Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-06-16
DRAGER AND MYERS.
Two of LowelPs Murderers Face

Two OF Lowells Murderers Face to
Face.
There was scene in the office of Chief
OF Police Lee at o'clock last night when
William Drager and John Henry Myers,
two of the men under arrest for the muir
der OF John Lowell, were brought face TO
face and questioned about the murder.
Myers had been questioned a few minutes
before in Captain Earcher's Office about the
details of the murder itself and had added
to his former statement, that when he shot
Lowell and the old man fell Drager picked
up heavy hammer that was lying near
the house and struck Lowell on the head
with it. This accounts for the skull being
smashed, which up 20 this time had not
| been fully explained, though Myers had
| stated that he thought that he struck Low
ell with his gun after shooting him.
When taken into the Chiefs room, where
Drager was sitting, Myers repeated that
Drager was with him and Olsen at the
| time of the murder, that be struck Lowell
| with the hamu er and that he was the first
one to suggest the murder, that morning
while Lowell was cooking breakfast tor
them.
Drager vehemenently denied that he was
on the ranch at all, and stuck to his original
story IN every respect, except that be got a
little mixed about the length of time
Myers was absent from the camp on the
grant, and now remembered that Stein was
out on the grant on the Sunday they ar
rived there with the horses, coming out
and going back with Myers. He also stated
that when Myers and Olsen came to the
camp where he was stopping. about mile
and half or two miles this side of Lowells
ranch, that they did not arrive until or 8
O'Clock at night. Olsen was driving the
buggy, which contained the calf ham,
ropes and other things, while Myers was on
foot This is an impossibility as the buggy
is not large enough to carry any such load.
The two men glared at each other as con-
Trajectory statements were made Two
guns were produced and both agreed that
one of them, a breach-loader. belonged to
Drager and the other as the one taken
from LowelPs ranch by Myers, after he
had broken his own gun.
At one time Drager lost his temper and
said that he was sure that Myers and Olsen
| had made the thing up some time before,
| as Myers had told Mr.. Toomey that he had
a nice black horse he would like to sell
him, and when the horses were sent to
Bell he had told Olsen to say that these
were the horses he had spoken to him
about a month ago.
Myers admitted this, but explained it by
saying that John Lowell had been talking
| to him about selling the horses for him.
They were questioned about many of the
details of the murder and the disposition
of the horses, but each held to the story
he had already told, in the main. Myers
says that Stein did not know, either before
or after the crime, that they had committed
it.
Drager's first statement was that he re-
celved only $50 for his services, and he still
sticks to it. Myers, however, stated in his
presence last night that he divided the pro-
ceeds of the sales evenly between the three.
On the Monday night after the murder he
divided $50 between them at STEMS, giving
each one $50. At Woodland be gave Olsen
and Drager each $40 out of $l3O he re-
ceived, paying out the rest for repairs to
the buggy, which Olsen had taken to the
blacksmith shop. After the auction sale,
in saloon on K street he divided the pro-
ceeds of that sale, about $l3O. He saws
Drager complained that he did not receive
as much as he ought to and made trouble
about 1t all that afternoon and in the even
ing at STEMS.
Drager said that he had never seen that
much money at one time since he came to
| California. He said that he did not hitch
up the mule at the Lowell ranch. and
could not hitch up one, as be knew moth
! ing about horses. He also denied that he
did any of the cooking, bat admitted that
he ate some of the liver of the calf on Sun
day.
The prisoners will probably be arraigned
in the Police Court this morning on
charges of grand larceny. Just what
course to pursue has not yet been decided
upon, but the Ell Dorado county Jail is now
undergoing repairs, and the prisoners will
probably be held here for some days
longer.