True Crime Chronicles: Murder of five family members in McCurtain County in 1923 resulted in two executions
- Dennis McCaslin
- May 22, 2025
- 3 min read
On April 26, 1923, a gruesome crime unfolded at the rural farmhouse of Tom Hansell near Haworth, in McCurtain Count, leaving five family members dead in one of the county’s most shocking murder cases.
Sheriff J.B. Jones and his deputies arrived at the scene to discover Tom Hansell, his wife Nannie, their daughter Lida Pope, her infant son Herbert, and their 7-year-old son Aubrey brutally shot to death as they slept. Lida, expecting her second child, was among the victims.
The Hansells’ 14-year-old son, Ben, survived despite serious wounds, having been shielded by his sister’s body when she fell from her bed after being shot.
The perpetrators were quickly identified as Lida’s estranged husband, A.J. “Jack” Pope, his 19-year-old son from a previous marriage, John Pope, andc, a 21-year-old accomplice.
The trio, residents of Red River County, Texas, had crept up to the Hansell home around midnight. They shattered a rear window, broke down a door with an axe, and unleashed a barrage of pistol and shotgun fire through the openings, targeting the sleeping family.
According to court testimony, 11 shots were fired. Lida died clutching her infant son, Herbert, to her chest, and Aubrey succumbed to his wounds shortly after.
Ben Hansell, despite his injuries, gathered the dying Herbert and staggered through the darkness to a neighbor’s home for help. Tragically, Herbert died in his arms before aid could be reached.
Sheriff Jones, alerted by the neighbor, notified Red River County authorities, who swiftly arrested Jack Pope, John Pope, and Harvey. Two other men, Al Miller and Ira Gardner, were briefly detained on suspicion of involvement but were released after the suspects’ confessions cleared them.
The motive centered on a $2,000 life insurance policy Jack Pope held on Lida. Court records revealed he orchestrated the killings, enlisting Harvey with a promise of $500 and coercing his son John under threat of death to assist.
Harvey admitted to killing the Hansells’ watchdog the night before to facilitate the attack but claimed he only held the horses during the murders. Jack Pope initially stated he also held the horses but later confessed to firing shots, including one that killed his father-in-law, Tom Hansell.
John Pope, described as a reluctant participant, was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in holding the horses.
The crime scene was described as horrific by deputies, with blood-soaked bedding, brains, and gore scattered across the room.
The victims were laid to rest in an unmarked mass grave in Pollard Cemetery, later described by a local as "resembling a storm cellar".
The suspects were transported to Idabel for a preliminary hearing before Judge F.C. Harkey, under heavy guard due to public outrage. Over 1,500 people gathered outside the courthouse, with tensions high enough that Sheriff Jones warned against violence and searched attendees for weapons, prompting many to leave.
Thirteen witnesses, including Texas lawmen, testified. Jack Pope admitted to planning the murders but was vague on his role in the shootings. Harvey, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, claimed he was an accomplice rather than the primary shooter. John Pope insisted he acted under duress.
To prevent mob violence, the suspects were moved to Hugo before being returned to Idabel for sentencing on May 10, 1923, before Judge George T. Arnett.
Jack Pope pleaded for mercy for his son, saying, “May God have mercy on my soul.” Jack Pope and Harvey were sentenced to death by electrocution, while John Pope received a life sentence.
The executions, originally set for July 13, 1923, were delayed twice by Governor J.C. Walton, an opponent of capital punishment, to October 13, 1923, and then January 13, 1924. newly-elected Governor Trapp refused further delays.
On January 12, 1924, at the state penitentiary in McAlester, Jack Pope was electrocuted at 12:14 a.m., followed by Harvey at 12:25 a.m. Both wore black prison suits, though Harvey requested a red necktie and black shirt.
Pope remained calm, expressing relief that his son had found religion, while Harvey was reportedly near a nervous collapse. In a final confession to Warden Harry Townsend, Pope reiterated that both he and Harvey fired shots, with Harvey killing Lida and her baby.
Fifty-two witnesses, including physicians, attended the executions. A local resident, Bertha (Whiteman) Presson, recalled a train conversation with a man claiming to be the executioner who “pulled the switch” on Pope and Harvey.
Jack Pope, born August 1878 in Texas to Benjamin F. Pope and Jane G. Beal, had previously been married to Annie Leona McPeak, who died with one or more of their children in a suspicious fire years earlier. Jack and Annie had 10 children, including John Pope.
With Lida, Jack had Herbert and was expecting another child at the time of the murders.
