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| Sue Hill portrait sketch by Rebecca J. Becker |
Now You See Her... or, Money, Murder and Madness,
Part Three
Part Three
by Rebecca J. Becker
Sue Hill woke up one morning in July, 1921 to find headlines calling for the arrest of a cold-blooded killer - - a man who slashed his 8-year-old stepdaughter's throat, tied heavy weights to her body and threw her - - still alive - - into an irrigation ditch to drown.
The alleged killer was Sue's brother, William Riley Hill.
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| William Riley Hill portrait sketch by Rebecca J. Becker |
Sue knew her brother was innocent. When W.R.'s attorney, the infamous Moman Pruiett, asked Sue to come and play a very large role in her brother's trial, she readily agreed.
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| Moman Pruiett |
At the jury selection on October 25th, Sue Hill was in the courtroom, causing quite a stir among journalists covering the grisly case:
Denver Rocky Mountain News [Denver, Colorado], 26 October 1921, Page One:
Seated at Hill’s side in the courtroom, which was jammed to capacity even thru the tiresome questioning that continued throughout the day, was Miss Sue Hill, young and beautiful sister of the accused man. She will be one of the bulwark witnesses for the defense.She came from Oklahoma City with Attorneys Williams and Pruiett to be with her brother in his fight for his life. Her testimony will bear directly upon the character of Hill’s wife, mother of the murdered girl.She amply demonstrated the vaunted steadfastness of Hill’s relatives in his hour of tribulation and their belief in his innocence by the fervent kiss she planted on his lips as she entered the courtroom.
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| Denver Rocky Mountain News 24 February 1922 Clockwise from top left: unidentified prisoner handcuffed to William Riley Hill, William Riley Hill, Thelma (W.R. Hill's wife, mother of Helen Maxine Short) Helen Maxine Short, and Sue Hill |
The Denver Post was even more rapturous:
PRETTY SISTER BACKS BROTHER
Miss Sue Hill, sister of the man who is alleged to have tied steel tie plates about the neck of his stepdaughter and drowned her in an irrigation ditch because of his quarrel with the girl’s mother, returned to Brighton Wednesday from Denver. She is an extremely pretty girl, with black hair and black eyes and is standing firmly beside her brother in the present trial. (1)
What no newspaper revealed was the astonishing secret Sue Hill was keeping as she sat by her brother in the Brighton courtroom.
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| Robert Oren Peevy portrait sketch by Rebecca J. Becker |
22 days earlier, in front of witnesses on a busy street in Sue's hometown, Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, Sue's ex-husband (and father of her son) shot her lover, Frank N. Pruett, five times. Pruett had, at one time, been Peevy's best friend. Both were well-respected and successful Pauls Valley businessmen.
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| Frank N. Pruett portrait sketch by Rebecca J. Becker |
Immediately after this cold-blooded slaughter, Robert Oren Peevy turned himself in to the authorities. He refused to explain his actions, and - - until his murder trial - - never uttered a single word to justify what he'd done.
Local newspapers were quick to eulogize the dead man, one of the wealthiest citizens of Pauls Valley:
Frank Pruitt had the instinct of a true gentleman and had many friends. He was free with all he possessed and his sympathies were always with the weak and defenseless. He was a kind and loving husband, son and brother, a good citizen and a useful man. Now that his gentle spirit has been called from earth those who loved him here find consolation in the thought that life’s fitful dream has ended and that he rests in peace, to awaken where sorrow can not sadden the soul nor affliction chill the heart. (2)
Although the murder happened three months after William Riley Hill's arrest, Sue's ex-husband's murder trial was set to begin a month before her brother's.
On January 5, 1922, Pauls Valley Democrat summed up the town's reaction to Peevy's trial:
This case promises to be one of the most intense interest, according to attorneys for both plaintiff and defendant, both sides seeming to hold to complete secrecy concerning vital points of the motives and shooting. It is understood that the defendant has never made a statement as to the real cause of the killing….
The first day of Peevy's trial began as the jury listened to the prosecution witnesses.
Peevy himself appeared in court, "holding the hand of his little son, a lad of about seven years of age, who was his constant companion throughout the grueling first day of the trial." (3)
Peevy's three months' silence had served to whip up public interest to a fever pitch:
According to attorneys, the trend of public opinion in a murder case has never before been so hard to define as it seems to be in this case. The greatest silence of opinion has been observed by the entire public, concerning the crime, its motives, and the probable penalty. (4)
And then - - in a breathtakingly surprising move - - the defense called their first witness: Robert Oren Peevy's divorced wife, Sue Hill.
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| The Daily Ardmorite11 January 1922 |
In her testimony she laid bare many intimacies of her life here while she was married and living with Peevey [sic], and alleged that the murdered man had made advances to her while she was living with her husband.
According to her statements she and Preuitt [sic] had made many trips together and had been close companions for months.
Her entire testimony was heard with tense and strained ears by the crowded court room, and it will have major bearing upon the weight of evidence in the case, it is believed by those who have followed the developments. (5)
She related stories that, even today, women would hesitate to reveal.
The next day, County Attorney Mac Q. Williams "in possibly the hardest and most brilliant manner ever displayed," cross-examined Sue Hill. Her story remained unchanged.
Defense witnesses were called. One of especial note, given subsequent events, was Billy Frame of Ardmore, Oklahoma.
Frame testified that he'd been Pruett's go-between, delivering notes and money to what the newspapers called Pruett's "clandestine love," Sue Hill.
And now we learn the truth behind Sue Hill's life-threatening illness in September 1919, mentioned in Part Two: Dr. Walter Hardy, also of Ardmore, "testified that he had refused to perform an illegal operation on Mrs. Peevy at the request of Pruett."
Another individual must have acquiesced to Pruett's demands, leaving Sue Hill near death and alone, until her stepmother arrived to look after the young woman.
More than 150 witnesses were called for the trial, and approximately that number were examined on the stand. Bitterness in the battle between the attorneys was evident as the trial grew into its last stages...
Attorneys for the defense... made pleas of temporary insanity and the "unwritten law" in possibly the most hotly contested legal battle ever staged in a local court. Interest in the trial, throughout the entire week of legal procedure, examination of witnesses, and argument, was at the highest pitch. (6)
What would the jury decide? What would happen to Sue's ex-husband, to Sue's brother, to her son, and to Sue herself?
Find out more when we continue next time with Now You See Her... Money, Murder and Madness, Part Four!
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| Sue Hill portrait sketch by Rebecca J. Becker |
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(1) Denver Post [Denver, Colorado] 26 October 1921, Page 18.
(2) Pauls Valley Democrat [Pauls Valley, Oklahoma] 13 October, 1921, Page 4.
(3), (4) and (5) Pauls Valley Democrat [Pauls Valley, Oklahoma], 12 January 1922, Page One.
(6) Pauls Valley Democrat [Pauls Valley, Oklahoma], 19 January 1922, Page One.
Many thanks to Elizabeth Cooksey for her keen eye and fine tooth comb!
