William H. Betts

The story of WH Betts and Frank Jones. The following article gives interesting insight to how this man, WH Betts, was shot.

Mrs. Eliza Betts, a venerable lady, 65 years of age, came to the Journal office to correct the account of the murder of her son, Wm. H. Betts, which appeared in this paper in the issue of September 15th. This young man was shot about six miles from Dorchester, in Saline county, on the 9th of September, his father George Betts, a man of 65 years, badly cut with a hatchet, and his mother, our informant, has several terrible scars on her head made also by a hatchet, at the same time. This is the account of the bereaved mother.
A man named Happ, had a claim adjoining that of the murdered man, Wm H Betts, and had improved it, and put a house upon it. But his team died, and he was obliged to abandon his claim. Upon leaving, he told the Senior Betts that he might have the lumber and furniture in the cabin and also advised him to file on or homestead the claim. A young man, Franklin Jones, prepared to file on the claim, and contested it against the claim of George Betts. George Betts took up his quarters on the claim, and in the cabin, having to stay with his little grandson. On the night of the 8th of September, the old man and his grandson were awakened by armed men at the door, the party, consisting of Franklin Jones, his father Schuyler Jones, a man named Charles Hanawald, and others, who belonged to a “claim club,” who demanded admittance. The old man put the boy through the window and made him run home for aid. The boy was pursued by the party, who said they “put him somewhere where he would not be seen again,” but the boy, by throwing himself flat into a ravine, managed to elude his pursuers. He got home finally just before daybreak and told his father, Wm. H. Betts, that “grandfather wanted a gun, as there were men there with guns.” William gave the boy a gun, which he took back to his grandfather, and then left him, but on his way back he saw the armed party again approach the cabin and endeavor to force an entrance. The old man attempted to hold the door, but he was out of the house. The boy then ran home and told his father. The whole family then started for the scene of the difficulty, William Betts on his way picking up a hatchet saying, “This is not my quarrel, I don;t want any trouble, but if they attack I’ll have this.” The Jones party, seeing their approach, came out to meet them with a rifle and the other with a pole. The younger Jones who had the gun presented it and shot young Betts upon the spot, then took the hatchet and felled his mother in her tracks, cutting her repeatedly in the head.
The little grandson, seeing the elder Jones grappling with his grandfather in the cabin, seized a pitch fork and inflicted a slight scratch, but not seriously hurting him. The party then left, leaving the old gray-haired couple insensible on the ground, and the young man mortally wounded.
We give this statement of the case at the request of the bereaved mother, and no one looking at the scarred head of the poor, decrepit old lady, and hearing her sad tale, can help believing that she has been fearfully wronged.
The two Jones and Hannewald are at large, in Saline county, according to the best information and belief of Mrs. Betts.
We call upon the people of Saline to do justice in the premises. The murderous attack upon a homeless woman, after shooting her son and mangling her husband, looks very black for the Jones family.

Printed in the Lincoln Nebraska State Journal on Wednesday, December 13, 1871.


W.H. Betts was a Civil War veteran. Other than the interesting article about his death, no other information was found about W.H. Betts.