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Note: The 1850 census of Ozark co, MO shows James Jimmason Wilson living with his parents James A and Margaret Wilson. Douglas County Herald; Thursday, Dec 20, 1901 Old Crime James Wilson Arrested for the Killing of Orvil Lyons in 1871. Sheriff Martin will leave this afternoon for Guthrie, Oklahoma for James Wilson who is wanted for the killing of Orvil Lyons and a man by the name of Hall in 1871. In 1870 Wilson and Lyons bought a thrashing machine and ran it during the fall. At the close of the season, they had some trouble and both left the machine. Things went along until the spring of 1871 when one morning Wilson and Lyons met on the road near Lyon's house, about two miles south of Arno, and in the presence of some of the neighbors agreed to drop their differences and shook hands. Lyons then invited the crowd up to his house of dinner. on arriving at the house and while the men were putting up their horses, Wilson road his horse around the front of where Lyons was standing leaning against the fence and raised his shotgun which was laying across his lap and fired tearing a hole in Lyons breast, killing him instantly. Wilson stopped around in the country for a week or two and one morning while at a house down on Spring Creek and old man by the name of Hall came to the house and Wilson thinking he was after him shot and killed Hall. Wilson then left the country and has never been captured until now. A few years ago Uncle Wes Wilson was arrested for the crime but was released, he being the brother of James Wilson. Since Ben Martin went into office he began working on the case and a short time ago learned that Wilson was in Guthrie. He procured a requisition from Gov. Dockery and sent a warrant to the sheriff at Guthrie with instructions to arrest Wilson and wire him. Monday the telegram came but Sheriff Martin was in the east end of the county and didn't get home until last evening. This will be a rather old case as the crime was committed over 30 years ago and the witnesses are most all dead. Douglas County Herald Thursday 03, April, 1902 Circuit Court News The jury in the Wilson case returned a verdict at 10:15a.m. this morning of guilty of murder in the second degree and assessed his punishment at ten years in the pen. Mr. Wilson is 68 years old and it is unllikely that he will survive his sentence. James J Wilson is charged with the murder of Orvil Lyons, 03 August, 1869(?). His trial came up in the circuit court last Monday morning. Prosecuting attorney JS Clarke is being assisted by TJ Delaney of Springfield and John T David. Ex-Senator, A Burkhead, DM Coleman, and Gut T Harrison of Gainville is looking out for the defence.. . . . .The first witness was Solomon cox who testified about the trouble between Wilson and Lyons in which Lyons hit wilson with a neck yoke; that he had talked with Wilson at the request of Lyons; that Wilson made some remarks about Lyons coming to see him. He testified to seeing Lyons after he was killed an to seeing the gun with which Wilson did the shooting. He also identified Wilson. . . . . . .There were a number of cases who positively identified the defendant as the man they were with in the army and who killed Orvil Lyons and especially true in the case of Mosier McIntosh. Hanna counts said the defendant was the man who married her sister and killed Lyons; that she made her home with them in Crescent City, OK, up to two or three years ago, and knows him to be the same man. The state indroduced evidence of the records of the war department giving Wilson enlistment and mustering out service, which shows he was wounded in the battle of Pea Ridge, Ark, in the lower part of his back near the kidney; also copies of records of the war department showing he was drawing a pension for the disability mentioned; also a pension voucher that was executed last November at Crescent City,
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