them on the front page of the Coffeyville, Kansas newspapers for six months. Andy and Charlie were my great-grandmother Melissa’s cousins. 

     Stealing horses and cattle – not a good thing – but it is a little puzzling to modern eyes that such a huge deal would be made over something that yielded only $11.75 for the two brothers – equivalent to about $378 today. Andrew and Charlie were accused of selling three cowhides that were not theirs. The fact that the owner of the cattle was their boss, and a powerful and prominent man, maybe had something to do with the vigor with which they were pursued.

     

      “DISAPPEARANCE OF THREE CATTLE,” blared the 23 March 1906 Coffeyville Daily Record Headline. “Finally Leads to the Arrest of the Patchett Brothers This Morning – Trial Set For Monday.”

   The skinned bodies of three cows were found in the Verdigris River on March 13th. Undisputed was that Andy and Charlie had taken three cowhides to a hide and fur dealer, Leo Hyman, in Coffeyville, where they sold them. Also undisputed was the fact that the hides were marked with George Pfister’s brand. Andy and Charlie both lived on Pfister’s land and helped care for the cattle. 

     Andy and Charlie’s story was that they had gone duck hunting at the river when two strangers in an old boat approached them with three cattle hides, which they offered to sell for $3.

On March 23rd, the brothers released a statement to The Coffeyville Weekly Journal explaining their side of the story – the “strangers in the boat” story --  and proclaimed their innocence. They said they regretted not reporting their hide purchase to Pfister or his hired man, and realized not having done so made them look suspicious. They also dramatically offered a $500 reward for the capture and conviction of the real cattle thieves.

     Nevertheless, the brothers were held in the Coffeyville Jail on $200 bond each - roughly $3,200. They were originally charged on two counts: killing the cows, and selling their hides.

George Pfister

     George Pfister was, if not the richest man in town, certainly one of the richest. He made his money in ranching and real estate, and owned 1,200 acres near Coffeyville and 800 acres on the Verdigris River just outside town. He lived in the city in an eleven-room home and owned extensive real estate downtown, including six brick business buildings on Eighth Street. His property would be valued at the equivalent of over $1.5 million in 1918, and he sent all of his children to college at a time when that was rare. He would also later serve on the city council. 

     He was four years older than Andrew, and the two had known each other all their lives. 

The Prosecution

     The trial began on April 27th. Interest in the case was reported to be very high. Over 100 men were considered for the nine-person jury. Several witnesses were called both for the state and the defense. The examination of the state’s witnesses took up the greater part of the morning.  The state rested shortly after court convened Friday afternoon and the examination of witnesses for the defense began. 

     “A.J. Patchett took the stand for himself and told the story of how he came by the hides which he sold to Mr. Hyman, the dealer in hides…..Mr. Patchett gave a description of the two men from whom he purchased the hides. One was about twenty-five years old, he said, and the other was about thirty-two.” Andrew said the men offered him the hides for $3 total. 

     Judge Snelling took the case under advisement. Charges of killing the cattle were dropped for lack of evidence, but the hide-stealing charge remained. The brothers continued to be held on the same bond. A new trial was set for May 10th. This trial was continued until June, then was postponed yet again due to the illness of the deputy prosecuting attorney, who was trying the case. The case finally got underway on July 12th. Here is the article in the newspaper:

Chas. And A.J. Patchett Both Found To Be Splendid Witnesses – Defendants accused of skinning three head of cattle belonging to George Pfister and disposing of their hides to Fred Heyman,” Coffeyville Daily Journal, 12 July 1906, p. 1 –

  The much discussed case wherein the Patchett brothers are accused of skinning three head of cattle, the property of George Pfister, and then disposing of the same was brought to trial at 9:30 o’clock this morning in Judge Rice’s court before a jury of nine men.

  The jury was composed of…[names].

  The first introduced by the state was George Pfister, the plaintiff, who told of recognizing the hides after they had been sold by the Patchett brothers and of the conversation which took place on the Sunday afternoon between him and the defendants.

  A.C. Mitchell, who works on the farm owned by the plaintiff and from where the cattle disappeared, was next called, giving in detail his discovery of the disappearance of the cattle, the search for the same, and the subsequent discovery of the carcasses in the river.

  In the testimony given by Fred Heyman, who purchased the hides from A.J. Patchett, a strong point was scored by the state when the witness stated that Mr. Patchett told him that the cattle had been drowned and that he had a hard time getting them out of the river….

  A.J. Patchett told a straight and plausible story of how he and his brother started hunting on the morning of March 12, how they met two men in a boat who had the hides in their possession, and how they had purchased the skins for $3.00.

  Witness denied having any such conversation related by Fred Heyman and following his testimony his brother took the stand and corroborated the statements made by A.J. Patchett.

Fred Heyman shared the detail that the hides were still wet when they were brought to him.

     Neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Harkins testified that they saw two men matching the description Andy and Charlie gave on the same day they allegedly encountered the strangers in the old boat. What wasn’t stated in the newspaper article was that the Harkins were family. Andrew and Charlie’s sister Mollie married John Harkins; he lived along the Verdigris River and so did his brother George. Either John and Mollie testified or George and his wife Ella did. Either way, they weren’t disinterested parties. Thirty witnesses were called in this trial.   

 

The Verdict

     

     “All day yesterday the courtroom was filled with an interested audience, who drank in eagerly every word of testimony,” the newspaper reported. 

     The jury deliberated until nine at night but could not come to an agreement. “Jury Disagreed in Celebrated Patchett-Pfister Case,” the headline would state the next day. Pfister’s attorney contended that the $500 reward Andy and Charlie offered for the conviction of the hide stealers was nothing but a sham; that the offer was put up for such a short time as to be insincere, and a ruse. Andy countered that the reward still held. He was apparently very convincing on the stand, as reporting from two trials noted. 

      Six men, all Civil War veterans, favored acquittal; three younger men held out for conviction. Once again, Andy and Charlie would have to wait for another trial. 

     Andy called the newspaper the next day to say that he wanted it known that the $500 reward was still good; that he and his brother were more anxious than anyone else to see the true hide stealers convicted. He and Charlie wanted to be vindicated in the eyes of the public, he said.  

The Outcome

     A new trial date was set for August but once again was continued. On September 12th, a new trial began. The entire morning was spent trying to secure a jury. Over a hundred men were called before six were chosen. This time, things were a bit anticlimactic. “Patchett Brothers Acquitted,” said a small headline. “This was the third trial of a hard, long-fought case,” the reporter noted. 

     The brothers were finally free, after six months of disruption. No one ever claimed their $500 reward. 

Sources:

     Connelley, William E. A Standard History of Kansas and Kansans. Chicago: Lewis, 1918. 5v. “Biography of George J. Pfister,” https://accessgenealogy.com/indiana/biography-of-george-j-pfister.htm

     “Disappearance of Three Cattle = Finally Leads to the Arrest of Patchett Brothers,” Coffeyville Daily Record, 23 March 1906, p. 1.

     “Case Is Continued,” Coffeyville Daily Journal, 26 March 1906, p. 8. 

     “For Killing Cattle - Trial of Patchett Brothers Now in Progress,” Coffeyville Daily Journal, 20 April 1906, p. 5. 

     “Patchett Trial,” Coffeyville Daily Journal, 9 May 1906, p. 8. 

     “Case Postponed,” Coffeyville Daily Record, 10 May 1906, p. 8. 

     “Continue Cases,” Coffeyville Weekly Journal, 29 June 1906, p. 6.

     Thirty Witnesses: Coffeyville Daily Record, 11 July 1906, p. 5. 

     “Jury Disagreed in the Celebrated Patchett-Pfister Trial,” Coffeyville Daily Record, 13 July 1906, p. 1. 

     “Patchett Jury Disagreed,” Coffeyville Daily Journal, 13 July 1906, p. 5.

     “Padgett [sic] Case on Trial,” Coffeyville Daily Journal, 12 Sept 1906, p. 4. 

     “Patchett Brothers Acquitted,” Coffeyville Daily Record, 13 Sept. 1906, p. 5.

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