Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-17

tanned that a man answering the descrip-
ton was at work there. and his informa-
ton proved correct. Before the officers
reached the city with their prisoner he had
told Chief Lee that he went with Myers
and Drager to the Lowell rancn 70 get
work chopping wood; that while they were
walking about the first thing he knew
Myers gun went off, and turning round he
saw John Lowell fall to the ground, having
been shot in the head. He was so fright
ened that he ran into chicken-house and
hid, but Myers threatened him that if he
did not come out and help bury the body
be would serve him the same way. He
insisted that he did not know before the
shot was fired that there was any intention
to murder Lowell. He then told how the
two others buried the body, he refusing to
take any part in it. After shooting Lowell
Myers had gone through his pockets and
declared with an oath that there was only
a two cent piece in them. Olsen then de-
scribed in detail how they gathered the
horses together, took buggy, some har-
ness, razor, ham and number of loose
articles, and drove back to the grant the
same night, arriving at Oak Grove about 3
O'Clock on Sunday morning; how and TO
whom they sold the horses, and that he re-
ceived for his share $75. Subsequent de-
velopments proved that Olsen did not tell
the whole story, and he made material ad-
ditions TO it in statements he made after
wards. His arrest was effected on the 18th
of June.
On the evening of the 18th of June officer
Farrell arrived from Los Angeles with
Myers. The prisoner was taken at once TO
Chief Lees office and questioned about the
horses. He started in telling that he had
hnar, ,vNlsN 4 - all krrT 0t1f
Lowell, and had turned over to him $500
IS the proceeds of the sales. He said that
Lowell told him that he did not wish to
sell the horses himself, as he had bad
name, and he thought that Myers could
sell them to better advantage. He had al
ready told this story to the officer at Los
Angeles, and was getting along with it very
well, describing how he, Lowell, Olsen and
Drager were walking together on the
Lowell ranch where he had gone to get the
horses, when Chief Lee suddenly asked,
Then who killed Lowell?" The prisoner
faltered and broke down in his story. Cap
tain Karcher asked, Didn't you have
LowelPs gun with your" and Myers re-
piled, YES, l guess 50. l had couple of
guns at that time" Karcher asked, did
you have Lowells gun that you borrowed
from him at the Klotz ranch-the one that
INJURED the prisoner. rs that the gun you
fired at Lowell?" persisted the off GER. II
don't know could not tell" said Myers.
His nerve was now all gone and he went
on and confessed that he killed Lowell, and
described how they took the property and
horses and disposed of them.
This was Myers first confession, and was
in fact the only genuine confession of the
murder made by any of the prisoners. In
it he did not say that Drager and Olsen &C.
tually assisted in the killing, but said that
the murder had been sgreed upon between
them while old man Lowell was cooking
breakfast for them. 1t had been agreed
first that Drager was to shoot Lowell, but
afterwards Drsger had whispered to him
that his gun was not always sure TO go off,
and wanted him to shoot, and he did.
Myers and Drager were confronted with
each other and had war of words each
sticking to his story as given above. A day
or two later Myers asked to see the Chief,
and then stated that after he shot Lowell,
Drager struck him ON the head with a
heavy sledge hammer and finished him.
On the next day Myers again asked to see
Chief Lee, and then stated that before he
fred at Lowell at all Olsen had shot him
with revolver. Olsen and Myers were
then brought face to face, and each stuck to
his story through a stormy interview.
Then Myers was taken up to the Lowell
ranch, where he pointed out the positions
of all the parties to the tragedy, and de-
scribed how the murder was committed.
This time, however, he said that the gun
went off accidentally, as he was attempting
to take il from his shoulder.