John Clayton Kincaid

     John Clayton Kincaid was born on 16 May 1865 at Ray County, Missouri.¹ He was the son of Franklin Lafayette Kincaid and Martha Jane VanBebber. John Clayton Kincaid married Martha Elizabeth Yoakum, daughter of James Benton Yoakum and Mary Ann Shumate, in 1889.
     From Gary R. Hawpe, ed. and Willie Parker, comp., 'Stabbed to Death, A Dance with a Tragic Ending,' Van Bibber Pioneers E-Newsletter, Vol. 4 No. 6 (April 2001), pp. 5 - 7.

STABBED TO DEATH.
A DANCE WITH A TRAGIC ENDING.

Jim Cates is Stabbed by John C. Kincaid and dies in Ten Minutes
Fighting as He Bleeds to Death - A Scene of Sickening Horror.

A dance at the residence of Cal Baker, three miles northwest of town, Tuesday Night, (the 17th. of February) ended about 1 o'clock Wednesday morning in a horrible tragedy, resulting in the almost instant death of one of the festive participants. Several parties from near Taitsville, Ray County, were planned including John and Peter Holder, Jim Crawford, and John C. Kincaid, who all came together in a wager, and Gus VanBebber. These parties had a jug 'hid out' as one of them testified at the inquest, and as the night wore on the bad liquor began to take effect and some of the crowd got rather disorderly. Among these was John C. Kincaid, who was becoming quite boisterous, when James Cates interfered and tried to quit him, when the two became engaged in a quarrel and soon came to blows. They were parted, however, and Kincaid put out of the house. Gus VanBebber followed him out, and states that he heard him say that 'if he and Cates got into it again he (Kincaid) was going to cut him,' and also saw a knife in Kincaid's hand. Cal Baker also went out and told Kincaid not to go back in the house any more. Kincaid promised that he would not, but in a few minutes went around to the east door and entered the front room, knife in hand a few steps behind VanBebber. Going up to Jim Cates, the fight was resumed, during which Kincaid dealt Cates a fearful stab in the left side and another in the neck, just above the right collar bone, severing the carotid artery and jugular vein. From this wound the hot blood spurted out in a great stream, and Kincaid made for the door followed by Cates, who struck him several heavy blows in the back of the head after receiving his fatal wound. Cal Baker, who was outside, caught Kincaid as he was running away, but as no alarm had been given, he did not know any damage had been done, and let him go, when Kincaid skipped out and escaped, leaving his team in Baker's barn. Meanwhile, the victim, bathen in gore, had been laid on the floor, where he expired in ten minutes. The above particulars were bathered from the evidence of witnesses at the inquest, which was held by Squire W. W. Thompson, Wednesday, the following verdict being rendered by the Coroner's Jury.

We, the undersigned jurors, find that deceased came to his death by violence and felony; that we find on the body of deceased the following marks and wounds, inflicted by Jno. C. Kincaid, viz: _____ which wounds were the immediate cause of the death of the deceased; and we further find that said Jno. C. Kincaid was the principal in the perpetuation of the said felony.

signed: W. T. Forbes, and W. H. Henderson, and D. N. Sevy, and Frank Meadows, and F. Swatzer, and Chas. Kern.

The remains of James Cates were buried near Taitsville, yesterday. He was a quiet man who usually attended to his own business and had many friends. He had been parted from his wife a year or more. Kincaid who has a wife and family living near Taitsville, is still at large. He is tall and slender, light hair, and mustache and about 25 years of age.

While time forbids our offering and any extended comments on the above sad and disgraceful occurrence we would suggest that it may serve as a warning to all young men; 'The Way of the Transgressor is Hard.'

Reference: The same newspaper edition for 27 February 1891.

Jno. C. Kincaid, who killed Jim Cates last Tuesday night, was captured at the residence of his father-in-law, Bert Yoakum, near Taitsville, Sunday, and taken to Kingston where he is now lodging at the county expense.

March 1891 - A Light Sentence

The trial of John Kincaid, who was indited by our Grand Jury, last February, for the murder of Jim Cates, near Cowgill, Caldwell County, February 18th. was concluded at Chillicothe, last Friday. His Honor E. J. Broaddus, recently appointed as judge of this court, presiding, the jury finding defendant guilty of manslaughter, and fixing his punishment at two years in the penitentiary. We understand that Kincaid's relatives and friends will make an effort to have him pardoned by Governor Franels, but most of our citizens think him very lucky in getting with so light a sentence.

The Cowgill Star, Cowgill, Caldwell County, Missouri, February 20, 1891.