John Buckman Murder

The following story is from William F. Mahrt (son of Fred Mahrt). William would have been four years old at the time of the event and eighty-six at the time of the interview. He believed that this occurred in 1897 or 1898, but newspaper articles say 1896. He also missed the name of Walter Fairman. calling him Walter Freeman. The names have been changed to keep the stories consistent. Other than that the story is similar to newspaper accounts.

Walter [Fairman] was working on the threshing crew for [Fred] Mahrt on the [John] Buckman place at Reardan, Washington. Buckman thought [Fred] Mahrt was measuring wheat by the number of sacks of wheat harvested. So Buckman told [Fairman], who was sewing up the sacks, to fill the sacks fuller to put more wheat into each sack. This made [Fairman] mad and he proceeded to put less wheat in the sacks instead of more. Now [Fred] Mahrt had no intention of counting the sacks of wheat, because he had measured the bin in which the wheat was to be stored beforehand while it was empty. When the wheat was all gathered in the bin, [Fred] was going to measure the depth of the grain in the bin and thus would know how much wheat he had threshed for Buckman. But Buckman, thinking that [Fred] Mahrt was going to measure by the sack, got very angry at [Fairman] and took after [Fairman] with a knife. In defense of his own life, Freeman used a pitch fork on Buckman to try to knock him aside and hit him on the head with it and knocked Buckman down. It turned out Buckman was mortally wounded and died before the harvest crew came in to supper. [Fairman] who worked for [Fred] Mahrt wanted to flee the country, but [Fred] told him there was no need, as he would testify to the truth that Freeman was protecting his own life, as Buckman intended to cut him up with a knife. So [Fairman] stayed for a court trial and was pardoned and released by the court who said anyone had the right to defend his own life when necessary, which is what [Fairman] had to do when Buckman attacked him with the knife.

From two newspaper accounts at the time we can learn a bit more.

Spokesman-Review September 12, 1896

DIED IN 30 MINUTES

A Lincoln County Rancher Killed by One of His Employees

THEY HAD A QUARREL

Walter Fairman Struck J. H. Buckman With a Pitchfork--The Former in Custody'''.

Reardan, Sept. 11.—A tragedy occurred yesterday at the ranch of J. H. Buckman, a prominent Lincoln County man and an old resident that has thrown a shadow over at least one family.

Walter Fairman had been engaged with a crew to do some threshing on the Buckman place, and while at work, the two got into a dispute over the measure from the separator. Buckman accused Fairman of short measure, but later denied it and called him a liar. Whereupon Buckman struck Fairman with his fist, and the latter struck back, knocking Buckman down and held him there until he took it back.

Buckman then got up and went off, and a few minutes later Fairman noticed him coming toward him with a knife. Fairman then grabbed a pitchfork to defend himself with, and as Buckman came on he struck him on the head with the butt end of the fork. He fell without another word or motion, and within 30 minutes and before a physician could arrive, had expired.

Fairman is now in the custody of Deputy Sheriff Frazier, and will be doubtless taken to Davenport for trial. He expressed sorrow at the outcome of the quarrel, but says he did it in self defense. Prosecuting Attorney Brock was sent for and is expected to arrive on the morning train.

At the coroner's inquest held this afternoon at Buckman's home the body of J. H. Buckman was viewed by the jury. Six witnesses, who saw the tragedy, were called and examined, and found that death was caused by the stroke of a pitchfork in the hands of Walter Fairman.

At the preliminary examination, held tonight before Justice of the Peace Garber, the defendant waived examination under the charge of murder in the first degree, and was bound over to await the action of the Superior Court, his bond being fixed at $1500.

And from the Lincoln County Times, a predecessor to the Davenport Times.

Lincoln County Times September 18, 1896

TRAGEDY AT REARDAN

J. H. Buckman gets into a Quarrel with a Threshing Hand, and receives a Fatal Blow

A tragedy took place near Reardan, last Thursday afternoon, the victim in the unfortunate affair being Mr. J. H. Buckman, one of the best know settlers in that part of the country, who owns a fine farm just west of the town of Reardan.

The threshers were engaged taking care of Mr. Buckman’s grain, and it appears that Mr. Buckman conceived the notion that Walter Fairman, the man who was filling the sacks from the machine, was not giving him good measure, and they soon got into high words which terminated into a hand to hand fight, in which Buckman was easily worsted. It is claimed that Fairman let him up only on his promise that he would refrain from further fighting, but that soon after getting up, he procured a knife and again started for Fairman, declaring he would now fix him. Fairman caught hold of a fork, and as he (Buckman) approached, struck him across the head with the handle. It was told at the preliminary hearing that Mr. Buckman did not immediately fall after receiving the blow, but first walked away and leaned up against the machine, and a little later fainted, and in a few hours expired without ever speaking or regaining consciousness after he fell.

Mr. Fairman was placed under arrest, and Prosecuting Attorney Brock notified. The following day the preliminary hearing was held in Reardan, Attorney H. A. P. Myers, of Davenport, appearing for the defense and Attorney Brock for the prosecution. Murder in the first degree was the charge preferred against the defendant, after the examination of witnesses, and a spirited debate between the attorneys, the prisoner's bond was fixed at $1500 for his appearance before Judge Mount at the November term of the superior court. Not being able to give the required bond however, he was committed to the county jail at Sprague.

Mr. Buckman, the murdered, man, was a pioneer citizen of Lincoln county, who had accumulated considerable property, and who was in many respects a worthy citizen, although much given to quarreling about small matters. His wife and family are highly esteemed by neighbors, and much sympathy is expressed for them. Fairman, the man who committed the deed, is a comparative stranger and without friends in this part of the country. He is said to have worked around Davenport for a while, and has no particular vocation except to do a day's work here and there as he moves around the country. The impression seems to prevails that he acted in self-defense when he struck Buckman, and that he had no intention of striking a fatal blow.

By courtesy of the publisher of the Sprague Herald, the TIMES is in receipt of an advance proof of a detailed statement of the trouble as recited by Fairman, which does not materially differ from the above account.

A footnote to this story. There was an election in Lincoln County in November 1896 to move the county seat from Sprague to Davenport. Sprague had been a large town while the Northern Pacific railroad was under construction. However, once construction was complete, Sprague quickly lost its population. Davenport, on the other hand, had grown to be the largest town in the county and was nearer to the center of the county. This may be the reason for some of the confusion as where Mr. Fairman was taken. There is a jail cell is in the parking lot of the Lincoln County Museum in Davenport, which dates back to this time. It is possible that Walter Fairman was held in that cell. Unfortunately the Lincoln County Clerk has no record of Fairman’s trial.