SEARCH FOR TRUTH: The Enduring Mystery of the Katie Dewitt James Murder of 1905 (Updated 2022)

Updated 2022

The Story

On July 7, 1905, the woman from Lenora, Katie Dewitt James (1874-July 8, 1905) with her 13-month-old daughter, her father had taken her to Custer City to the train and watched them boarded it to go visit her aunt and uncle in Ripley. 

She had been having marriage problems and was suing for divorce and custody of the child. On July 25, Dewitt hires Sam Bartell of the Oklahoma Detective Agency to locate his daughter. The search followed a trail to Clinton, then to Weatherford. They learned a couple matching the description of Mrs. James had stayed with a Mrs. Fanny Norton, of Clinton, at the residence of Norton's brother-in-law, William Moore. 

The two women were reported to have left in a buggy for what was to be a three-hour trip. It was found "Mrs. Norton," (if it was her) returned the rented livery about four hours later without Mrs. James.

The Subjects

Henry Dewitt, father of Katie. A look at the 1900 census for Dewey County locates a Henry Dewitt, b. 1844 in Canada who called himself a farmer and next door lives a young woman with a name that looks like "Katie Dewitt", b. 1874 in Iowa, listed as a schoolteacher. Is this Katie Dewitt the woman who marries James? In 1910 he is listed in Beaver County and appears to have there in 1930.

Fannie or Fanny Bray Ham Norton. In the nearby Custer County is a "Fannie Ham, b. 1872, Tx" listed as a laundress with several children: Roy, Diela, and Lula. Is this "Fannie Ham" the later "Fannie Norton"? Some sources indicate this woman had killed a bartender in Weatherford and had been a prostitute. The grave of the woman who committed suicide in Shawnee, while under arrest, lists the same information for the Fannie Ham on the Custer Country Census.

Martin Luther James, husband of Katie and father of the 13-month-old baby girl. In the Dewey Co., OK 1910 census is a “Luther James” with a wife of three years Cynthia and a 6-year-old daughter, Blanche, and a 2-year-old son. The wife was born in Kansas but the daughter’s information lists that her mother was born in Iowa.

The Search

Her father, who was alarmed his daughter had gone to visit her sister and never arrived, reported her missing, hired a detective, and it is her father, Henry Dewitt of Taloga, Oklahoma, who offers a reward. This may be the Henry Dewitt listed in the Knowles cemetery with a photo on the tombstone.

Bartell reported he hired a buggy and began searching the area where the women went. In doing so he found a woman matching Norton's description had left a baby at the farm of a Peter Bierschied with claims she would return soon for the babe. A boy at the farm said he had seen a woman throw out a bundle of baby clothes wrapped in a blanket.

Bartell retrieved the child and hurried on to find the Norton woman tracking her down in Shawnee at the home of a butcher, R.T. Patty on east 10th in Shawnee. She told a tale of meeting a wagon, of Katie leaving with a man, and her being told to take the wagon back to Weatherford. 

Adding meaning to the mystery was a report that surfaced two days after her disappearance. Katie, it revealed, filed for divorce from her husband. So many stories but what was the truth?


Weeks went by without any solid leads that had any footing in reality. As is always the case, false leads crop up and waste the time and resources of every investigation. On August 31, 1905, however, the decomposed body of Katie James was found six miles northeast of Weatherford and one mile north of the Morton schoolhouse. 

The remains, mere skeletal at the time and in that weather, where found along Deer Creek by local hunters. She had been shot in the head (from behind the right ear), but her head was laying some distance from the body and was still wearing the hat she had been wearing when she disappeared. A gold ring was on one finger. The coroner’s jury declared robbery the motive but what robber would leave a potentially valuable ring?

Investigating the disappearance and the murder was the noted Sam Bartell, now part of the Oklahoma Detective Agency, but one time US Deputy Marshall and OKC constable and Deputy Sheriff. He was known for sometimes dogged determination and was trusted as a solid officer of the law. 

The Suicide

Finally, the determined detective quickly tracked the wobbly story back to Fannie Bray Ham Norton (1872-July 28, 1905). He found her in Shawnee and questioned her. About to formally arrest her and take her to Oklahoma City, the woman committed suicide on July 28. She had secreted poison on her person and, given the times, and the lack of female guards or matrons in most jails the search failed to find the hidden drug. In that Edwardian Era the thought of searching a woman's person would have been a difficult social more to break for most men. She was buried in an unmarked grave in Shawnee.

Some investigators in years to come would muse that Mr. Martin Luther James, observably a little distant in the affair, perhaps did not grieve as much as a man in his position might be expected. His rather cool response to his wife's disappearance and that of his child had been noted. Some newspapers selected to suggest he was being "manly" in the face of difficulty. It was an allowance that did not last long. A follow-up article suggested that the murderer had possibly been helped by Mr. James.

Rumors of possible divorce, and perhaps even loss of property and land, have been discussed by several researchers. That line of thought had cause wonder if Norton had been hired to do the dirty work. Her involvement in the episode is strange without that motive otherwise. 

By September, a bizarre and convoluted story was circulated of some nefarious connection between Katie James and Fannie Norton aka Mrs. Ham (from when she lived near Webb in Dewey County). Mrs. James, it was said, "claimed to be an invalid" and Mr. James charged these two women had schemed and tried to kill him. Both husbands so testified, the coroner ruled "case closed" because the murderer (Norton) was dead. 

That was that. James may have stayed in the area of Weatherford, remarried, and raised his daughter. Mr. Norton, Mr. Ham is harder to pin down. Mr. Dewitt died on his homeplace in the region.

The Suggestions

An even stranger wrinkle emerged, years later when a man came forward to claim he had been a young boy when he had seen a buggy with 2 women, followed by 2 men on horseback, on a dusty road. He was forced, he claimed, at gunpoint to take part in the incident and chopped the head off the body. 

While possibly a tale of lies (and the story has no sources), the tale highlights some lingering questions. Just why had she been killed in such a manner?  It was not robbery because only $25 dollars had been while a more valuable a gold ring and lovely (expensive) hat were left on the body? Apparently, the crime had been intended to end a life and theft was involved merely as a means to convey that storyline.

What are the motives for murder? Revenge and gain are two strong ones. Reports indicated that Katie had filed for divorce two days after her disappearance. If their finances were from her and she divorced him then there would be no more money. Was there an insurance policy on Katie? Who owned the land, and who had paid for any real estate, or estate, left by the woman? Was it James, or DeWitt, or someone else? We may never know the full details after more than a century. Today, like in previous generations this story concerning the fate of a young wife and a small child, has the power to grip people.

That baby raises other questions. Was she also an intended victim? A clean sweep of wife and child by a husband?  Did the killer, or the accomplice, fulfill the one but balked at killing the innocent child? For what other reason might Fannie left the child with a farm family in the area and provide someone to identify her?

A lot of questions linger. If the tale of the young boy forced to abuse the body are true, just who were the men? Did Luther James have something to do with his wife's death? Was the other man husband to Norton? If she was the schoolteacher from the 1900 census, his declared accusations of her attempted murder, do not seem to mesh with an image of a schoolteacher who lived next door to her father. Where was Katie Dewitt in 1900? When did she marry James? When did she allegedly live near Webb?

Yet, he strangely stayed with the alleged near murderous woman and had a child with her in 1903-04. In fact, the bad influence, Fannie Ham-Norton, comes back into the circle of acquaintances to the point she drives Katie James and child on the last fateful day?

The Victims

The Katie James Murder represents an enduring tragedy that captures the attention of people each generation. It is a stirring tale featuring a missing young mother, a child, strange events, and the stalwart presence of one of the early heroes of Oklahoma Territory, Sam Bartell (U.S. Marshal, Police Constable and Private Detective).  The circle of victims, however, was larger than the young woman, the baby and the grandfather. Here, through special permission, is the story of the aftermath:

Although most of the excitement surrounding the murder of Katie James in 1905 involved the search for Katie and the woman suspected of killing her, there were other victims of which almost nothing is told; these victims were the children of Katie and Fannie Norton; Lulu Blanche James and Roy, Leta & Elsie Ham. Lulu Blanche was only 18 months old when her mother was murdered. A newspaper article from the Weatherford Democrat says the following:

"The Weatherford Democrat, Thursday, January 23, 1913

Blanche James Dead

Another chapter in one of the saddest tragedies in connection with Weatherford's early history ended recently with the death of Little Blanche James. A letter received by the Cheyenne Marble Works of this place Monday from Mr. DeWitt at Knowles states that he had just got a letter form his sister, Mrs. Shinsteffer who had been notified of the death of the little girl on Jan. 2nd. So little can be known of the fact except that the girl had been visiting her father and took sick with spinal meningitis from which she died. The letter from Mr. DeWitt closed with the cry of the old man's broken heart, "I think they might have might have let me know. I would like to have been with her.

Many of our readers will remember the gruesome story. Seven years ago Mrs. James, having had trouble with her husband on account of his cruelty, had come to Weatherford to her father, Mr. DeWitt. At Clinton she met with Mrs. Ham who offered to drive her through the country. Some place on that lonely drive she was murdered. The body was afterwards found hidden in the bushes near Deer Creek. A little boy related that a woman driving the wagon called hi and asked him to hold the baby as the horses were fractious, then drove furiously away leaving the little child in his arms. Two years ago a trace of the murderer was found in Colorado but she was wanted for stealing horses in New Mexico, so she could not be brought back here for trial until her sentence expires.

But many have asked, what became of the little babe deprived of its mother's care and left to strangers? The father came and took the child, never letting Mr. DeWitt have anything to do with her or to see her. Mr. James married again, but through the years the child was guarded from any knowledge of her grandfather. 

Mrs. Shinsteffer, the sister of Mr. DeWitt, lived in the same county, Dewey County, and through neighbors kept track of the child and informed Mr. DeWitt. The old gentleman in the course of time amassed considerable property. Mrs. James was his only child and he has no heir. It was the wish of his heart to have and to help little Blanche. Although he was not allowed to see her, he could not resist sending her pretty clothes. These were sent through his sister and without letting them know where they came from. Mr. James always told his daughter that her mother still lived and that the clothes were sent by her. And so, the story ends with the death of little Blanche."

The Ham children spent their last days together as a family traveling to Guthrie Oklahoma. On July 11, 1905, they were placed for adoption by their Mother Mary Francis Norton, who then left for Shawnee where she eventually committed suicide. Roy, the older brother was 13, his two sisters Elsie and Leta only eleven and seven.

The records that survive show the children placed with families in August 1905; sadly, they were not kept together. The entries state:

* Roy Ham -With farmer, good people man and wife of Quaker faith.

* Elsie Ham-With intelligent family, who will give the child a good home. Methodist faith.

* Leta Ham-With Dr. B. and his wife, no children, fine people. The child will have good advantages. Presbyterian and Methodist Churches preferred.

Roy and his sisters had little contact with one another. All letters between the siblings were sent via the Children’s Home. While the records are incomplete, they do show that at least in the beginning the children tried to maintain contact with one another. Transcripts of the few remaining letters show the children adapted well to their new lives. Only Roy seems to make any mention of their mother, and even that is only a short sentence to say he is sorry to hear she is dead.

I haven’t been able to track down anything about the family Roy Ham was placed with. He kind of disappears until October 1918 when dies of pneumonia. Roy’s obit in the Kansas City Star of October 20, 1918 reads:  "Ham-Roy L Ham, 26 years old, died Friday at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Gilmer, 5948 Brooklyn Avenue, of pneumonia. He made his home at that address. His father, Taylor Ham, lives in Turlington, Tex. Two sisters also survive him."   Roy’s sisters never knew what happened to their brother.

Elsie Ham married in October 1913. She and her husband had three children, a boy and two girls. Her son died during World War II; I don’t know what ever became of her daughters or if she ever shared with them the sad story of their grandmother’s life and death.

Leta was perhaps the luckiest of the three Ham children. She was placed with a doctor who eventually adopted her. She wrote to her brother of her little pony and of the four dolls she had. Leta too went on to marry, raise children and live her life.

---Courtesy of William Slack

The Summary
The conflicting elements, the allegations, and the nuances of this story suggest there was more, much more to the story. Research into the newspapers of the area, such as the Arapahoe paper cited as the source of the “Jezebel” stories, investigations into inheritance, the alleged murder of the barman in Weatherford by Ham/Norton, and other threads will need to be explored. 

Perhaps most telling of all is the haunting inscription placed on Katie's grave. It may be merely a bit of forgotten poetry or a father's attempt to lay blame, and its pronoun can be open to many interpretations: " How many hopes he has ended here." Until more is discovered mystery remains, as it always does in the loss of any life, and until that time, the tale retains its ability to raise interest, inspire sympathy, and generate questions as much in 2010 as in 1905.

Sources:Brenner, Susan Woolf. "Dead Woman's Crossing: The Legacy of a Territorial Murder." Chronicles of Oklahoma: Volume LX (Fall 1982). If you can find it in a library (this one frequently is missing from collections).
Dewitt, H. (1844-1940), Find a grave, at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=dewitt&GSby=1844&GSbyrel=in&GSdyrel=in&GSst=38&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=9547925&
Federal United States Census, Dewey County, 1900 and 1910.
James, Katie A. Dewitt (1874-1905), Find a Grave, at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=James&GSfn=Katie&GSbyrel=in&GSdy=1905&GSdyrel=in&GSst=38&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=10619462&. Includes photo of grave and states inscription reads: “How many hopes he ended here.”
Norton, Fannie Bray Ham (1872-1905), Find A Grave, at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=ham&GSbyrel=in&GSdy=1905&GSdyrel=in&GSst=38&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=42469111&
Oklahoma newspaper (1905).