Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-12-01

the adjoining ranches. He was then in COM
pany with three men, two of whom had guns in
their hands, walking about the place, which he
was evidently pointing out to his visitors
From that time forward nothing was seen OF
him, and It was some time before he was
missed, as the people about the FL Dorado place
supposed he was at the Sacramento ranch
while his friends here supposed he was up at
the other place. During the month of May it
began to be whispered about that John Lowell
was missing. and his son, William Lowell
formerly the police force in this city, at once
commenced search Tor him. He visited the
FL Dorado ranch, and found that number of
valuable horses had disappeared, and was un-
able to find any clue to the whereabouts of his
father. Returning to Sacramento he reported
the loss OF the horses to Chief OF Police Lee and
it was soon aseertained that some of the horses
had been sold at auction in this city by Mr..
Bell, who said they were brought to him TO be
sold for Henry Myers.
While officers here were tracing up the horses
the body of the murdered man was accidentally
discovered buried in the rubbish in an old eel
lar on the FL Dorado county ranch. Some
neighbors had gone to the place to get wind
lass belonging TO them, and which had been
borrowed by Mr.. Lowell to clean out deep well
which was located a short distance from the lit
tie cabin in which he lived when at the farm.
Near the road once stood large hotel, which
had been buried some time before, and under
which there had been cellar. When the
neighbors had removed the windlass from the
well they looked Tor something to cover up the
opening, and discovered in ihe cellar an old
door. When they picked up this door to place
it over the well they noticed a very offensive
smell. which led them TO make en- examination,
which resulted in the discovery of the body.
This was on the ID of June, and OF course the
body was in an advanced state of decomposi-
ton. 1t was thoroughly identified however, as
that of John Lowell, and active search was at
once commenced for mis- murderers.
By this time Chief Lee was already looking
| for John Myers, John Olsen and William Drager,
as he had already learned that Myers had dis
posed of the horses, and that during the early
| part of the year Myers and Olsen had the lease
| of a small ranch near the city belonging TO
1 Mrs. KlotZ and that a man named Drager had
| been at work there.
William Drager was arrested on the 7th of
June by Captain Matt KaIcher and officer L. W.
Farrell at the William Tell House. He was
| taken at once to the city prison, where he was
| questioned by Chief Lee. He admitted that he
| knew Henry Myers and John Olsen. and said
| that he had cut some wood on the KlotZ place
! while they were there for one John Steen. He
| said that he also knew John Lowell. When
| asked in regard to the sale OF some horses he
| said that he went with Myers and Olsen to bring
some horses down from the Lowell place and
tirat they claimed the horses belonged to them
He had only been in their employ, and was paid
SO for his services for about ten days. He said
| they started from Steen place, on street, and
went across tpe grant, taking along two guns to
kill game OIL the way. Tkey were three days
making the trip to the Lowell ranch. About
four miles this side of the ranch they went into
camp, and Myers and Olsen left him there anC
| went after the horses. He did not go to the
ranch at all. They returned in theeyeniug with
five horses and a mule, and started at once fol
the grant. where they arrived at o'clock the
next morning. The next morning Myers tool
two black mares into the city and sold them
On the next day, Tuesday, they all went tC
Woodland with the balance of the horses an6
tried to dispose of them, but failing, returned tC
Sacramento with them and they were sold a.
auction. He said that after that he and OlseI
worked for a while on the steamer San Joaquin
No. 8, but he had gone to work at the Phnni,
Mills and did not know what had become o
Myers and Olsen.
The officers then succeeded in aseertainins
from a reliable source that Myers had gone t
Los Angeles and description of the fugitive
was telegraphed to that city Len Harris, thu
railroad detective, formerly of this CITY, me
Mrs. Myers at Florence, station on the rail
road few miles below Los Angeles aud learned
from her that Myers was working on rancl
three miles from Tehachapi. and Captain Emi
Harris OF the Los Angeles police, went Their
, and arrested him. Officer Farrell was sent 4
| bring him 10 this city
While officer Farrell was absent after Myers
John Olsen was arrested by Chief Lee ant
Sheriff Drew on the Williams ranch, near the oil
Twelve-mile House, in Sutter county. Sherii
Drew had aseertained that a man answering tn
description was at work there and his informs
tion proved correct. Before the officers reaches
: the city with their prisoner he had told Chic
Lee that he went with Myers and Drager to tn
Lowell ranch to get work chopping wood, tina
: while they were walking about the first thin
he knew Myers gun went off and turning roun
he saw John Lowell tall TO the ground, havin
! been shot in the head. He was so fr1ghtene
= that he ran into chicken-house and hid, bu
Myers threatened him that If he did not com
out and help bury the body he would serve hir
the same way. He insisted that he did nc
Z know before the shot was fired that there wa
any intention to murder Lowell. He then tol
: how the two others buried the body, he refusin
' TO take any part in it. After shooting Lowe
Myers had gone through his pockets and d,
= elared with an oath that there was only tw,
cent piece in them. Olsen then described
7 detail how they gathered the horses togethe
s took buggy, some harness, razor, ham an
a number ofloose articles and drove back to th
grant the same night, arriving at Oak Groy
4 about eight O'Clock on Sunday morning; no
: | and to whom they sold the horses, and that
received for his share So Subsequent deyeio
ments proved that Olsen did not tell the VINO
story and he made material additions to il
statements he made-afterwards. His arrest WI
:, effected on the 18th of June
On the evening of the 18th of June officer Fa
: rell arrived from Los Angeles with Myers. tt
prisoner was taken at once to Chief Lees Off
and questioned about the horses. He started
% telling that he had bean employed to sell Il
" horses by John Lowell. and had turned over
" kim 5000 as the proceeds of the sales. He sa
that Lowell told him that he did not wish TO 81
the horses himself, as he had a bad name. al
U he thought Myers could sell them to better a
vantage. he had already told this story to t