The Murder of Ultrarunner Alice Robison

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By Davy Crockett

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On April 24, 1897, ultrarunning/pedestrian champion Alice Robison was running in second place on the last day of a three-day race held at the Fifth Street Rink in East Liverpool, Ohio, with five runners. She was very intent on catching her long-time friend who was a few laps ahead of her. Needing a rest, she retired to her room provided at the Hotel Grand next door.

That afternoon, a man came into town on a train from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The mustached man wore a new suit with a price tag still attached, and a white hat with a black band. He went to the hotel and inquired where Alice was staying. He ascended the stairs and went to the third-story room. Shortly after, a gunshot was heard! The porter of the hotel rushed into the room and found the woman on the floor bleeding from a gunshot wound in her head and saw the man leaning over her, holding a revolver. How could this happen, an ultrarunner was murdered during a race!

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Alice Robison’s true name was Agnes Jane Jones (1860-1897). She was from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the oldest of eleven children, a daughter of a coal miner. She married very young to James Waters, a coal miner, had three children, and later divorced. In 1882, at the age of 22, she next married again to Zachariah S. Robison (1851-1906).

Robison family in 1880 census with first wife

Alice was Zachariah’s second wife. His first wife, Martha Alexandria (1854-1881) from Kentucky, died in 1881 at the youthful age of 27, leaving behind four children who had gone to live with their Robison grandparents. Alice eventually took on the role of mother and stepmother to all these seven children ages 3-12, and then had two more of her own, Robert (1883-) and Georgia (1886-) for nine children in the home on a small farm.

Zachariah Robison

Beallsville, Pennsylvania, where Robisons lived

Alice’s new husband, Zachariah Robison, was born in 1851. His Robison ancestors came from Ireland and settled in Beallsville, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh, where his father was a cabinet maker. Of Zachariah it was said, “from the time he was 5-6 years old, he was puny and sickly and frequently had epileptic fits.” When his mother Susan Robison (1831-1906) would discipline him, he would fall to the floor in convulsions and remain unconscious.

Once married to Alice in 1883, the Robison family moved around to various places in the west suburbs of Pittsburgh across the Ohio River. Alice became the boss of the family and was in control of all the family finances, including property in Crofton, Pennsylvania rumored to be worth $10,000. She worked hard as a washerwoman and house cleaner. Both Zachariah and Alice had drinking problems and would get drunk causing difficulties in the family. The oldest son David S. Robison (1871-1931), when age 15 in 1886, did not like the manner of life led by his father and stepmother Alice, so he left home and learned the trade of a tailor.

Becoming a Professional Boxer

In 1887, Alice started to take boxing lessons. She was very strong and weighed about 165 pounds. A newspaper article revealed her motivation for learning how to fight. She was in serious conflict with Hattie Stewart, a boxing champion who her first husband had become infatuated with years earlier. Alice wanted to fight her in some sort of dual. Zachariah was even trying to put up a $1,000 bet that she would win the fight. An editorial stated, “We have no concern whatever as to which woman comes off victorious, but if some fellow would just wallup Robison until he couldn’t see straight for a month, we should experience a restful pleasure.”

Zachariah also took lessons and the two would box each other. He even sold a small home to help pay for lessons. Alice was very serious, taking four lessons per week and started to make public challenges to fight other women and fought professionally.

Getting Into Pedestrianism

The Robisons became interested in following the sport of pedestrianism and by 1889 Alice jumped in to compete, probably at the encouragement of a friend, Frankie Flemming, who had been competing and was also interested in boxing.

By 1889, at the age of 25, Alice joined the ranks of a dwindling female pedestrian sport. The female pedestrian heyday was back in 1879 when about 20 female six-day matches were held across America involving about 140 starters. But after some particularly grueling races, criticism grew, and public interest waned. But several of the women pioneers continued to compete for more than a decade.

The “Robison” name was always confusing to the sports press. Thus, she was called by several names in competitions, “Alice Robison,” “Alice Robinson,” and “Alice Robson.”

Alice’s First Walking Match

Alice made her pedestrian debut near her Pittsburgh home, on February 21, 1889, at a three-day, 36-hour “Walking Match for the Championship of Allegheny County” against six other women, for prizes totally $250. It was held in the London Theater in Pittsburgh. The first day of the event was witnessed by 3,000 people “and everything passed off as smoothly and quietly as a church service.”

Alice did surprisingly well although she was “broken up in a terrific struggle for second place,” reached 56 miles in 12 hours, and 83 miles after 24 hours. It was reported, “She is a somewhat heavy, but courageous lady. Mrs. Robson’s heroic efforts are worthy the attention of men and women of superior pedestrian abilities.” Alice finished in third place with 111 miles, with her feet in “a sad condition.” Despite the painful experience, after several months of recovery, Alice competed again in shorter races.

Alice’s Greatest Race

Alice’s greatest race came in December 1890, at a six-day, 12-hours per day race in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in the Nineth Regiment Armory Building. The race began on December 1, 1890, and Alice was crewed by her husband, Zachariah. Among her competition were veteran champions, Sarah Tobias “an old walker, with many medals, and the champion 142-hour woman walker of the world,” and Bella Kilbury the six-day world record holder.

The track in the Armory building was a tiny seventeen laps to a mile. “The armory is admirably adapted for the exhibition and is well-arranged for the comfort of the walkers and the spectators. Outside and inside of the oval track are numerous seats and the walkers are seen to good advantage either by daylight or under the glare of the electric lights.”

Alice was described as “a tall, black-eyed girl in red and black striped garment with short skirts, is the noisy one of the lot and a good stepper.”

The big surprise in the running field was the debut of Alice’s 13-year-old daughter, Mary Jane Waters (1877-1951), who had the stage name of “Happy Jarbeau.” It was reported, “Early in the day she showed signs of unwillingness but was urged on and was pluckily gaining on her competitors by running at the top of her speed for several laps, cheered on by both walkers and spectators.”

Alice quickly built a big lead, reaching 51 miles during the first 12-hour day. “When occasionally the orchestra strikes up an unusually spirited air, the walkers all become imbued with new life, and fly around the track with swishing skirts and twinkling heels, a sight worth beholding.”

On the second day, Alice withdrew her daughter, Happy Jarbeau, worried that she could not handle the continued strain of the race. The crowd was relatively small, about 500 people. The women had a goal of reaching at least 225 miles, in order to get a share of that gate profits. By day four Alice was leading with 171 miles.

On the last day, Alice became drunk. it was reported, “Alice Robison held her big lead easily. She got quite hilarious towards the close of the contest, her trainer (husband) having resource to liberal stimulants to keep up her strength. Although she might with safety have gone off the track early in the evening, she did not do it but kept steadily at work all night.” Alice was the surprising winner with 252 miles, twenty-seven miles ahead of Sarah Tobias. She won $150.

Champion Pedestrian

In 1891, Alice became bold, publishing challenges in newspapers. “All the female pedestrians seem to be afraid of me. I claim the championship and I am prepared to defend it against any female in the world for any amount of money.” She also competed in boxing that year, fighting Annie Foster of Seattle Washington for $250.

She continued to race and bring her daughter to run 5-10 miles as a side-show, probably bringing in some nice additional money. But at a 72-hour (six days, 12-hours per day) race in Baltimore Maryland, the police showed up and ordered that the young girl to be taken off the track because of her youth. Alice again did well, finishing second, reaching an impressive 238 miles.

Alice was feisty in her races. In April 1892, she wanted to enter a race in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but was refused. Race manager H.O Messier: “Alice Robson was barred from the race because she has been guilty on several occasions of improper conduct on the track. I have seen her put off tracks twice for improper conduct.”

But Alice continued to compete in many races elsewhere in 1892-1893, including Washington D.C., Chicago Illinois, Detroit Michigan, and Baltimore, Maryland, where she went over 264 miles. As a popular champion, she was away from home on long road trips. But then she took the next three years off, as competitions further dwindled.

The Robisons continued to move around and lived for a time in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh. Family life became a struggle. Zachariah’s heath declined with his drinking and smoking. Alice brought in most of the family income but was also helped by stepson Thomas Robison (1873-) who took up painting jobs with his father. Zachariah’s mood became melancholy. Thomas said, “I noticed it in his walk. He stooped over, and never looked around.” He would complain of sleeplessness, act erratic at times, and fall down on the floor experiencing a fit like he had as a child. Alice said that it seemed like he was losing his mind.

Chuck Stewart Arrives

In 1895, a young man, Charles “Chuck” Stewart (1872-1924), age 23, came into the lives of the Robisons. He was known by police in the area of being a “troublemaker.” He was convicted of burglary in 1891 and was in and out of the workhouse/prison eight times for being convicted of assault, battery, and disorderly conduct. He was generally lazy and did not hold down jobs. When he did work, he was a slate roofer and was said to be a big, good-looking man.

Stewart started to visit the Robisons regularly and drink with them. He claimed to have no place to live, being thrown out of his house by his father because of his drinking. Alice took pity on him and wanted him to move in with the family, but Zachariah would not consent. Since Alice was the family boss, she let him move in anyway. He was pretty much a freeloader, rarely taking on work, would come in drunk, and sleep in late.

Every few months, the three of them would go on a big drinking binge when Alice would bring home as much as a gallon of liquor. As Zachariah became drunk, Alice and Stewart would even pour booze down his throat and then go out together, sometimes all night. Son, Thomas became suspicious and warned his father that something was going on between Alice and Stewart. But Zachariah couldn’t believe it, he loved her so much. When he confronted Alice, she scoffed at the idea, claiming that nothing could ever come between them, and that Stewart had a transmittable disease anyway.

Three-Day Race in East Liverpool, Ohio

Alice decided that she wanted to make a pedestrian comeback and run a race in East Liverpool, Ohio, about 60 miles away. Her longtime friend, Agnes “Maggie” (McShane) Weigand (1870-), who had entered the race, invited her to go. Maggie’s stage name was Aggie Harvey, and she was a very experienced pedestrian who held the world record for a six-day, 8-hours per day race distance of 200 miles. Alice asked Zachariah if she could go, and he consented. She left their East End, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania home on April 19, 1897.

The race, held at the Fifth Street Rink, was rather disorganized. There was first a men’s race the first three days and then then a women’s race was started but only ran for 3 ½ hours on the first day. By the next day, Robison was in second place, chasing her friend Agnes, who was only five laps ahead. She was confident that she would overtake her. It was reported, “The scenes at the race during the week were disgraceful in the extreme.”

A Love Letter Found

While Alice was away, Zachariah found a love letter to Stewart from Alice, inside Stewart’s coat pocket and read it. It had just arrived from East Liverpool and started, “My Darling: How I miss you. I hope you made it all right at the house. Let me know dear old darling. It is so hard to be without you. I love you better than my life, darling.”

Zachariah showed the letter to his son Thomas, who confirmed his suspicions that Alice had been unfaithful. Robison became distraught, could not concentrate on work, and left to go confront Alice in Ohio. He first stopped to see her close pedestrian friend, Frankie Fleming, and showed her the letter. Frankie had been increasing disgusted with Alice’s lifestyle and mentioned that once on the road for a race in Manchester, New Hampshire, she had discovered Alice drunk in bed with multiple men. This further disturbed Zachariah and he left.

Confrontation

Zachariah arrived at East Liverpool by train and immediately went to the Hotel Grand, next door to the rink where the race was being held. He first got a shave from the barber and then took a half hour to figure out which room Alice was in. He finally knocked on the right door. Her friends, George and Agnes Weigand were there, along with the race manager Edward G. Wilson. They were preparing for the final six-hours spurt of the race and Alice was in the process of packing up her things to leave for home the next day. “He went right in her room, and Alice spoke to him and told him she was glad to see him.” She had been expecting him to come and help for the last day of the race. She asked how the folks were doing at home. His calm reply was, “Whom do you mean, your lover?”

Her friends left the room so they could be alone. Zachariah then confronted her about the letter. About ten minutes later, he went to the room of her friend, Agnes. He asked her if Alice had been receiving letters from Stewart. Agnes later said, “He said she had been unfaithful and called her the vilest of names. While he was talking, Alice came to the door of the room and asked him to come to her room, as she wanted to see him.”

They talked, came out, and Agnes warned Alice that she should stay away from him until he cooled down, because she saw that he carried a revolver in his right hip pocket. Zachariah and George Weigand went out of the hotel to view the track in the rink and get some drinks at Joseph Geon’s Saloon. Zachariah stated that he planned to help Alice with her race during that night. While he was away, Alice, probably fearing that her husband would see more of her mail, went to tell a porter that if any mail came for her, that it should be delivered to Agnes.

Fatal Shot Fired

When Zachariah came back, he again went alone into Alice’s room. A rattle was heard against the door, as if someone was thrown against it, then a shot rang out.

George Weigand had heard the shot, tried to get in the door but it was locked. He went down and got George Perry and the hotel porter, Robert Donaldson from the hotel bar to go with him to investigate. He said, “I went into the room. Mrs. Robison was lying on the floor and he was kneeling beside her sponging her eyes. Robison said it was only a flesh wound and I told him he had better give the gun to Perry.” Alice was moaning with blood streaming from a hole in the corner of her right eye.

The porter said, “The woman lay on the floor. I walked up and saw the bullet hole in her head. Robison raised up and wiped the blood from her face.” He asked Robison if she would live. He replied, “Why certainly. The only thing I am sorry about is that I came so wide of the mark.” He then showed the porter and the others the letter that began, “My Darling,” explaining that it was the cause of tragedy.

A doctor was telephoned for, but it was clear that there was no hope. Zachariah showed no emotion. He went back over to where Alice lay, then leaned down and kissed her. He kept saying, “It is only a flesh wound. She’ll be all right in a little bit.” When the doctor came, he mentioned that he did not want to pay for the bill. He was heard mumbling, “This is what women get for trifling with their husbands.”

Robison Arrested

The police and firemen took Robison to city hall where an officer claimed that Robison tried to stab him with a putty knife. “Then he was overpowered, the knife was wrenched from his grasp, and he was locked up.” Within a half hour of the shooting, Alice was declared dead. Later, not knowing that Alice had died, Robison told reporters, “I never was so surprised in my life when the thing went off. I didn’t know whether I had hurt her or not. She fell on the floor.”

Strangely, the race continued. “Often the opinion was expressed that the place should be closed by the authorities. There was a crowd at the race Saturday night, and when a well-known resident asked a young man connected with the race why the place was not shut up in view of the tragedy, he brutally replied, ‘Oh a little thing like that wouldn’t affect us.’” Soon the match was stopped by the police, and they detained all of the participants as witnesses. The race manager, Wilson, quickly skipped out of town without paying the bills.

The next day, Major Gilbert visited Robison and informed him that his wife was dead. A hearing was held, and Robison plead not guilty to first degree murder.

Robison’s Trial

Columbiana County Courthouse Lisbon Ohio

Robison’s ten-day trial started about two months later, on Jun 15, 1897, in Lisbon, Ohio, and certainly was the trial of the year for that area. Multiple pages of details were carried daily in the local newspaper. Dozens of witnesses were called. The defense strategy initially was to try to prove that Robison was insane or that he was defending himself from an attack by Alice while they were alone in the hotel room.

On the second day of the trial, the love letter from Alice to Chuck Stewart was read, and it was the first time Robison showed any emotion. “On hearing the terms of endearment in the letter addressed to Stewart, Robison’s form was shaken with sobs, and for five minutes he wept piteously.”

A doctor testified that he was not insane, although there was much discussion about the effects of lead poisoning from painting. The doctors concluded that he was in the early stages of paresis, which they said was a paralysis of the gray matter of the brain which sometimes causes delusions.

His elderly father, Thomas Robison (1827-1907) age 60, came to the trial but his mother was suffering from paralysis and could not attend. “After his father arrived, Robison merely glanced at him, and then burying his face in his hands, remained in that position for some time. His father testified that there had never been a stain on his family name and that he deeply felt the disgrace brought on by the action of his son.” Zachariah’s sons Thomas and David also testified. “The prisoner chews tobacco, and constantly keeps his jaws moving. When his sons desire to talk with him, they shake his arm.”

Chuck Stewart’s Strange Testimony

Chuck Stewart was called to testify and asked about the infamous letter that Alice had sent him during the race from the Hotel Grand, on hotel stationery. Stewart said, “I never got no letter like that.” His testimony seemed to conflict with earlier statements. “He looked half ashamed of himself as he took the stand.” He stated a belief that Zachariah wrote the letter. Robison’s face was bathed in tears as he returned to jail, and he did not want to see anyone. His son, David sent him a huge bouquet of flowers before returning to his home in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

The Prosecution’s Case

As the second week of the trial opened, Robison took his seat with the same mechanical stare. “He had nothing to say, and after carefully putting his hat under the chair, looked straight to the front.” The prosecution’s case was short, claiming that the evidence showed that he was guilty of murder in the first degree, and that he was not insane. He was called, “a wicked, jealous-hearted murderer.”

Later in jail, Robison complained about pain in his heart from the death of his wife. He said, “I don’t care, they can send me in the chair and electrocute me if they want to.” He seemed to be detached from the reality that he caused her death.

Closing Arguments

The defense claimed that Robison stood in that hotel room with the letter in one hand and the gun in the other, about to shoot himself, when Alice grabbed the gun, which accidentally went off causing her death. The judge would not allow the jury to consider second degree murder, or manslaughter, only premediated first degree murder. It was first-degree murder or acquittal.

The Verdict

After six hours of deliberations, the jury reached its verdict. They were at first split, five for manslaughter, five for second-degree murder, and only two for first-degree murder, but after eight ballots came to their unanimous decision. The foreman handed a sealed paper to the judge and the clerk read, that the prisoner was guilty of murder in the first degree. “Robison did not move a muscle. He looked out of the window and no man could tell that he was the person most interested in the words that had just been spoken. No one approached him. He sat alone.”

Later back in his jail cell, Robison said, putting down a Bible, “The past four months are like a dream. My mind at times has seemed blank. I have been dazed and I think it took something like the shock of the verdict to make me normal. I am innocent of killing my wife. But it was through me she died, whether intentional or not, and I feel that I loved her well enough to suffer death now for the harm I have done her.”

The news went out across the country, “the story of the tragedy is the old one of woman’s frailty and man’s maddening jealousy.”

The Death Sentence

The defense immediately appealed for a new trial claiming misconduct by the prosecution springing surprise witnesses, including Chuck Stewart who clearly committed perjury, and because new evidence had been found. After a hearing, a new trial was not granted. The judge then gave Robison his sentence. “On the morning of November 26, before sunrise, a sufficient amount of electricity shall be passed through your body to cause your death.” Robison did not flinch. He took his chew of tobacco from his mouth, threw it in the spittoon and sat down. He later said he was willing to die because he has nothing to live for now that his family has broken up. He continued to maintain that the killing was an accident.

A letter written by Robison during appeal trial was later found in his jail cell. He wrote strangely, “I can look upon this a mysterious blessing to my wife. If this had not occurred, my poor wife would have met a fate a thousand times worse than her death. I now truly believe she was taken by the mercy of God. I never intentionally harmed her. If God had not interfered when he did, I am fully satisfied it would have been the eternal damnation of both of our souls, for she would have gone to the lowest depths of sin, while I, in my wild, made passionate love for her, could never have stopped, nor could I have controlled myself until I had drunk myself into my grave. As to my dearly beloved wife, if she wronged me, it was forgiven. When I reach that other shore, I believe hers will be the first hand to greet me.”

The Appeal

A couple of months later, the judge claimed that a technical error was found in the proceedings of the case, and he referred the matter to the Circuit Court. A book of 891 pages, five inches thick, was sent to the court. In the meantime, Robison was the model prisoner in the Columbus Penitentiary. He mostly kept to himself, reading, and he received a few letters from family and friends. His youngest children went to live with their Robison grandparents.

On October 5, 1897, the Circuit Court decided that Robison should be granted a new trial. “The court found error on the part of Judge Smith in refusing Robison a new trial when his conviction was accomplished in part on evidence of Chuck Stewart, whose perjury on the witness stand was so apparent.” Since the trial, Stewart’s comments made it apparent that the letter was real. It also found problems with Agnes Weigand’s testimony. The new trial was set for November 8, 1897.

The Plea Deal

But then, something unexpected happened. A plea deal was made, and Robison plead guilty of murder in the second degree on October 20, 1897. He was sentenced to life in prison. The prosecutor still believed that he was guilty of first-degree murder but knew that the witnesses were scattered across the country, and it would be impossible to gather them in time for the new trial. At the sentencing, Robison again declared that he had no intention of injuring his wife when he walked into her hotel room. He broke down with emotion when he made his statement.

Prison Life

At the Columbus, Ohio Penitentiary, Robison was assigned to work in the painting department and quickly became its superintendent. In 1900, at the age of 49, when the 150-foot-high water tower (standpipe) needed painting, he insisted on being the only one to do the dangerous job, suspended on ropes and pulleys, not wanting the young men with families who would be released soon to put themselves in danger. He believed that if he fell and died, no one would mourn him. The other prisoners cheered him. “Every day for the past week Robison could be seen on the top of the standpipe working away, apparently as self-possessed as if he were painting a garden fence.” The water tank was painted with a red roof and black body.

Later in 1900, he became too sick to work, affected by his lead poisoning disease. He was such a model prisoner that public opinion started to express the idea that he should be pardoned. “His behavior has been equal to that of any citizen in Ohio, as the officials themselves will cheerfully admit.” In 1902, Ohio politicians started to endorse an application for a pardon and his son Thomas hired a lawyer for him. The warden even took him out of prison occasionally to paint his home. Alice’s family supported the pardon application. It was said that because of his illness, he would only live for a few more years. The pardons board turned down the application because one person on the board objected, stating that Robison had not yet been sufficiently punished.

Robison Released from Prison

By the end of 1903, another push was made for a re-hearing. Letters from Robison’s original jury and judge were obtained supporting a parole. On July 14, 1904, after being in prison for seven years, the pardon board recommended clemency. Governor Myron Timothy Herrick (1854 – 1929) had Warden E. A. Hershey bring Robison to the statehouse, where he gave him a pardon and reduced his sentence to eleven years. He was given some good advice by the governor and immediately released.

Robison went to live quietly with his son Edward who worked for the railroad in Donora, Pennsylvania, 25 miles south of Pittsburgh.

Zachariah S. Robison died Sept 9, 1906, in Mercy Hospital at Pittsburgh, at the age of 54 from alcoholism and lead poisoning. He was buried in Beallsville Cemetery, where his first wife and other family members were buried. His mother died a week earlier at the age of 75, and his father died the following year.

Alice Robison has been forgotten for more than a century. She had hundreds of descendants living today who never knew the tragic story of their famous ultrarunning great-great-great grandmother Alice Robison.

Ultrarunning Stranger Things Series:

Sources:

The Evening Mail (Stockton, California), Dec 7, 1887
The Boston Globe (Massachusetts), Nov 27, Dec 28, 1887
Pittsburgh Dispatch (Pennsylvania), Feb 17, 21-23, 1889, Apr 10, Jun 9, 1891
The Morning Journal-Courier (New Haven, Connecticut), Oct 2, 1889
Miners Journal (Pottsville, Pennsylvania), Dec 2, 1890
Wyoming Democrat (Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania), Dec 5, 1890
The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania), Dec 2-3, 5, 1890
Sunday News (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania), Dec 7, 1890
The Anaconda Standard (Montana), Sep 6, 1891
Minneapolis Daily Times (Minnesota), Apr 5, 1892
The Pittsburgh Press (Pennsylvania), Aug 13, 1891, Apr 25, 1897
The Evening Review (East Liverpool, Ohio), Apr 17, 26-27, Jun 15-28, Jul 7, 19, 21, 24, Aug 17, Sep 1, 29, Oct 5, 20, 1897, Sep 13, 1900, Nov 13, 1901, Jul 25, 1902, Mar 6, Dec 2, 1903, Jul 14-15, 1904
Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pennsylvania), May 5, 1887, Apr 25, Jun 15, 1897, Aug 30, 1906

117: Ultrarunning Stranger Things – Part 7: Murder of Alice Robison

By Davy Crockett