1909 murder on Main Street portrayed

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Vince Sellers portrays Sheriff Fielding Colbert at the Daviess County Historical Society rehearsal of the trial scene in “Indiana Gothic.” The play will be performed at the Daviess County Museum on Thursday, Friday and Saturday---Photo By Kelly Overton.

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September 9, 2008

By Patricia Morrison, Staff Writer The Washington Times-Herald Tue Sep 09, 2008, 10:39 PM EDT

The time was 1909. The place, downtown Washington. The event, the shooting on Main Street of then-Elmore Township Trustee Ham Dillon.

The true story told in Pope Brock’s bestselling novel “Indiana Gothic” will come to life again this week as the Daviess County Historical Society recreates the incident in play form.

While the Thursday dinner and play are sold out, there are still some seats left for the Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and Saturday dinner presentations.

The author will be returning to his ancestral county on Saturday and will speak about the murder of his great-grandfather by Ham’s brother-in-law, Lincoln Hale. The story, part of which will be re-enacted on Main Street, involves Ham’s lust after his wife’s sister and the revenge exacted by Lincoln after he caught Ham and Allie in an embrace, then learned the parentage of what he thought was his youngest child.

The murder takes place on a day when the town had turned out for the arrival of Thomas Marshall, the Democratic candidate for governor. Lincoln, after meeting his sister-in-law Maggie and telling her of her husband’s and sister’s betrayal, spotted Ham and shot him five times. The victim was carried into a nearby store and died later.

The murder trial is also depicted in the play, about two-thirds of which takes place inside the Daviess County Museum.

“The play starts near the end of the main course,” said Linda Myers, who portrays the wife of Robert Russell, mayor of Washington in 1909. “Then we’ll stroll down Main Street learning about the times and the story of Ham and Lincoln. The shooting will take place near the Jay Myers statue. Then it’s back to the dining room for the telling of the death and funeral. Then there’s the trial of Lincoln Hale.”

Myers said the cast has been rehearsing for six weeks, but the original play was presented in the summer of 1999. Myers said the script was a collaborative effort at that time by the cast members.

Jean Mullan, granddaughter of then-Mayor Robert Russell, has loaned the cast the walking stick presented to her grandfather for his work in the community, and Rosie McGuire will portray Allie Hale. McGuire’s mother, Bonnie Gress, remembers visiting the Hale home because her grandmother was the second wife to Clifford Farris, whose first wife was Maggie Dillon.

Besides Myers and McGuire, other cast members are Mike Owens, who will portray Ham Dillon. The role of Lincoln Hale will be shared by Wayne Scheutz and Gordon Hochmeister, and Rex Myers will portray Mayor Russell. Dean Stuckey will play Judge Hillary Houghton, and Vince Sellers has the part of Sheriff Fielding Colbert. Others participating are Chuck Ward, Elke Guratzsch, Teresa Ward, Pam Schied, Jeff Norris, Roy Wachter and Nyla Wachter.

All proceeds will go to the Daviess County Historical Society.

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