Individual Details

Fort Smith Times, Fort Smith, AR, Thr, 27 Sep 1900, p.1
CHASING A SLY CROOK
George W. Knowlton inFort Smith on the Trail of E. M. Coy.
On Wednesday, September 19, E. M. Coy left DeQueen, Ark., with $1,500 belonging to the wholesale feed firm of N. M. Roach & Company of Mena; also a horse valued at $125 and a saddle worth $50, belonging to T. F. James [C. F.???]. The embezzlement was discovred last Sunday and since that time George W. Knowlton of the Roach firm has been keeping the wires hot in an endeavor to locate the recreant Coy and riding over two states and the Indian Territory as fast as railway trains can carry him to apprehend the embezzler.
Mr. Knowlton arrived in Fort Smith last night following up information received by him from Van Buren that the man he wanted was probably under arrest there. Mr. Knowlton had sent the following dispatch to the officers here and to Van Buren: "Marshal, Fort Smith, Ark.: Arrest E. M. Coy, about 5 feet 9 inches in height, dark complexion, black hair, white spot in eye, thumb and first two fingers off right hand. Wire." A reward of $50 had been offered for Coy's apprehension.
Mr. Knowlton was seen shortly before he went to Van Buren on the noon cannon ball today by a representative of The Times and gave a version of the embezzlement and his chase for the culprit. It seems the Mena firm had furnished a stock of feed to Coy to sell out a DeQueen, fifty-three miles away, on shares. Coy was a good saleman and disposed of the stock, but instead of settling with he benefactors he appropriated the money from his sales, about $1,500 and skipped out. He rode away from DeQueen on a "borrowed" horse, which Mr. Knowlton subsequently found where Coy haleft it at Grant, I.T. Coy made no effort to dispose of the animal, but left it with an acquaintance there "until he went back for it."
Coy has proved himself to the exceedingly smooth in evading his pursuers and has led Mr. Knowlton a pretty chase. When Mr. Knowlton left DeQueen after discovering the embezzlement, he went to Texarkana, thence to Clarkesville and from there to Paris and Dallas, Texas. Turning north he traced Coy through the territory to Grant, where he found the fugitive's horse, and then came on here. He is almost exhausted from the constant traveling and loss of sleep and devoutly hoped he would find Coy in the prison at Van Buren. He spent $28.20 for telegrams at one time yesterday.
Coy has a manner of carrying his right hand, the one minus the fingers, against his hip in such a manner as to hide the disfigurement, and so cunning is that at one place where he ate a meal in conjunction wit seven or eight other men, only one noticed it.
Knowlton says Coy is a brother-in-law of Tom Comstock of Crawford County and that he has, since Coy succeeded in getting away with his money, learned that this is not the first escapade of a shady nature the gentleman has figued in.
A telephone message to Van Buren this morning developed the fact that the man held there, while he completely fits the descritpion of Coy, is not Mr. Comstock's brother-in-law, in which case he is not the man wanted.
Hewever, he was held until Mr. Knowlton arrived to identify him.


Never proven, but Edwin McCoy is said to have been murdered. He was knifed and his body thrown into the Arkansas River by Minnie's 2nd husband, C. F. James. Given that he was a "horse thief" this may well have happened. Certainly Minnie was free to marry Mr. James by 1902 so she surely believed Coy was dead.

Birth	Jun 1860
Marriage	23 Jan 1887	Crawford County, Arkansas - Minnie Comstock
Death	Bet 1900 and 1902	Crawford County, Arkansas

Spouse

Minnie Comstock (1870 - 1944)