HolmesUlyssesWillis,the fifth and last child of Raleigh Britton“Brit”WillisandMargaret Jane “Maggie” Page Willis, was born into a family that left an indelible mark on thedevelopmentofWillisand Marshall County. Brit Willis, the town's founder, was the son of James Hamilton Willis and Elvia Love, who arrived in Indian Territory during the Chickasaw Removal in the 1840s or 1850s. The Willis family's contributions extend beyond the town's borders, shaping much of what we now know as Marshall County. If there were a MountRushmoreofMarshall County families, Brit Willis and his son J. Hamp Willis would be on that mountain, a testament to the enduring legacy of the Willis family.
Brit and Maggie had five children: James Hampton “Hamp” Willis (1872-1940, the founder of Helen, which laterbecameKingston);Mary Elvira Willis (1874-1963); MarthaE.Willis(1876-1948,) and Viola Willis, (1878-1907.) Holmes Ulysses was born in 1880. Holmes Ulysses was named after Brit’s younger brother,Holmes(1857-1914.)
In 1902, Holmes Ulysses married Bertha “Birdie” McLynn in Grayson County, Texas. Birdie was originally from Denver, Colorado. They made their home in the Kingston area. On February 23, 1904, Birdie gave birth to the couple’s first child, Margaret Evelyne Willis. (1904-1946). Then, on February 1, 1911, they welcomed a son, McLynn Eugene “Mac” Willis. (1911-1982).
Holmes Ulysses lived in Marshall County all his life except for a 12-year years, from 1925 to 1937. Around 1925, Holmes and Birdie moved the family to the Calexico and Imperial area in southern California, along the United States-Mexico border. Holmes moved the family to California to accept a job with the Calexico Police Department as a commissioned police officer. The Chief of the Calexico Police Department was former Marshall County native and residentJoseph“Joe”Burney Hardwick. Joe Hardwick was the Chief of Police in Calexico, California, from 1922 until he died in 1931. In the July 18, 1925 edition of the Colton Daily Courier, a California newspaper, Holmes was identified as a Detective Lieutenant for the Calexico Police Department. Holmes was with Calexico for approximately six years. Following Joe Hardwick’s death, Holmes worked as a policeman for the El Centro, CaliforniaPoliceDepartment for another six years.
During his twelve years as a police officer and detective in southern California, Holmes was directly involved in the investigation of every crime imaginable, including numerous murders, robberies, burglaries, gambling cases, bootleg alcohol matters, riots and other various crimes. Holmes was a highly respected and decorated officer with an impeccable reputation for honesty and truthfulness.
Under the headline, “The Best Policy,” the July 30, 1936, issue of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper stated the following about Holmes, “Evidence or no evidence, H.U. Willis is an honest policeman. He returned a quart of whisky Thursday to the A & P store in El Centro, from which it had been stolen by a Mexican.” This story was reprinted in various newspapers throughout California, including San Diego and Los Angeles. This short story exemplified the respect Holmes had within the communities he served.
While working as a police officer, Holmes also managed a motel in El Centro for a few years and worked other odd part-time jobs, as is the practice for police officers even today.
In April of 1937, Holmes made a significant decision. He resigned from the El Centro Police Department and returned to his roots in Marshall County. However, BirdieremainedinCalifornia with their daughter Margaret and Margaret’s husband andchildren.BridieandMargaret returned to Marshall County in July of 1937, but they stayed only a short while and then returned to California. Their son, McLynn, was then living in El Paso, working as a border patrol officer. Holmes had come home to run his family farm here in the county. He lived in the old Brit Willis home on the farm about 15 miles southwest of Madill.
In June 1938, Holmes filed for divorce from Birdie in Marshall County District Court.Inhispetition,Holmes alleged “extreme cruelty and abandonment”asgroundsfor divorce. Birdie was served by publication notice since she was living in California. However, it appears that the divorce was never granted, and Holmes and Birdie remained married,thoughthey were estranged and never reconciled.
In June of 1940, Holmes announced his candidacy for Sheriff of Marshall County. His announcement appeared in the June 16, 1940, issue of theMadillRecord. Inthatannouncement, Holmes stated the following: “To the Voters of Marshall County: I take this means of announcingmycandidacyfor the office of sheriff of Marshall County. I am, of course a democrat and have been in this county almost 60 years, with the exception of 12 years spent on the Mexican border as a peace officer.”
“I can’t boast as some can of being on the county payroll for 20 years. I never drew a county check in my life. I don’t intend to worry the voters with a lot of cards and promises, but if elected will do my duty as an officer.”
“Some of the voters may not know me, but sometime a man will cast his vote for one he doesn’t know in preference to the one he does know so when you scan the ticket, youwillseemyname,Holmes U. Willis on it and if you can conscientiously vote for me, I will do what is expected of an officer.”
The primary election occurred in July 1940. Seven candidates were running for the office of Sheriff. Among those running were Edd Long, T.Z. Spawn, the incumbent, Louis Perrier, J.J. (Dude) Rushing, Dora Tubbs and Leonard McKenzie. Holmes came in sixth in the field of seven candidates.
Less than two months later, Holmes’ life took a tragic turn. On September 5, 1940, Holmes got involved in an altercation with Bird Matchen that resulted in Bird’s death. Matchen lived with his wife and children as a tenant farmer on the Willis farm.
Bird Matchen was born to Tom and Ida Matchen in Lampasas, Texas, on March 26, 1890. About 1893, the Matchen family moved to the Willis area of Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation and Bird was raised in the Willis and Kingston area of the county. In December of 1911,hemarriedMissDuella Bull in Kingston. Bird and Duella had three sons and five daughters.
In 1926, Bird was arrested and charged with transporting and possessing mash in Marshall County District Court. Mash was the combination of corn sugar, fruit, beats, or potato peals fermented to produce illegal gin. To put it differently, Bird Matchen was a bootlegger in the 1920s. The charge was eventually dropped and refiled in federal court.
Then, in November 1933, Bird, along with his son Elmer, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon in the stabbing of Bird’s nephew, Doss Matchen, during a gambling match. Bird, Doss and Elmer were playing poker in a cellar near Bird’s home near Kingston when a disagreement ensued, and Bird and Elmer both pulled out knives and stabbed and cut Doss. Doss Matchen was seriously wounded and was taken to the hospital in Durant for treatment. In September 1934, Bird and Elmer were found guilty of a reduced charge and fined and sentenced to thirty days in the county jail.
What occurred between Holmes and Bird was disputed, but the result was that HolmeskilledByrdMatchen. Holmes reportedly hit Byrd on the head with a stick, mortally wounding him. Byrd was taken to University Hospital in Oklahoma City, where he remained for three days before dying from the head injury.
Holmes was arrested on Saturday, the 7th of September, by Sheriff T.Z. Splawn and charged with murder. His initial appearance was Monday the 9th, and he was denied bond.
Holmes then appeared in court on Wednesday, September 11, 1940, for his preliminary hearing, wherein he was bound over for trial. In the preliminary hearing, Byrd Matchen’s wife, Mrs. Eunice Gray, Gray’s daughter, Wendyl Watts, Dr. Holland and Dr. York testified for the state. Don Welch was the special prosecutor, and SamY.Colbywasthedefense attorney.
Also, on Monday, September 9, 1940, Mrs. Dela Matchen, the widow of Byrd Matchen, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Holmes. Her demand for relief was the payment of $3,000, which would be about $55,000 today.
On September 13, 1940, Holmes appeared before the District Court for a bond hearing. At that hearing, he testified that he killed Byrd Matchen in self-defense. He claimed that Matchen came toward him with an open knife in his hand, and he believed Matchen was going to kill him. He admitted to hitting Matchen once on the head with a stick in selfdefense. Also testifying at thebondhearingwasDeputy Joe Everett. He testified that he found a knife at the scene near Matchen’s body. Following the hearing, Judge Marvin Shillings of Ardmore grantedabondintheamount of$7,500.Holmesthenposted the bond and was released later that same day.
The jury trial for Holmes U. Willis occurred on February 18, 1941. The trial judge wasJ.I.Goins,DistrictJudge. Testifying for the prosecution were Mrs. Matchen and her children. Also testifying were Mrs. Eunice Gray, her son Kenneth Gray (8 years old) and Virginia Gray. From a medical standpoint were Dr. Holland, Dr. Raff and Wendyl Watts. Witnesses for Holmes were Mr. and Mrs. Estes Garner, Sheriff T.Z. Splawn, Deputy Joe Everett, E.P.Schneider,O.H.Hilburn of Wapanucka, Ed Buckaloo, J.W. Dillard, Bill Peevey, Dr. J. F. York and H. J. Hartin. The Prosecuting attorneys were Jack Livingston, Ed Grigsby and Kenneth Clark. SamY.Colbywasthedefense attorney.
After almost 24 hours of deliberation, the jury could not reach a verdict. The reported jury vote was 7-5. The jury foreman reported to the Judge that the jury was hopelessly “hung,” and a mistrial was declared. The case was reset for trial on the October 1941 trial docket.
On October 27, 1941, the case was retried before a second jury. All the same, witnesses testified in the second trial. The trial started onMonday,the27th,andconcluded at about 6:00 P.M. on Tuesday, the 28th. After deliberating for several hours, the jury returned a verdict of guilty on a lesser charge of manslaughterandsentenced Holmes to four years in the state penitentiary. Following the verdict, Holmes was released under his original bond to await sentencing.
Following the verdict, it was reported that Holmes was nauseated and appeared quite ill. However, he refused medical attention. At about 10:00 P.M. that night, Holmes hired a local taxi driver to take him back to the Brit Willis home where he lived with Mr. and Mrs. Estes Garner.
Wednesday morning, October 29, 1941, Mr. and Mrs. Garner stated that Holmes still looked quite ill when they saw him that morning when they left the home at about 8:30 A.M. When they returned to the home about two hours later, they found Holmes dead in his bed, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Sheriff was called, and it was determined that Holmes shot himself with a .44 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver. Holmes had laid down on his bed, put the gun to his chest, and pulled the trigger. The bullet passed through his heart, out his back and traveled through the bed, lodging in the bottom mattress. News of Holmes’s convictionandtakinghisown life was reported in newspapers throughout Oklahoma.
Holmes's funeral was held on Saturday, November 1, 1941, at the Watts Funeral Chapel. The services were conducted by Rev. Ben J. Wilkins, the Kingston Nazarene pastor and Rev. J.S. Dennis, the Kingston Methodist minister. Music was by Mrs. L.H. Haney, Mrs.CarlRichman,Mrs.Carl Richman, Miss Valita Buck, George S. Henry, A.E. Findley and Mrs. Eggel Davis, all of Kingston. Pall Bearers were Bob Rabon, Ben Hammons, RoyMcDonald,Shelby Robinson, Loyd Cowen and Leonard Cowen. Holmes was interred in the Kingston Cemetery.
Sadly, missing from his funeral were his wife, Birdie and his daughter, Margaret, who both refused to return to Oklahoma for the funeral.
Holmes Ulysses Willis was an honorable man who served as a police officer and detective in California for a dozen years. During that time, he had an exemplary record and was praised in newspapersacrossCalifornia for his honesty and integrity. Upon returning to Marshall County, he sought the position of Sheriff of the County, wishing to continue to serve his community as an officer of the law. Nothing from Holmes’ past supported the belief that he was a violent man. However, Bird Matchen’s pastdidshowthathewas amaninclinedtoviolence. He was a bootlegger for several years, and he was arrested and convicted for stabbing his nephew. Also, the evidence at Holmes’s trial showed that Bird Matchen had a knife, as one was found at the scene near his body. It is plausible to believe that Holmes was in fear for his lifewhenhehitBirdMatchen over the head with a stick. Further, the fact that only one blow was administered to Matchen supported the notion that Holmes was not the aggressor.
As a trial lawyer, former prosecutor, and public defender, I believe, based on the information I have read, that Holmes Ulysses Willis was an innocent man who was wrongly convicted for a crime he did not commit. Sadly, in 1940, Oklahoma did not have the laws we have today, such as our “Stand your ground” self-defense laws. And it is unclear from the record available if the evidence of Bird Matchen’s propensity for violence with a knife was presented to the jury.
After a life and career dedicated to the law, after a failed marriage, a conviction for a crime he did not commit, and the perceived damage to the reputation of the Willis family name, Holmes was so emotionally and physically devastated that he could not go on. Clearly, the result of the trial and the realization that, as a former police officer, any prison sentence was likely a death sentence, Holmes became physically and emotionally ill to the point that the only acceptable option was to end his own life. Sadly, he saw no light at the end of the tunnel. He was alone and lost, and he felt he had no hope.
No one should be judged for what they might do in a moment of darkness and despair when all seems lost and hopeless. Holmes Ulysses Willis was a good man who dedicated his adult life to serving his community and fellow man. That is how he should be remembered.
If you or anyone you know is thinking about harming yourself or taking your own life, tell someone who can help right away. Call 911, go to the nearest hospital emergency, or call or text 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal or emotional distress. Support is also available via live chat at https://988lifeline.org