Murder, Corruption, and Theatre:
Reinvent and Repeat
Reinvent and Repeat
or, The Family of Frances Beebe, Part II: The Road to Crescent College
by Rebecca J. Becker
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| Stella and Frances, c. 1901 portrait sketch by Rebecca J. Becker |
Frances Beebe, future Crescent
College student, was born to parents whose personal triumphs and horrific
tragedies had been played out in the national news.
Six years before Frances’s birth, her maternal grandmother was murdered: ever-more grisly descriptions and lurid speculations filled columns of newspapers across the country.
Her mother, Stella Beebe, found what comfort and support she could in the sisterhood of the Rebekah League. She’d been involved with the organization - - seen as part of women’s great civilizing work in the new towns in the West - - since she’d been a child, and continued her involvement for the rest of her life, teaching, organizing, and moving up through the ranks to the highest levels of national leadership.
Frances's father, Frank A. Beebe, was rarely at home. His job as a federal postal inspector kept him continually on the move, tracking down stagecoach and train robbers and bringing them to justice.
Two years after her mother’s murder, Stella was named postmaster of a new town in Oklahoma Territory, Jones City. Her pride in this appointment was considerably diminished when - - in the course of a trial that lasted over a year - - it was revealed Frank had used his influence to advance another young woman to a position with the post office in another town in the territory.
But Stella had yet more to endure. By 1901 - - the year Frances was born - - Stella's husband had fallen from his position as national hero to become a public laughing-stock. The victim of extortion, Frank’s downfall was brought about by the man behind the girl who blackmailed him: a charlatan psychic-healer Doctor Delisspar (aka Dellspar, Starr, Sheldon, Elmer, and Carlisle) who Frank was attempting to bring to justice.
Six years before Frances’s birth, her maternal grandmother was murdered: ever-more grisly descriptions and lurid speculations filled columns of newspapers across the country.
Her mother, Stella Beebe, found what comfort and support she could in the sisterhood of the Rebekah League. She’d been involved with the organization - - seen as part of women’s great civilizing work in the new towns in the West - - since she’d been a child, and continued her involvement for the rest of her life, teaching, organizing, and moving up through the ranks to the highest levels of national leadership.
Frances's father, Frank A. Beebe, was rarely at home. His job as a federal postal inspector kept him continually on the move, tracking down stagecoach and train robbers and bringing them to justice.
Two years after her mother’s murder, Stella was named postmaster of a new town in Oklahoma Territory, Jones City. Her pride in this appointment was considerably diminished when - - in the course of a trial that lasted over a year - - it was revealed Frank had used his influence to advance another young woman to a position with the post office in another town in the territory.
But Stella had yet more to endure. By 1901 - - the year Frances was born - - Stella's husband had fallen from his position as national hero to become a public laughing-stock. The victim of extortion, Frank’s downfall was brought about by the man behind the girl who blackmailed him: a charlatan psychic-healer Doctor Delisspar (aka Dellspar, Starr, Sheldon, Elmer, and Carlisle) who Frank was attempting to bring to justice.
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| Dr. Dellispar: a.k.a. Dellspar, Starr, Sheldon, Elmer, Carlisle Mesmerist, Miracle Worker and Psychic Healer, or Blackmailer and Bigamist? |
In February 1902, Frank lost his
job as postal inspector because of the trial’s notoriety.
In December, the case was dismissed and Delisspar walked free, “upon the grounds that none of the witnesses for the territory could be found.”[i] This wasn’t the first time that justice had been thwarted in the territories, and it was far from the last. Still, it was ten years before the Beebe family found itself back in the courtroom - - this time, on the witness stand. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves…
Meanwhile, in 1903, an Oklahoma newspaper published a sensational article that shed new light on Delisspar (albeit too late to save Frank’s job):
In December, the case was dismissed and Delisspar walked free, “upon the grounds that none of the witnesses for the territory could be found.”[i] This wasn’t the first time that justice had been thwarted in the territories, and it was far from the last. Still, it was ten years before the Beebe family found itself back in the courtroom - - this time, on the witness stand. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves…
Meanwhile, in 1903, an Oklahoma newspaper published a sensational article that shed new light on Delisspar (albeit too late to save Frank’s job):
The Daily Ardmoreite [Ardmore, Oklahoma] 27 May 1903:
May Be Delisspar
Chickasha, I.T. May 26. - - Dr. Carlisle, said to be alias for Dr. Delisspar who made a reputation at Oklahoma City by his connection with the Beebee [sic] scandal several months ago, is here in charge of an officer on Kingfisher from Fort Worth, where he was arrested Sunday on a charge of bigamy. The party is delayed here on account of the washout.
The prisoner is said to have four wives, the last one of whom is with him now. Another is said to be at Kingfisher and another at Fort Worth.
Whether because of Delisspar’s
notoriety or Frank A. Beebe’s own remarkable intelligence and worth shining
through, he was back in Oklahoma Territory’s good graces by 1904. The year was a crucial one in American
politics, and Beebe reinvented himself as a political organizer.
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| 1904 Republican Party Campaign Button Theodore Roosevelt for President of the United States |
He formed the Republican Club of Eastern Oklahoma District (with a charter membership of 80) to garner votes for Theodore Roosevelt in the territory. Frank was elected president of the club, and Roosevelt was elected President of the United States. This double success gave Frank a foothold in Guthrie, soon to become the capital with the creation of Oklahoma state in 1907.
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| Postcard Proclaiming the Beauty and Culture of Guthrie, Oklahoma, c. 1910 |
Frank also spent a good deal of
time outside of Oklahoma City, where he’d planted the first commercial orchard
in Oklahoma. Frank now achieved
prominence as “the pioneer horticulturist” of Oklahoma.
And what of our future Crescent College student?
Frances, like her father, was appearing quite regularly in the newspaper. Her first appearance was in 1905, when she gave the Opening Address for the Children’s Day celebrations in Jones City - - at age four!
Her mother continued her efforts to bring culture and comfort to the new town, by opening the Postoffice Book Store in Jones City. (As you can see from the advertisement pictured here, she sold toys as well as books, just in time for Christmas!) The family’s diverse interests and efforts seemed to position them well for Oklahoma’s future.
And what of our future Crescent College student?
Frances, like her father, was appearing quite regularly in the newspaper. Her first appearance was in 1905, when she gave the Opening Address for the Children’s Day celebrations in Jones City - - at age four!
Her mother continued her efforts to bring culture and comfort to the new town, by opening the Postoffice Book Store in Jones City. (As you can see from the advertisement pictured here, she sold toys as well as books, just in time for Christmas!) The family’s diverse interests and efforts seemed to position them well for Oklahoma’s future.
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| Stella M. Beebe - Postmaster and Proprietor of the Postoffice Book Store, 1906 |
But in 1905, a financial panic
swept the nation and lasted more than three years. By the end of the first year, Frank was
trying to sell two farms. He lost money
in many ways - - including on the street.
In December 1905 he advertised that he’d lost four $5.00 bills and a $10
bill, and asked for their return.
In order to help the family finances, Stella became a Notary Public and started looking for other forms of employment. In most parts of the nation, being married with young children at home would have precluded her from getting a job, but in Oklahoma Territory, educated individuals (male or female) were at a premium. In 1909, when the Bank of Jones City opened, Stella is prominently featured in advertisements as the bank’s cashier.
In order to help the family finances, Stella became a Notary Public and started looking for other forms of employment. In most parts of the nation, being married with young children at home would have precluded her from getting a job, but in Oklahoma Territory, educated individuals (male or female) were at a premium. In 1909, when the Bank of Jones City opened, Stella is prominently featured in advertisements as the bank’s cashier.
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| Stella M. Beebe, Cashier of The Bank of Jones, 1909 |
That same year, Frances won the
Medal Contest in Jones City!
The Canadian Valley News [Jones City, Oklahoma] 3 December 1909, Page 1:
THE MEDAL CONTEST WAS A RARE TREAT
The medal contest given on last Thursday night at the hall by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was well attended and the nine contestants acquitted themselves admirably. The judges… awarded the medal to Miss Frances Beebe; her subject being “A Little Child Shall Lead Them.”
And a Little Child Shall Lead Them - sheet music by Chas. K. Miller
1906
For her first ten years Frances had
grown up in Jones City, less than 30 miles from the state capital at Guthrie,
Oklahoma. The next year brought enormous
changes both to the state and to the Beebe family.
In 1910, Oklahoma City was chosen as the new state capital, and the state’s first governor, Charles Nathaniel Haskell, instantly moved his base of operations there - - in the middle of the night! He justified the sudden move by stating he was tired of being accused of not fulfilling his campaign promises.
In fact, Haskell faced much more than local hostility: William Randolph Hearst was waging a tireless campaign against the man, accusing the governor of colluding with Standard Oil in monopolistic practices.
In 1910, Oklahoma City was chosen as the new state capital, and the state’s first governor, Charles Nathaniel Haskell, instantly moved his base of operations there - - in the middle of the night! He justified the sudden move by stating he was tired of being accused of not fulfilling his campaign promises.
In fact, Haskell faced much more than local hostility: William Randolph Hearst was waging a tireless campaign against the man, accusing the governor of colluding with Standard Oil in monopolistic practices.
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| "Haskell! That's All!" 24 September 1908 One of many anti-Haskell cartoons to appear in Hearst newspapers nationwide |
But Frank Beebe was a Haskell
supporter, and he quickly followed Haskell, moving the entire family to an
apartment house in Oklahoma City. Their upstairs
neighbor was Haskell’s nephew, Bert K. Updike.
Updike had worked with the Oklahoma City Secret Service, but in 1911,
the year his uncle stepped down from the governorship and entered the oil
business, Updike left the force as well.
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| Bill Tilghman Oklahoma Chief of Police, 1911 |
An old friend of Frank’s also
moved to Oklahoma City that year: Bill
Tilghman, legendary U.S. Marshall. Beebe
had worked with Tilghman bringing down train robbers in the past, and now
Tilghman was the Chief of Police in Oklahoma City. A man of unimpeachable integrity and honesty,
Tilghman revolutionized the department and brought it into the modern age with
such innovations as the motorcycle police corps (seen pictured here in 1912).
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| Oklahoma City Motorcycle Police Squad 1912 |
But Tilghman’s force had its hands full when Bert Updike shot and killed two men who had been visiting his apartment, upstairs from the Beebe family:
Indian Journal [Eufaula, Oklahoma] 20 January 1911, Page 1:
Oklahoma City, Okla., Jan. 18 - - “We your jury impaneled to determine the cause for the death of P. D. Anderson and A. O. Christenson, find that death was due to gunshot wounds inflicted by B. K. Updike, who will be held in the county jail without bail on a charge of murder, until the convening of the grand jury.”
After a secret inquest continuing over a period of two days, the coroner’s jury drawn to investigate the double murder of Sunday night, returned with this verdict at noon, Tuesday. The verdict was reached without argument among the jurors and was given out immediately following a trip to the home of Updike, 709 West Reno Avenue…
When the jury convened in the Updike home so that the jurors could see the scene of the crime, several newspaper men and spectators followed along, but were refused admittance into the house during the deliberations of the jury. A look inside the back rooms, however, shows that the disorder has been left as it was after the shooting. Great splashes of blood are stained into the floor, and the coats, hats and trousers of the murdered men lay in a heap, where they had been removed by the physicians.
The Beebe family were witnesses
at the trial, which proved to be more theatrical than any productions in which
Stella or Frances had ever performed.
Updike’s attorney was Moman Pruiett (ironically, one of the former
Governor Haskell’s worst enemies).
Pruiett’s showmanship and complete disregard for the truth were infamous
in Oklahoma, but his record for achieving a “Not Guilty” verdict for his
murderous clients was equally well known.
This time, however, the magic didn’t work. Even though Updike had killed two men, he was tried for the murder of only one. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
While all this was going on, Frances was still going to school, and had begun performing at local events. She again received glowing notices in the newspapers when she appeared in the city’s Memorial Day program, reciting “Decoration Day.” Soon she was a regular on Oklahoma City stages, and she was always singled out for notice in the papers’ reviews:
This time, however, the magic didn’t work. Even though Updike had killed two men, he was tried for the murder of only one. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
While all this was going on, Frances was still going to school, and had begun performing at local events. She again received glowing notices in the newspapers when she appeared in the city’s Memorial Day program, reciting “Decoration Day.” Soon she was a regular on Oklahoma City stages, and she was always singled out for notice in the papers’ reviews:
Daily Oklahoman [Oklahoma City, Oklahoma] 18 June 1913, Page 6:
“VIRGINIA HEROINE” PROVES FINANCIAL SUCCESS; TALENT REVEALED BY CAST MEMBERS
…Miss Frances Beebe, not more than 12 years of age, filled the important role of Virginia Leighton, in love with Philip Lee, in a manner that displayed an histrionic ability capable of great development. Little Miss Beebe’s voice has a carrying power, and her manner a grace and assurance seldom seen in one of her years. She has also beauty of a brunette type that will blossom with the passing years.
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| From the Daily Olahoman 28 December 1913 - Frances was 12 years old |
Two months after her triumphant
appearance in Virginia Heroine, Lee
Cruce, Oklahoma’s current governor, left the city for two days. In his absence the acting governor pardoned
Bert K. Updike, the former governor’s nephew.
But law enforcement officers were ready for him: as he walked out of the prison gates, Updike was immediately arrested for the murder of the second man he killed that fateful night in 1911.
Once again, the Beebe family found itself on the witness stand:
But law enforcement officers were ready for him: as he walked out of the prison gates, Updike was immediately arrested for the murder of the second man he killed that fateful night in 1911.
Once again, the Beebe family found itself on the witness stand:
Daily Oklahoman [Oklahoma City, Oklahoma] 06 September 1913, Page 12:
Frank A. Beebe and members of his family who occupied the suite of rooms below the ones in which Christianson and Anderson were killed, told of hearing the struggle that preceded the killing.
Mrs. Beebe testified that following a noise upstairs she heard some person scream, but although familiar with the sound of Mrs. Updike’s voice was unable to say that the person screaming was Mrs. Updike. Mrs. Beebe said that shortly after hearing the noise upstairs Mrs. Updike hurriedly came down the stairway and ran west on Reno Avenue. The witness said Mrs. Updike’s hair was disheveled.
Frances Beebe testified that following the noise upstairs she saw Updike come down stairs and watched him go around the west side of the building to the north side and “slip up the back stairs which are on the outside of the building.” A crash followed almost immediately and was accompanied by pistol shots, according to the witness.
This time, Moman Pruitt’s magic worked, and the lawyer was able to bring in a verdict of Not Guilty. We haven’t room to explain how he was able to achieve this remarkable result, but five years later, Updike did meet a kind of justice - - he himself was murdered:
Is this the end of the Beebe family drama? You’ll find out in our next installment: “When She Goes to School”!The Wichita Beacon [Wichita, Kansas] 28 January 1918, Page 8:
Murdered Oil Field Detective Was Nephew of Governor Haskell
Bert Updike, a special agent of the Carter Oil Company, who was shot and killed recently near Oliton, Ok., was a nephew of former Governor Haskell. David Mathes, a guard for the Carter Company, was arrested in connection with the murder. He claims the shooting was accidental…
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| "When She Goes to School" fashion advertisement, 1911 |
Books
used in writing this installment:
Dan Anderson with Laurence Yadon,
edited by Robert Barr Smith, 100 Oklahoma
Outlaws, Gangsters, and Lawmen 1839 – 1939, Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna, LA, 2010.
Howard K. Berry, Research Editor
Richard E. Jones, He Made It Safe To Murder: The
Life of Moman Pruiett, Oklahoma Heritage Association, Oklahoma City, OK,
2001.
Ken Butler, Oklahoma Renegades: Their Deeds
and Misdeeds, Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna, LA, 2000.
Charlotte M. Canning, The Most American Thing in America: Circuit Chautauqua as Performance, University
of Iowa Press, Iowa City, IA, 2005.
Holly Pyne Connor with
contributions by Sarah Burns, Barbara Dayer Gallati and Lauren Lessing, Angels & Tombows: Girlhood in 19th-Century
American Art, Newark Museum and Pomegranate Press: Newark NJ and San
Francisco SF, 2012.
Ron Owens, Oklahoma Justice: The Oklahoma City Police: A Century of Gunfighters, Gangsters and
Terrorists. Turner Publishing
Company, Paducah, KY, 1995.
Glenn Shirley, Law West of Fort Smith: A History of Frontier Justice in the Indian
Territory, 1834-1896, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, 1957.
Glenn Shirley, West of Hell’s Fringe: Crime, Criminals, and the Federal Peace
Officer in Oklahoma Territory, 1889-1907,
University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, OK, 1978.
[i] Kansas City Star [Kansas City, Missouri]
10 December 1902, Page 10
