Charles Walter Alkire

Charles was born to a pioneering family William Engle Francis Alkire and Martha Luella "Ella" DAVIS in Farmington Washington, which is where he was raised into his teens as part of that farming community. Growing up, he worked as a farm laborer with his father and brothers, harvesting wheat for local farmers until the family left the area in the 1880's and moved to Kootenai county in Idaho, eventually settling in Coeur d'Alene. Here, Charles worked a short time for a dry goods merchant until he answered President McKinley's call for Idaho volunteers to serve in the Spanish American War. All totaled, there were 51 volunteers from Kootenai County with 21 of those from Coeur d'Alene alone.

In early May 1898 at age 23, Charles volunteered with the 1st Idaho Infantry, Co. B, (the Nez Perce Company) and served in the Philippines as a private. He left his parents home the morning of May 12 at 8 am for Rathdrum, Idaho to enlist and then left for Boise where he passed his physical examination on May 15. On May 19, the Idaho Regiment left Boise for Portland, Oregon at 11 am. From Portland, Charles and the 1st Infantry traveled to San Francisco, where they camped at the Presidio before embarking on the steamship "Morgan City" on June 22. Part of the 3rd expedition, they arrived in Manila on July 31. Charles was involved in three major engagements, the battle's of Manilla, Santa Ana and of Caloocan. An article published in the Coeur d'Alene Press on January 21, 1899 to update the community on the status of their boys, mentions Walt as being "the handsome man of the Coeur d'Alenites", with Walt's response being, "that is saying a good deal". He was briefly hospitalized in the Philippines in April 1899 for unknown reasons and then returned to his Company. He remained in the Philippines thru July 1899 and arrived back in the U.S. with his Regiment aboard the U.S. Army Transport Grant on August 29 and hospitalized at the Presidio for sickness developed on his return trip. The volunteers then camped at the Presidio until they were mustered out on September 25. A special train was appropriated to bring the Idaho boys home to Boise, Idaho and from there, they were escorted to their individual homes. Charles arrived at his home in Coeur d' Alene on October 31, his 25th birthday. This photo taken in the Philippines, shows Charles Alkire standing back row, 2nd from left.

After completing his military service, Charles moved to Montana, where he learned the Blacksmith trade in Whitehall and then completed his apprenticeship with Shaw & Stiver Blacksmiths of Norris, Montana. Charles then moved to Pony, Montana in 1901 with plans of going into business with his friend Herbert Crawford. On May 11, 1903 Charles married Mabel Christine Stock in Butte, Silver Bow, Montana and when Charles was killed that August, he and Mabel had been married only 3 months.

The events surrounding Charles death were tragic. The Pony Sentinal, August 7, 1903, details the August 3 shootings in a full-page cover story: "GERSHOM CRAWFORD AND WALTER ALKIRE SHOT DOWN IN COLD BLOOD BY ALEX SHELEY". The article begins: "Never before in the history of this community has it's citizens been so horrified and shocked as they were about 6 o'clock Monday afternoon when the news spread with lightning like rapidity about the city, that Bert G. Crawford and Walter Alkire had been murdered in cold blood by Alex Sheley in front of Reel's Livery Stable on Broadway". And The Pony Sentinal, in their article of August 14, headlined: "A SHORT SKETCH IN THE CAREER OF THE INHUMAN MURDERER", recaps the incident and provides details of Charles Walter Alkire's funeral. And The Anaconda Standard of December 18, 1903 reported, "Jury out 15 hours before bringing in a verdict of Second Degree Murder", for Alexander Singleton Sheley's murder of Herbert Gershom Crawford. This article states that Prosecutors felt the stronger case for a conviction would be for the Crawford shooting and as a consequence, Sheley was never tried for Alkire's murder.

Newspapers of the day provide a complete accounting of the final hours in the lives of Charles Walter Alkire and his friend Herbert Gershom Crawford. Alex Sheley quit his job at Reel's Livery Stable Monday August 3, because of disputes with other employees. He came back around 3 pm and was arguing with the foreman about the amount due him in wages, when Crawford and Alkire arrived on the scene to return their team. They had just driven in from Virginia City, looking for a suitable location to open a blacksmith shop in partnership. The three men had already been drinking when Alkire got involved in the argument Sheley was having with the Foreman. Alkire asked Sheley for a match but Sheley either refused or stated he had none, so Alkire took it upon himself to search Sheley's vest pockets. This invasion of his space fueled an already angry Sheley resulting in a scuffle with Alkire who knocked him down, grabbed his legs and dragged him around the stable to everyone's amusement but Sheley's. Sheley then got up, grabbed a pick and went after Alkire, but was stopped by stable owner Charles Edgar Reel, (1865-1923). He then picked up a chair to use as a weapon but was stopped this time by Alkire. The men were finally persuaded to calm down and Alkire suggested they all "get a drink and call it off". Sheley, Crawford and Alkire, then walked to the Allen and Morris Saloon and had a few drinks together without incident. But after the three men left, Sheley returned to the Saloon and took a 38 caliber revolver kept behind the bar. He told saloon owner Charles Edward "Ed" Allen, (1868-1913), he'd bring it back later, while announcing no one had better try to take the gun away from him, leaving a $20 bill on the bar on his way out. Now armed, Sheley then walked to the L. M. Company Store, purchased cartridges and returned to the Livery Stable about 6 pm to collect his outstanding wages and to resume the quarrel with Alkire, should he reappear. He was standing outside Reel's Livery Stable when Crawford and Alkire approached on foot. As the two men neared Sheley, words were exchanged and Alkire hit Sheley in the head, decking him. Sheley stood up, drew the weapon and shot Alkire in the groin thru his bladder where the bullet lodged in his spine. As Alkire lay defenseless on the sidewalk, Sheley took aim at his head and fired a second round with the bullet passing thru Alkire's hat instead. Alkire then asked Sheley "don't shoot me any more". This was the moment Crawford intervened and struggled with Sheley attempting to take control of the gun in defense of his friend, but was shot thru his hand instead. As Crawford ran toward the Livery Stable seeking cover, Sheley fired his fourth and final round shooting Crawford in his side, with the bullet passing thru his heart and killing him instantly. This was the moment when Marshall R. T. Smith arrived on the scene, disarmed Sheley and took him into custody.

Charles Walter Alkire was carried to the home of Willis Samuel Crews, (1835-1905), where he was operated on by a Dr. Smith and family doctor and friend of the Alkire's, Dr. Thomas Johnson Fain, (1872-1909) on Tuesday. He was later taken to his own home where he lingered 6 days, before passing away on Sunday August 9 at 6:30 am, surrounded by his family and friends. After Charles's death, his remains were taken to the Pony Furniture and Undertaking Rooms on Broadway by the acting coroner W.T. Simpson, who then summoned a jury to view the body. His funeral was held the next day at the Presbyterian Church with the Reverend R.A. Crichton officiating. All business was suspended in the city for the duration of the ceremony, with a large funeral procession of mourners accompanying his casket to the cemetery. The local paper described this funeral, as "the close of the first act in this fearful tragedy" which has "removed from our midst, two of our most respected citizens".

Alex Sheley had been a resident of Pony, Montana for a number of years and was not liked, being described by his neighbors as, "a quarrelsome bully with anyone he felt he could intimidate." Sheley showed no remorse and following the shootings, bragged he was "glad of it" and "hoped Alkire would die." He also said he wished he'd "taken out a few more while he was at it," while calmly passing his time in jail playing cards.

Word quickly spread after the shooting the citizens of Pony planned on lynching Sheley. The Marshall placed a 4-man guard around the jail and Mayor Basil Tinsley, (1869-1943), issued a proclamation closing all saloons in town. To restore order, he threatened anyone with arrest should they resort to vigilante justice, although he openly agreed with their sentiment. Initially charged with the first degree murder of both men by the Assistant County Attorney W.A. Clarke, prisoner Sheley was transported under armed guard to Virginia City, where his preliminary examination took place before Justice Johnson. His trial began on December 14 and because these murders were so emotionally charged, the case garnered a great deal of interest and was closely watched. In fact, many residents of Pony were willing to travel the 50 miles in the middle of winter to attend the proceedings. Sheley was represented by Attorney Stewart who entered a plea of not guilty, but Judge Packer sentenced him to spend the rest of his life, (life-out-20), behind bars. Some observers felt the case was "not as vigorously prosecuted as it should have been", believing Sheley would "evade the punishment he deserved, because of a judicial system many perceived as lenient."

Because of these killings and Alex Sheley's well established "bad-guy" reputation, Pony residents recalled the death of Warren Yates in 1890. Mr. Yates who was married, died at the age of 26 years, 6 months and 14 days. He was shot to death in a hunting accident in the company of Alexander Singleton Sheley, but because no one could refute Sheley's version of the incident, authorities ruled the Yates death accidental. Now 13 years later, because of Sheley's known temperament and the calculated nature of the Alkire and Crawford murders, the Pony community suspected Sheley had murdered Yates and (as they say), beat the wrap.

The senseless death of Charles Walter Alkire hit his family hard and his mother Ella thought her sons future had looked bright. Charles had survived a war abroad only to meet a violent end at home. With his untimely death at age 28, Ella's hopes for his future were crushed. Years later she would say her sons killer got away with murder, even though he had been caught, tried, convicted and sentenced by a court of law. Alex Sheley entered Montana State Penitentiary at Deer Lodge on December 22, 1903 as prisoner #1520. Prison records describe him as 5'-6", 185 lbs, dark complexion, black hair and grey eyes. Immediately following the trial, his family began their efforts to win his parole and on January 8, 1914, Sheley was paroled after serving only 11 years for committing cold blooded murder. Upon his release, he moved back to his home town of Guthrie, Missouri and lived there until his natural death in 1931.

The murders changed these families forever. Charles Alkire had been married to Mabel Stock only three months and did not live to see the birth of his second daughter Fanny, born February 17, 1904. His first born Henrietta, had been born on January 13, 1903. Both girls are pictured here on a post card mailed to their Grandmother Ella Alkire in 1911, three years after Mabel married Hubert Delmore May, (1876-1932), on November 13, 1907. Bert Crawford married Melissa Williams on July 2, 1903, one month before his August 3 murder. Melissa never remarried and with her death in 1948, the couple were finally reunited and are buried together as husband and wife in Virginia City. Their killer, Alex Sheley married Minnie Hungerford/STOUT, a woman with a small child in 1902. Their relationship was strained after only one year of marriage and shortly after the murders, Minnie left the state of Montana and her husband behind. She divorced Sheley in 1905 and married William Hayes in 1906.

On the day of the tragedy, Charles's brother George who was also a resident of Pony, notified their parents of the shooting by telegram. Their mother Ella left Coeur d'Alene by train the very next day, accompanied by another son Art for the 2-day trip. The train would have first taken them to Butte Montana and from there, a stage carried them over the Continental Divide and on to their destination in time to see their son and brother alive for the last time, pay their final respects and then lay him to rest. Unfortunately Charles's father William had been ill and was unable to make the trip with his wife and youngest son. After his funeral, Ella planted a lilac tree next to her son's headstone. When visiting Charles's grave in the spring today, one can still find it in bloom 114 years later, according to relatives who have recently visited the cemetery. It is of note, that Ella also planted a lilac tree in her back yard at about the same time. With Pony, Montana some 350 miles from her home in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, we can't say if she was ever able to make a return trip to visit her son's grave, but having a Lilac tree also growing in her yard bridged the distance and helped to keep her sons memory alive.

Herbert "Bert" Gershom Crawford, (1874-1903), memorial #76110767.

Alexander "Alex" Singleton Sheley, (1860-1931), memorial #17892571.

Warren Yates, (1861-1890), memorial #100024359.

Scott Adell

Credits: The Pony Sentinal; The Anacona Standard; Bozeman, Montana Funeral Records, for the Dokken-Nelson Mortuary, 1900-1938; The Montana State Historical Society, for Alex Sheley's trial and prison records and Montana newspaper articles; The Spanish American War Centennial Website; Genealogy Trails, with excepts from the book: "An Illustrated History of North Idaho, Embracing Nez Perce, Latah, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties", published by the Western Historical Publishing Co. 1903; Census records. The Library of Congress, Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers, The Coeur d'Alene press, 1892-1907 and, numerous articles from various newspapers saved by the family.

Family credits: Cousin George Evjen, for providing family photos and the story as told to him by our Grandma Ella Alkire of her recollections of the incident and his own historical perspectives. Cousin Vicki Entze, for her clarification regarding the birth dates of Henrietta and Fanny from her collection of family documents.