The Icepick Slaying
A Moment in History
Editor’s Note: The Heritage Museum highlights different pieces of Howard County history. This week, the Heritage Museum takes a look at a murder story that took place in the early 1900s, in Howard County. Each week, as part of the history moment, stories shed light on different families who were part of the foundation of our community. This week, the family in the limelight is the Hildreth family and the unimaginable fate of Docia Hildreth.
Orville and William Hildreth are pictured at the family farm. William Hidreth was eventually one of the first in Howard County to be electrocuted on a charge of murder, in the death of his wife.
On a warm October afternoon, Docia Hildreth’s daughter found her mother lying on the floor in her home at 606 Nolan Street. She had been stabbed over 20 times, with an icepick and murdered in cold blood.
At 2 p.m., Monday afternoon, Vernice Hildreth Coburn, heard screams coming from her mother’s home next door. She ran to the house as her father, was walking out the door. He mumbled, “You better go in there, she needs you.” She found her mother bleeding and crumpled on the floor crying, “Vernice, he’s killed me this time, get a doctor!” The ambulance was summoned, and she was taken to the Big Spring Hospital where she passed away 15 minutes after arrival.
The Hildreth’s youngest daughter, had witnessed the attack on her mother and ran hiding under the porch. The icepick was found impaled in Docia’s pelvic bone where the handle had broken off and been tossed onto the table. According to Dr. T.B. Hoover, at least seven of the stab wounds reached Docia’s heart.
W.R (William) Hildreth had hid in a neighbor’s garage on East Sixth Street. The owner discovered Hildreth as he arrived home from work and parked his car. Hildreth had been standing at the door bleeding profusely from neck and wrist wounds. In a botched suicide attempt, Hildreth appeared to have slashed his own throat and wrists with his pocketknife. He missed the major arteries, but still lost a considerable amount of blood. Sheriff Jess Slaughter was summoned to the scene, where he transported Hildreth to Big Spring Hospital for treatment.
Docia and William were married on April 24, 1910, in Howard County. At the age of 16, Docia was eight years younger than her new groom. William was working on the family farm, four miles north of Big Spring by R-Bar Road. A year later, the couple welcomed their first son, Orville Charles. Eight daughters and one more son were added to the family while they lived on the farm. Docia was beautiful as well as very delicate in a refined way. Perhaps William was jealous of the attention she received, or he wanted to rein control over her. She became pregnant 10 times in the 21 years of marriage. It left her little time to do anything but be a wife and mother.
A strange allegation was reported in the Big Spring Herald on Saturday morning, Aug. 5, 1922, at the Hildreth farm. William was in town and received word that his daughter had been attacked at their farm. The young girl had been found in the barn with bruises and ripped clothing. She was quite distraught and, when questioned, she claimed a black man had attacked her. A vigilante group of men in their cars arrived on the scene in search of this alleged attacker. According to the Herald, a neighbor had spotted a Mexican man working in the area, so the crowd quickly concluded this was the guilty party and had him arrested on charges of assault and attempted rape. He was transported to confinement in Sweetwater until the District Court met in Howard County. The accusations against the man disappeared. Was this a case of mistaken identity or was this a child too frightened to speak the truth, whatever that may have been?
Adding to the family’s troubles was the beginning of the country’s Great Depression, and life on the farm became harder than usual. During World War I, high wheat prices led Texas farmers to plant more of it. When World War I ended, demand for wheat dropped and so did prices. Farmers planted more wheat to make up for low prices. This only caused prices to drop even more. By 1932, prices were only about 20 percent of what they had been in 1920. William’s father was a large landowner and had always provided well for the family. However, due to the economics or a strained relationship, William and Docia moved their family to town to 606 Nolan Street, and William became a used car salesman.
More trouble continued to brew. Docia gave birth to their eighth daughter and 10th child on Feb. 16, 1931. Two years later, William was arrested for aggravated assault against Docia on April 12, 1933. He was given four months in jail, and Docia immediately filed for divorce. The divorce was granted in September 1933. Once William was released from jail, he managed to talk his way back into Docia’s life.
On, Oct. 2, 1934, one day after Docia was murdered, William Robert Hildreth was placed under arrest. Two court appointed attorneys were made available for Hildreth’s defense, Charles Sullivan and John Littler. During the trial, the Hildreth children were the main witnesses, as they told how their mother had wanted to go to the movies. Son Orville worked at the theater, and had given his mother tickets so she could take her three-year-old daughter. She was wearing a nice dark navy dress with a matching hat and slippers in anticipation of going to the movies. Hildreth had recently been released from jail, once again, on assault charges. Angry and shouting, he demanded that she not go to the movies. He said, “If you go, wait and see what happens!” He threatened to put her in a box if she insisted on going. Docia had previously told her son that she wanted to find a job, but again, Hildreth threatened his wife saying, “If you ever go to town and get a job, you will go off in a box.”
The children testified that their father had made numerous threats against their mother within the last few years. Initially, Hildreth plead not guilty, but changed that plea to guilty. He asked the mercy on the court and said he was sorry.
On Oct. 26, 1934, a Howard County jury deliberated for two hours and five minutes before coming back at 8:15 p.m. with a death verdict. District Judge Charles Klapproth, from Midland, gave a stern warning to the curious crowd against any demonstration of emotion.
Hildreth was the second man, in Howard County history to be sentenced to death after futile attempts at a retrial. The case was appealed to the highest court of criminal appeals, but was affirmed. By May 1935, the court refused another hearing and closed the case.
Hildreth had been sent to Huntsville to await execution by electric chair.
On Monday, Nov. 25,
1935, William Hildreth refused to speak when asked if he had any last words. After his requested last meal of fried chicken, he was executed.
One of the first family pictures of William, Docia and Orville.