Marion Co TOC

Hiram BIAS, Jr., son of Hiram BIAS, Sr. and Nancy Jane TABOR, married Belle LOVALL. They were picking cotton in SE MO or NE AR. Hiram was supposed to go pick cotton, but decided to get drunk instead. Belle had not too long before had a baby. She decided to leave the baby alone and go pick cotton in Hiram's place. She was only about 16 at the time, I think. When Hiram came back to the house, he waited for Belle to come home, then he beat her with some kind of club, injuring here severely. She died of the injuries some time later. We think he ruptured her spleen by the way it was described. There was no autopsy apparently. Hiram was tried for the murder and a copy of it is in the Ft. Smith Criminal cases. I found titles for it online. Because of no autopsy and her not dying immediately, he was acquitted of the murder. He is said to have been mean and very spoiled. He was born a few weeks or months after his father's death and his mother apparently did not remarry.

Note from Linda: Ft. Smith Criminal Cases (United States District Court, Western District of Arkansas, Fort Smith Division.) Control Number: NRFF-21-3W51-3420. 1888. Jacket Number 26. Records at National Archives-Southwest Region, Ft. Worth, TX.