Oklahoma's Atticus : An Innocent Man and the Lawyer Who Fought for Himby

238 Pages·12.29 MB·English

by  Hunter Howe Cates

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Okl ahom a’s 10
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Atti cu s 13
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An Innocent Man and the
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Lawyer Who Fought for Him 19
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h u n t e r h ow e c a t e s 24
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University of Nebraska Press • Lincoln 37
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10 © 2019 by Hunter Howe Cates
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A brief account of this story first appeared in This Land 4,
12 no. 13 (July 2018): 17, 19.
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All rights reserved
14 Manufactured in the United States of America
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Publication of this volume was assisted by a grant from
17 the Friends of the University of Nebraska Press.
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Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
19 Names: Cates, Hunter Howe, author.
20 Title: Oklahoma’s Atticus: an innocent man and the
lawyer who fought for him / Hunter Howe Cates.
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Description: Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2019. |
22 Includes bibliographical references.
23 Identifiers: lccn 2019005310
isbn 9781496200907 (cloth: alk. paper)
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isbn 9781496218339 (epub)
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isbn 9781496218346 (mobi)
26 isbn 9781496218353 (pdf)
Subjects: lcsh: Youngwolfe, Buster, 1932– 2008,— Trials,
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litigation, etc. | Trials (Murder)— Oklahoma— Texas—
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History— 20th century. | Howe, Elliott, 1919– 2007. |
29 Public defenders— Oklahoma— Biography.
30 Classification: lcc kf224.y68 c38 2019 |
ddc 364.152/3092— dc23 lc record available at
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https:// lccn .loc .gov /2019005310
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Set in Minion Pro by Mikala R. Kolander.
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For Mac and Bill 10
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10 Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat.
11 (Proof lies on him who asserts,
12 not on him who denies.)
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— Julius Paulus Prudentissimus
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15 I wanted you to see what real courage is,
16 instead of getting the idea that courage is a
17 man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you
18 know you’re licked before you begin, but
19 you begin anyway and see it through
20 no matter what.
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— Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird
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Contents
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List of Illustrations • ix 10
Acknowledgments • xi 11
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1. The Forgotten City • 3
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2. Magic City • 12
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3. Little Girl Lost • 25
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4. Manhunt • 37
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5. Killer • 45
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6. Confession • 64
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7. The Believer • 70
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8. Boyhood • 78
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9. A Line in the Sand • 99
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10. Changing the Conversation • 106
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11. The Strain • 116
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12. A Fishing Expedition • 122
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13. The Alibi • 129
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14. The Lie Detector • 137
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15. A Jury of His Peers • 147
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16. The Prosecution • 154
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17. The Defense • 163
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18. The Final Testimony • 173
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19. The Verdict • 179
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Epilogue • 187
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Afterword: Who Killed Phyllis Jean Warren? • 198
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Note on Sources • 203 34
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Illustrations
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Following page 80 10
1. Elliott Howe, U.S. Navy photo 11
2. Buster Youngwolfe, U.S. Army photo 12
3. The marriage of Elliott Howe and Imelda McNamara 13
4. Elliott Howe, official staff photo 14
5. Tulsa County attorney Lewis J. Bicking’s staff 15
6. Phyllis Jean Warren 16
7. Phyllis Jean Warren with Buster 17
8. Phyllis Jean Warren in Tulsa World 18
9. Fourth North Yale shack 19
10. Fourth North Yale neighborhood 20
11. Unidentified woman inside of shack 21
12. Upturned tree 22
13. Buster brought to the scene of the crime 23
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Following page 186
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14. Buster and Wheeler
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15. Buster “reenacting” the murder
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16. Buster under the headline “Tease”
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17. Selection of Buster photos
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18. Buster touring the neighborhood with the authorities
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19. Officials searching the strip pits
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20. Officials searching the upturned tree where Phyllis was buried
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21. Buster and his mother, Bessie
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22. Onlookers at the scene after Phyllis was found
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23. Undersheriff Gene Maxey
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24. Tar paper shacks in north Tulsa slums
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25. Buster and Howe after the jury submitted its verdict
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