Don Brittain Fugitive

[genealogynut]

Howard Courant
January 4, 1912

Don Brittain Fugitive

[/b]

Sheriff Ligget has sent out cards offering a reward for Don Brittain, the Elk Falls young man who the Coroner's jury decided was guilty of the death of his sweetheart, Maud Bingham, on November 26.  He disappeared at that time and has not been heard of since.  This is the description as given on the cards:

Age 20 years, height five feet, seven or eight inches, medium build, light or auburn hair, and blind in the right eye.  The reward for information leading to his arrest is $50 and for his actual detention until the sheriff can get there, $100.

[genealogynut]

The following appeared in the Howard Courant on November 20, 1911

YOUNG GIRL DEAD

[/b]

Young Man Disappears -- Mysterious Affair

[/b]


A young man named Don Brittain, living with his step-father, Mr. Reynolds, four miles south of Elk Falls, called Sunday evening, the  26th at the home of a neighbor, Mr. Bingham, and took the daughter, Maud Bingham out in a buggy.  In about an hour he drove up to his own home, called the folks out and said "Maud has fainted."  The girl was crouched down in the front part of the buggy and when they carried her into the house, laid her on the bed and attempted to restore her it was found that she was dead.  The young man said she had fainted and fallen from the buggy, and that he had picked her up, put her back in and brought her to his home.

Coroner J. F. Costello was summoned and the following morning, the 7th, went down in an auto, accompanied by the sheriff and the county attorney.  The circumstances appeared to justify an inquest and a jury was summoned. The young man, in the case was found to have disappeared as soon as he realized the girl was dead.  A post mortem examination was made of the body which disclosed that the girl was in a delicate condition, but no bruises were found on the body; the organs were found in a normal condition, and there was no apparent cause for death.  The stomach was removed and sent to the State University for chemical analysis to see if there was poison used.

It is a mysterious affair and will be thoroughly investigated by the authorities.  The boy does not bear a very good name, but we have heard nothing against the character of the girl, who was quite attractive and pretty!

The coroner's jury will meet again the 11th prox. after the chemical analysis, and render a verdict.  Drs. DePew of Howard, and Booth of Moline assisted the Coroner at the post mortem.

[Buddyboy]

The step father referred to here is Abraham Burgess Reynolds, better known as Burr. He married Aunt Florence. Don was from here first marriage and after Uncle Burr died she married a Meadows. She lived in Oak Valley. I only saw her once, on her 100th birthday. Just before that she had decided that since she was turning 100 she should stop smoking her pipe and move to snuff. Personally, I would have kept the pipe, it is less disgusting. HA! She died at 107 while saying her prayers.

Don is buried in the Oak Valley cemetery and died in the 50's. Obviously, he either did his time or was acquitted. Is there anything else on this? My older sister, Darlene, said that in the 40's he lived in Longton and was not well liked by the family.

The Reynolds side has been a mystery. We didn't know much about them, except for family stories that have later proved mostly unfounded. We have done a bunch of research on them and have found some interesting stories.

Scotty