Clarence Bayard Telford (1875 - 1898)

Born 8 Nov 1875 in Cisco, Piatt, Illinois, United States

Ancestors

Died 1 Aug 1898 at age 22 in Oakley Township, Macon, Illinois, United States

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Biography

Clarence Baynard "Bay" Telford was born in 1875, in Platt County, Illinois. He was a son of William Henry Telford (1846-1920) and Martha Ellen Nelms (1849-1929). Newspaper accounts describe him as a prominent young farmer, whose father is a wealthy stock man and land owner.

In 1898, Clarence was murdered by Lewis A Clevenger, during a dispute. Early newspaper accounts of the murder suggested the dispute concerned financial matters^[1]. Bay Telford was operating a hay press that summer, and Lewis A, Clevenger had been employed as a farm-hand.

However, Clevenger's trial revealed that the dispute and shooting had been witnessed by the 19 year-old "Josie" Watson AKA Ledosh Meyers Seitz--a daughter of Joseph Meyers. Both Telford and Clevenger had affections for her, and Clevenger was intensely jealous.^[2]

Buried: Cross Cemetery, Oakley Township, Macon County, Illinois, USA.^[3]

Research Notes

More information about the murder can be found at his FindAGrave memorial, and on the Wikitree page for Lewis A Clevenger.

At his trial, it was revealed that Lewis Clevenger had bragged to his girlfriend that he had killed a man before, when Clevenger was living in Kansas.

Clevenger would surely have been hanged for murdering Telford, if not for the last-minute testimony at his trial by Josie Watson, who testified that Telford had physically threatened him, and Clevenger shot back in self-defense [shot in the back?]. Clevenger was sentenced to 30 years for the murder, with an opportunity for parole as early as 1915. At his sentencing, Clevenger admitted he had killed Telford and that he was justified in doing so. He vowed to become a model prisoner.

The last known record for Clevenger is a 1910 Illinois prison census.

Sources

1. ↑ Peoria Daily Transcript 1 Aug 1898
2. ↑ The Decatur Herald [Decatur, Il.] Wednesday 3 August 1898. p. 1; Thursday 4 August 1898. p. 2. The Daily Review [Decatur, Il.] Sunday 15 January 1899. p. 7
3. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #163545320