Beckham County, OK - Deaths: Charlie C. Carl, 1924
08 Nov 2007
Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell)

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CARL, CHARLIE C.
(8 May 1924, Elk City Newspaper, Elk City, Beckham Co, OK):
Word reached here Monday of the horrible death of Charlie Carl of near
Cheyenne, at the hands of his father-in-law, Mann Casady, early Monday
morning, and the injury of two sons, Walker and Cliff.
Casady had acted strangely several days before but had apparently
recovered.  He arose early Monday morning and did the milking, returned to
the kitchen and asked his daughter what Charlie, her husband, was going to
do this summer.  She replied that he would go to an automobile school in
Kansas City.  He argued that Charlie should stay at home and farm, and in
a few minutes turned and walked out of the kitchen, but as he did not
appear angry the daughter continued with her work.  He got the ax walked
around the house and into the room where the son-in-law was asleep and
striking him a blow with the butt end of the ax, crushed in his skull.  He
went on into the other room where the two sons were sleeping, but he
seemed to have not gauged his distance for he struck the oldest son only a
glancing blow, slightly injuring him and before he could strike again the
younger son, Walker, awoke and grabbed his father, at the same time
calling to the other members of the family for help.  In the fight, the
father grabbed a butcher knife, which he had concealed, and slashed
Walker's throat, cutting through the outer tissues of the jugular vein,
and cut his own throat slightly on either side.  The mother, daughter and
two sons finally succeeded in tying the crazed man's hands and feet with
two belts and fastened him to the bed, then put one around his neck so
that they could choke him when he attempted to get up.  They, then
telephoned the sheriff at Cheyenne and a number of people came to their
assistance in a short time.  Casady was taken to the jail at Cheyenne and
medical assistance was given the injured ones.
The son-in-law never regained consciousness from the blow and died a few
hours later, although the family found him on the floor when they went to
see why he did not come to their assistance when they called him.
The crazed condition of Casady was attributed to worry over financial
troubles and the condition of his wife's health.  She had just returned
home the day before from Oklahoma City where she was being treated for
cancer and expected to undergo an operation soon.
When asked why he had tried to kill the family, Casady made various
replies, once telling his wife that he loved them all and didn't want them
to live there.  Again he would not answer but admitted that he knew what
he had done, and that he had intended killing all of the family.  The
butcher knife he used on his younger son was found to have been sharpened
recently.
Those who reached the house first said it was a horrible sight and
resembled a slaughter pen - the house was saturated with blood and every
member of the family was covered with blood, and the younger son was
thought to be dying.  It was found that his jugular vein had not been
penetrated and the boy has a fighting chance for recovery.
Casady has been in the asylum twice before, once twenty-three years ago,
when he saturated the bed with kerosene and was in the act of touching a
match to it when his wife awoke and prevented it.  Again in 1920, he rode
his horse bareback and without bridle into Cheyenne, saying the Indians
were after him and he came to warn the town.  Each time, he was taken to
the asylum, and seemed to entirely recover.
The first evidence of his being unbalanced this time, was about a week
before the tragedy, when something had gone wrong with the cultivator, he
said to his son, "Let's just kill ourselves and be done with everything." 
His brother later talked to him, telling him he should straighten up and
be a man, and he seemed to be in good spirits until Sunday, when he
appeared sullen and cross.  The brother felt uneasy and intended warning
Cliff, the older son, but in some way failed to see him.
Funeral services for Charlie Carl were held in Cheyenne, Tuesday, and
burial took place at the cemetery.  Casady was taken to the Asylum at
Supply.
(8 May 1924, Sayre Journal, Sayre, Beckham Co, OK):
ROGER MILLS CO. MAN VIOLENTLY INSANE.
Mann Casady, A Pioneer Farmer Of Roger Mills County Became Violently
Insane And Kills Son-In-Law With Ax.
Mann Casady, a pioneer farmer of Roger Mills County, became violently
insane Monday morning and attacked his son-in-law, Charley Carl, with an
ax.  The insane man crushed the skull of his son-in-law with the ax, and
when his two sons grabbed him he turned on them, slashing them severely
with a butcher knife which he has secured in the scuffle.
While the two sons were severely lacerated their condition is not serious.
The two sons finally succeeded in over-powering their father and tied him
with a rope until the officers and physicians arrived from Cheyenne.
The Casady family lived some three miles east of Cheyenne and have been
citizens of that county for twenty-five years.
Twenty-five years ago Mann Casady were adjudged insane and he spent some
time in the hospital.
Everyone who knew Casady was well aware of the fact that he was easily
provoked, but little fear was ever entertained that he would become insane
again.