Memoirs of Daniel W. Cunningham
The Criminal History of Roane & Jackson Counties
Part 2
Taken and sworn to and subscribed before me this 18th day of July, 1905. F. L. Beardsley Notary Public in and for Kanawha County, West Virginia.
This indictment was forged. I wrote to Vandale to be ready for trial at the next term of court and I would be on hand. I went into their den the next Court and was ready for trial. They had failed to take my life and plainly saw I was not going anywhere so they went to work to get up perjured evidence. Old George Riley of Flat Fork and Jeff Kiser, the preacher were the mediums. Information–Riley went so far as to offer Marley Shafer $300.00 to swear a falsehood against me and like inducements were held out to others. They gave me all the trouble they could. The Ryan family at first acted honorably and testified the truth no doubt before the Coroner’s inquest and when Drake was tried in Charleston they denied their former statements which were matters of record, and swore to suit the occasion. At the time T. P. Ryan, swore of their oaths they did not see or recognize any one. Robert Duff, George Duff, Jr., and Ches Coon had not been murdered by the Organized Mob. (I was told that John A. A. Vandale was present at this inquest) neither had Mrs. Ryan and T. P. Ryan, Jr., met Frank Skeens and his murderers. The two Duffs and Coon were murdered–Drake was indicted and the time for his trial came up at Charleston. John A. A. Vandale followed the case to prosecute it, backed by eighty starved witnesses–Frank Skeens being the mouth-piece for the crowd. Mrs. Ryan and her son T. P. Ryan were put on the witness stand. Mr. Parkhurst who is known all over the State of West Virginia as a stenographer, took the evidence down and his stenographic report is now filed in the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office in the City of Charleston. Mrs. Ryan took the witness stand with Frank Skeen at her side. He prompted her until ordered away by Judge Guthrie and was escorted out of Court room by the sheriff. Then in that testimony Mrs. Ryan swore on her solemn oath that she saw Robert Duff and Perry Drake in her house the night of the murder of her husband. I believe her son, T. P. Ryan, Jr., swore the same thing–not positive–their attention was called to the former statements made before Coroner Lowe at their home on their solemn oaths. Mrs. Ryan denied her former statement and her signature. Prosecuting Attorney John A. A. Vandale being present and approved the statement. Squire John C. Lowe and his Jury were present put on the witness stand and discredited the statements. Their statements were made in the presence of Governor Wilson, Judge Sam Burdett of Charleston and many others. The case was given to the Jury and they were out seven minutes and returned a verdict of “Not Guilty.” In my opinion if there was a spark of honor in T. P. Ryan, jr. he would come boldly out and say to connect Drake and the Duffs in a commission of crime together would be just as plausible as to aim to connect the writer and the Skeens and Counts together in crime. George Duff, Jr., never saw Drake in his life. Drake married a Kiser. The Ryan family and myself were always the best of friends until this trouble came up, and they knew the most bitter feeling existed between the Duffs and myself against the Kisers, Hammons, Skeens and Counts. Mrs. Ryan and her son T. P. Ryan, Jr. in my opinion were duped by Frank Skeens and other for no other purpose than to get a public sentiment in their favor in order to keep them out of the Penitentiary for their many murders. The Skeens mob had no sympathy for the Ryan people. They were opposed to Reverend Ryan politically, spiritually and morally. I herewith give the names of the murderers and those who are in murderers’ graves: Peter Skeens, Pierce Skeens, Joe Skeens, Bill Skeens, Sr., Bob Skeens, Joshua Skeens, Charles Skeens, Frank Skeens, Dick Skeens, Ike, Waid, Si, Cain and Mart Counts, Jack Counts, Bob Cleek, Frank Cleek, Ad Cleek, Jerry Good, Jesse Good, Lewis Johns, Bob Mate, Jess Winters, John Faber, Elihu, Josh and John Presley, Perry Jones, Chas. Chatman, Jeff Kiser, Ben Coon, Chas. Harper, D. B. Covey, Joel Skeens, Joe Cook, Asa Harper, Bill Payne, Dave, Sam and Joe Hammons, Coon Fisher and George Shamblin.- This gang since the murder and perjury has been going down. They have no appearance of humans. Disease and death has found its way among them–95% of the murderers and cut throats are in murderers’ graves. On Ervin Riley’s death bed I was told the murder of Robert Duff was constantly on his tongue. He said he knew Duff was innocent. Old Ab Kiser, Bill Payne, Dave Hammons, Bob Cleek, Joe Skeens, Jake Kiser, John Presley, Bob Skeens and old Frank Skeens are all in murderers’ graves. The inter- married gang whose names will appear–many are deformed in every way. In tracnig the genealogy of these people it seems pre-historic, for they have manners and customs peculiar to themselves, unlike any other people. Ike Counts married Frank Skeen’s sister. Ab Kiser married Ike Count’s sister. Joe Skeens married Andy Hammon’s sister. Jake Kiser married Andy Hammons’ sister. Pierce Skeens married Ab Kiser’s daughter. John Kiser, a son of Jake Kiser, married Andy Hammon’s daughter. Joe Kiser, a son of Jake Kiser, married Joe Skeen’s daughter. Hen Kiser married Joe Skeen’s daughter. Jeff Kiser married Joe Skeens’ daughter. Joe Counts married Bob Cleek’s daughter. Andy Presley married Frank Skeens’ dau- ghter. Peter Skeens married Ad Cleek’s daughter. Lewis Johns married Bob Cleek’s dauughter. Joel Skeens married Sam Smith’s daughter, her mother being a Kiser. John Faber marrried Corgin’s daughter. Cain Counts married his first cousin. Lear Kiser went to Russell and married a Kiser. Bill Fields married a Kiser. Elijah Kiser married Bill Fields’ sister. It can be easily seen why such people hold together, having no respect for the United States, its laws and flag. The percent of illiteracy is greater among this class of people than any in West Virginia. The gang of murderers the next Sunday after they had commited their horrible deed, marched to Mt. Nebo Church in Roane County to meeting. John H. Smith, a good, quiet and orderly–Civil War citizen was to be ordained as a minister. They were the first ones to get up and give in their experience, and to bow down and take the Sacrament–the Lord’s supper. If their God directed them to commit such horrible deeds I would hate to see one bad act of the Devil. After that they had a love feast meeting, with the innocent blood dripping from their fingers and not dry on their clothes. Little did John H. Smith know that he was shaking hands with a gang of cold blooded murderers, who were there with more hypocrisy than Judasa when he betrayed Christ. On the following Sunday, on the day the mock inquest was held over the bodies of Coon and Duff–the funeral sermon was to be preached overr the grave of my brother Nathan who had been murder- ed by this same cut throat gang ten years previous; and they made the remark that it should not be preached by the Reverend Thomas Ryan. On the night that the Reverend Ryan was murdered I was at the house of M. L. Fletcher of Kentuck, Jackson County on business-pertaining to the funeral of my brother Nathan which was to be preached the succeeding Sunday. Nathan was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church–the same church that Reverend T. P. Ryan belonged to. Nathan was virtually raised in said church. On this same night Squier E. A. Thomas of Gay, Jackson County, was to come to our hosue, therefore, before I left home to go to M. L. Fletcher’s I put horse feed in the stable for Mr. Thomas’s horse–went west 2� miles to Fletcher’s home stayed there until after 9:30 P.M. From the Ryan home to M. L. Fletcher’s is about twelve miles. The next morning I learned from Squire E. A. Thomas that the Reverend T. P. Ryan had been shot and killed the preceeding night. After the cut throats learned this, something had to be said and done, so they circulated the report that I was accessoy to the murder. I was told that John A. A. Vandale, the then prosecuting attorney, in connection with Si Counts framed the accessory indictment against me. After I learned this I offered Vandale $100.00 if he would produce the witness or witnesses who indicted me and we were to leave it to ten members of said Grand Jury. I got no response, then later I offered Vandale both public and private $500.00 for said information–no response came. As I have already stated Rev. Ryan was a good man. He married a woman by the name of Harper, a sister to Asa Harper and a sister to Jince Harper Shafer. Asa Harper, whose name appears through this article, and who rode to John Price’s store on the morning of the 14th day of October, 1887, and exhibited a long rope, and said in the presence of scores of people, including Squire Bob Dawson, that he had the ropes in his saddle pockets to hang the men his Organization accused of the murder of T. P. Ryan. This same Asa Harper married an excellent woman and lived near Walton, Roane County–raised a family of children by her. Just below on Poca River he lived in adultery with a Miss Brooks and raised a family of children by her so I was told. The officials of the County knew this. It was said Asa Harper had a son by the name of Ed and a daughter by the name of Rebecca. Ed was a school teacher and a member of the Board of Exam- iners (teachers). Rebecca was studying to be a school mistress under the instructions of Ed. Elder Graham from Wheeling was holding a series of meetings at Cicerone, Roane County, and was invited to take lunch at the Asa Harper home. Mr. Graham accepted, and while at the Harper’s Rebec- ca became violently ill. Rebecca grew worse. Dr. Willie Shirkey, who was located at Cicerone (Shirkey is a son of Henry Shirkey of Sissonville, W.Va.) was summoned; in a short time Rebecca became a mother. An officer was summoned and there in the presence of Reverend Graham and Doctor Willie Shirkey, Rebecca admitted the child belonged to Ed. Graham and Shirkey are both living. They live now at Charleston, W.Va., and Graham was elder in the M. E. Church. The County Superintendent of Free Schools of Roane County compelled Ed to resign as member of the Board of Examiners. Ed left and went to Fayette county and secured a school up there. When these facts became known he was discharged. He then came back to his old haunts in Roane county. This Ed was very active working against me in connection with his father, Asa Harper. Ed had married a Miss Hunt, an excellent lady. Asa Harper had a sister by the name of Jince. Jince married a Mr. Shafer, a good citizen. Jince had a son by the name of Isaac, an honest but poor girl by the name of Betty was taken in the family as a domestic. After she had been in the Shafer home for twelve months it was discovered that she would soon become a mother. I was told that Jince told her if she gave birth to a child in her house she would kill her; therefore Betty, Jince Shafer and her son Isaac retired to the woods (this was near Mattie, Roane County, W.Va.) a child was born. Jince took the infant and attempted to break its neck and thought she had completed her work. She carried it to Rock Creek and attempted to throw it into the rough stream. The little babe caught against some branches of a tree and fell on the ground near the water’s edge; it was not dead when it fell to the ground. Dr. Hensley of Walton, Roane County, was summoned to attend this sick girl, Betty. Betty after seeing Dr. Hensley and finding she would have protection made a full confession to him, told the Doctor what Jince did with her babe and he went to the place mentioned by her and found the babe lying dead on the bank of Rock Creek. Hensley stated that it was not dead when it fell to the ground, giving as his reasons that while in the agonies of death the little innocent babe had gripped leaves in its hands, etc. Dr. Hensley made public a full statement of the facts, and sentiment ran high against Jince and her son Isaac and she was indicted at Spencer. John A. A. Vandale was the Prosecuting Attorney. Vandale knew that to convict Jince would sever the Biblical cord that connected this Organized Band of murderers. The case was soon out of Court and no one convicted. Going back to Asa Harper and his ropes, it seemed after the revolting act of incest by Ed and Rebecca, and the murderous act of his sister Jince he forgot to exhibit the ropes and call on his murderers to take their lives. Referring to Bob Cleek as being the first man in the Lynn Camp meeting on the night of October 15th, 1887, and aiding in the murder of Coon and Duff; after the murder of those men Cleek rode home to Kentuck, Jackson County, a distance of twelve miles arriving home at three o’clock in the morning October 16th, 1887. Cleek’s grandson, being a son of J. M. Ray, who now lives at Hazard, Ky., was at his grandfather’s house when he came in. Young Ray was sleeping in a trundle bed in the room where his step-grandmother slept. This young man saw Bob Cleek change his clothes, taking his bloody ones off; also heard him tell his wife what they had done in the way of murder. Young Ray is now a doctor and lives in Hazard, Ky. I do not wish to cast any reflection on Bob Cleek’s children; they were respected and were raised by a noble mother whose maiden names was Miss Harvey. Jesse Good, the man referred to in this article as being the first man selected to act as captain in the Lynn Camp meeting on the night of October 15th, 1887, in leading the gang to kill Duff and Coon, after the band used him on that night to help carry out their murderous plots, the Organized Band discarded him so he left Kentuck and went to Point Pleasant and went to preaching; mixing with those good citizens of Mason County. I took pleasure in telling some of them just who Good was and I said to them if the curtain was slipped aside they would see a demon and murderer with innocent blood covering his frame. This man Good is a villainous coward, nearly seven feet tall, his eyes set cross-wise in their sockets. George Riley who went out to bribe witnesses I suppose for the officials at Spencer against me, and who offered Marley Shafer of Higby, Roane County, W.Va., I was told $300.00 if he would come to Spencer and swear what they wanted him to swear against me. Riley had three sons, Ervin, Bill and Albert. I was told Mr. Bee, a salesman from Doddridge County, W.Va., stopped at the house of George Riley on the night of October 15th, 1887– after midnight of that night George Riley and his sons came home. Mr. Bee heard them talking about the murder of Duff and Coon. Bill Riley, a son of George, was married to a Miss Springston, one among the good women of that country. Bill on his return home was met by his wife who said, “Bill if you helped kill Duff we will be two people from now on.” Bill denied having a hand in it. If he didn’t help cut Duff’s throat he was with the gang who did it according to information. This gang of murderers after they had killed my brother were not persecut- ed. I could not get Mr. V. S. Armstrong, the Prosecuting Attorney to do his duty and wipe out those villains. The Organized Band had slipped to George Duff’s Sr., and shot George Duff, Jr. to death. They pulled Robert Duff from his house in Jackson County, without a process of law and cut his throat. They then marched over Jackson county armed to the teeth, in the presence of this same V. S. Armstrong, who was then Circuit Judge. It seemed that the murderers were protected by the officers of Jackson and Roane county. John A. A. Vandale of Roane county and the officials of Jackson county have been a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night for the protection of a band of the most heartless demons that ever lived. The atrocities of Roane county will be continued.
About The Author
