Orman Harley Shepherd

b. May 1883, d. 8 January 1908
  • Orman Harley Shepherd was born in May 1883 in Missouri or possibly Kansas.
  • He was known as Harley.
  • Orman Harley Shepherd appeared in the US federal census of 1 June 1900 in Pluma, Lawrence County, Missouri, enumerated as a "partner" in the household of William Ward, living not far from his mother Hannah Scarborough and his sister Olive Rickman.
  • He was attending school, according to the 1900 census.
  • The following appeared on 8 August 1901 in the Lead Daily Call: The Call has heretofore made little reference to the stories in circulation relative to W. H. Ward's connection with the disappearance of the two Shepherd boys of Pluma, because the charges made in such stories were so serious that they should not be made against any one without good evidence of being well grounded.
         Up to this time no substantial evidence has been unearthed either as to the whereabouts of the boys or word. Further there has been absolutely no proof that the parties are not all living today. This morning's Pioneer-Times contains an interview with Orman F. Ong of Pluma (uncle to the boys), a part of which is as follows:
         "I want to correct the impression that Harley Shepherd had ever been adopted by Ward," said Orman F. Ong of Pluma, uncle of the Shepherd boys, yesterday. "Harley lived with Ward four or five years, but he had not been adopted, as was reported in the papers a few days ago. Harley was the boy that Ward or 'Beecher' as he was called, professed such a fondness for. The boy is 18 years old. His mother lives in Pluma and his stepfather is Bert Scarborough. The boy used to have frequent petty quarrels and altercations with Ward, and ran away several times. Ward always appeared to be a good hearted, conscientious kind of a man, but of a very nervous temperament, and subject to frequent outbreaks. Harley's oldest brother, Lee, knew of the quarrels and he has scolded the boy time and again for remaining with Ward at all."
         Harley Shepherd went out on the B. & M. some time in May which seems to have worried Ward very much and caused him to continually talk with Lee Shepherd about getting his brother home and repeatedly stating that he (Ward) had $5,000 in cash for Harley when he came back. Early in July a letter purporting to be from his brother, Lee, was registered to him and told him to return at once or he would not get his money or find either Ward or his brothers as they expected to go to Hot Springs, Ark., for Ward's health. The boy came home and met Ward who appeared very affectionate and wanted the boy to go back and live with him, but he would not agree to it. Further Mr. Ong says:
         "The mother of the Shepherd boys and my wife had been talking for a while of going to Ward's house and searching for some clue to the boys. The morning after the meeting of Ward and Harley I was in Deadwood and when I got back I found that my wife was gone. I suspected that the women were looking through Ward's house, and I immediately began planning to keep him from knowing about it. I saw him coming in a little while and tried to stop him. I saw the women leaving his house in a little while, and I could not help but notice the way he acted. When I got to him he looked like a wild man. The two women had not found anything, however. Shortly after this, half dozen of us entered Ward's house by means of a skeleton key that I had procured. I had talked with the state's attorney about it and he said it would be all right. We found a trunk belonging to Kirk containing all his clothing. It also contained a new suit of clothes belonging to Lee. But there was no evidence of foul play. The next morning we went to the house again. Ward was there and we told him what we were after. He volunteered to show us all over the place. We looked through the garden and examined the ponds and water holes near the place, Ward going with us. Finally Ward said he had to go back and water his ducks. Jim Hunter, one of the party, was a little behind the rest of us and as Ward started back he stopped and talked with Hunter. He said, 'Hunter, I am glad you came with this party. You have always been an enemy of mine, and have always been cussing me, but now I want to ask you if you think I made away with those boys?' Hunter told him he could not tell anything about it. Ward then asked Hunter, 'What would happen to me if those boys' bodies were found on my premises?' It was then that Hunter told him he would be very promptly strung up.
         "In a little Harley came up to tell us that he had seen Ward going up a ravine near his house, and he believed he was watching us from a place of concealment. We went over that way in a little while, but could not find anything of him, and I think he kept on going. Probably what Hunter told him caused him to leave.
         "I would not pretend to say whether Ward had anything to do with the disappearance of the two boys or not. I do know that many of these stories going around about the man are false. He was erratic in many ways, but as far as I could ever learn he was honest and conscientious. There is notheing in the report about his being responsible for the death of the man killed in one of his tunnels a few years ago. There was a man killed in the tunnel, but Ward was not anywhere near him, and it was plain enough that it was purely accidental. There is some mystery as to where Ward got the money he claimed to be saving for Harley Shepherd. He said he got it from the sale of mining property at Bald Mountain, but would not say what ground it was or who bought it. I cannot find any record of such a deal, and I do not believe any man would pay $5,000 for mining property without putting it on record. I do know that Ward borrowed money to go to the Paris exposition last year. That was a year ago last month, and it has never been paid. It seems rather strange that a man would have five thousand dollars about his house and allow a mortgage on his place to go to foreclosure. Ward's house is worth anywhere from $600 to $1,000."
  • Orman Harley Shepherd died on 8 January 1908 at age 24 in Deadwood, Lawrence County, South Dakota, at St. Joseph's Hospital.
  • He was interred at Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood, Lawrence County, South Dakota.
  • The following appeared on 9 January 1908 in The Weekly Pioneer-Times: Harley Shepherd died at the St. Joseph's hospital yesterday morning at 3:20 o'clock without having regained consciousness since the accident, which happened to him at the Mogul mill on January 1st. Although an operation was performed on Thursday last for the removal of a blood clot from the brain, he still remained in a comatose state and passed away without being able to tell of the accident that finally caused his death.
         Harley Shepherd was 24 years of age and was born in Kansas. He was the son of Mrs. Mary Shepherd of Pluma and leaves, besides his mother, one brother, Earl, aged about 16 years, and one sister, Mrs. Will Perry of Lead. His father died before the family came to the Black Hills (about twelve years ago) and two of his brothers, Kirk and Lee, disappeared about six years ago and are believed to have been murdered by W. H. Ward, who is serving a life sentence at Sioux Falls for the murder. A body, supposed to have been that of one of the Shepherd boys, was found near Pluma shortly after the disappearance, but the other body was never found. [:CR;]      A coroner's jury consisting of M. M. Jones, C. H. Savage and Joseph Hattenbach, was empaneled yesterday and visited the scene of the accident at the Mogul mill. The inquest will be held this afternoon at 1 o'clock at Booth's undertaking parlors, to which place the body was taken after his death.
         The funeral will be held from his late home at Pluma this afternoon at 2 o'clock, Rev. Frederic Richardson of the Deadwood Baptist church officiating and will be attended by the members of the Deadwood Mine and Mill Men's Union, of which deceased was a member.
  • Last Edited: 28 Dec 2015