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Arkadelphia Standard - Capt. J.C. Ray and Mr. J.P Hulsey left this place
(Arkadelphia) one day last week for Pike County, for the purpose of
capturing the desperado Ambrose H. White, charged with murder, and who
escaped custody, and has since set the authorities at defiance. They state
he was captured just before their arrival there by two brothers named Cox,
and afterward in attempting to escape, was shot and killed by one of the
Coxes. The circumstances of the capture and killing were substantially as
follows: It appears that White had been on terms of criminal intimacy for
some time past with a girl that one of the Cox boys wished to marry, but the
girl preferring White, was preparing to leave the country with him. This
excited the anger (of) Cox, and he, with his brother, agreed upon White's
capture. Being on intimate terms with him, they rode up to the house of the
girl where White was, and he, being unsuspicious of danger, greet(ed) them
kindly. He was sitting on a chair with his gun across his lap, and while one
of the Coxes engaged him in conversation, the other got behind him, and at a
favorable moment, seized him from behind and pinioned his arms, while the
other presented a revolver at his breast and disarmed him. White then tried
to beg off, promising to leave the country and not harm them. They refused
to release him. When White asked the privilege of getting a drink of water,
when on the way to the well, he broke to run, and was shot by one of the
Coxes through the body, but ran some distance before he fell. Cox then ran
up to him. When White begged him not to shoot him, as he was already a dead
man, Cox replied, "No d--n you, you might get up, so look out for your head,
here goes" and fired shooting him through the temple, killing him instantly.
The other Cox had his hands full in mangaging the girl, who showed pluck and
disposition to defend White with her life. Pike County is thus rid of a very
desperate and dangerous man, and though his taking off was to satisfy
personal revenge rather than violated law, the people of that county have
reason to be glad of it. If Pike County can now get rid of the Coxes, it
would be all the better for it. A coroner's inquest was held on the body,
and the jury returned a verdict in accordance with the above facts.
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Southern Standard, July 10, 1875, page 4, column 2. Arkansas Gazette, July
11, 1875, page 1.
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