The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-06-11
ExAMiNATioN OF THE
MURDERER OF We. ,BowEN.e
HORRIBLE, BLOODY BRUTALITY.
Bowen Shot Down Like Hog
and Slain in His Seat-The
Testimony Begun.

PBARsALL, Tex, June 9.NAlfred
Alice boarded the south. bound Inter-
national train at Dilley June 4, and a
few minutes later emerged with a
smoking pistol in his hand, while
within the limp form of w. g. Bowen
drooped between the seats with his
life blood squirting from CHASTITY
wounds in the head. There occurred
another Of series of tragedies which,
within the last ten years, has given
the Immediate section an unhappy
reputation. Fully abreast Of the state
in every other plan of development,
LaSalle, Frio and contiguous counties
seem to still retain an unhappy char
actefistic of the Texas of old, the
prevalence of thievery and an inevita-
BILE per cent of incidental homicides.
This limit OF lawlessness became
pronounced when the native COW boy
first Deheld barbed wire fenceenjoin-
ing his COWS to keep off other peoples
grass, Itwas manifest in fence cut
ting excitement and since in numbe r
OF tragedies not necessary to recall and
more perhaps that never came to
light. 1t was warning on this element
that the gallant Captain Charlie Nc
Kinney was assassinated, for which it
will be remem bered the desperate Jim
Mccoy was hanged in San Antonio.
Since McKnney,s day the rangers have
operated with more or less effectiveness
| in these counties, and through their
efforts only at the last term of the dis
drict court there was large batch Ell
| citizens sentenced to terms in the pen
for THEFT of stock.
AS might be expected the better ele
ment have become exasperated and
are we'll nigh ready for a. war of exter
mination. IL was this feeling of the
community that finally Led to the kill
ing of Editor w. Q. Bowen, of the Co
Etulla Ledger, by. Alfred T. Alice.
4 Bowen has freely 'warred upon the
cattle thieves and gone SO far as to
declare the local authorities impotent
and useless For some reason he
sought in his paper to identify ALE,
who, he seemed to disliked, with the
lawless element, although Alice has
been an efficient peace officer up to q
receut date and liza ranchman OF good
standing and has suffered as much from
thieviDg, perhaps, as any man In the
county. ~.
This caused bad feeling which re-
suited in the tragedy. The promi-
nence of the parties lent much interest
to the preliminary trial of Alice today,
together with the fact that as yet the
true version of the tragedy has not
been developed. Alice has been in
Jail here since his surrender.
On the day of the killing j. w. Lyon,
who ccompanied and is jointly
charged with the. murder, was cap.
itured on the sixth inst. by Captain
Brooks rangers. while Lyons was pre-
pairing breakfast at the ranch OF Will
Jacobs on the Cibolo, thirty miles from
here.
The preliminary hearing was begun
today before Judge Dome with County
tAttorDey Spain representing the State.
aud John A. Green. jr., C H. Mayfield
OF San Antonio and Mason Manly
OF Pearsail as attorneys for the defend
ants. Alice and LYONS are being ex
alnined jointly and both were kindly
Egreeted by many friends III the large
/ audience that was present. W. j.
Bowen, brother of the dead man, who
was wounded, is doing well and Is ex-
4 pected to arrive tomorrow frour' Co
tulla and testify The line of defense
will be alleged threats made by Bowen
against Alice. and that the dead man
fired the first shot 80 ,ag
In the preliminary trial OF Alice and
Lyons charged with tie murder OF w.
G. Bowen, N. r. Miller was the first
witness called by the state. He said
he lived ia La Sale county ami knew
Alice the defendant by sight but didn't
know Lyons. He was a passenger on
the south bound International and
Great Northern. train June 4, 1891,
and saw Alice on board the train at
Dilley. The witness knew w. q. and
I w. il Bowen who were on the train
Witness sat on the east or left hand
side, about the middle. He thought
the Bowens were sitting on the west
side OF the car about two Sc ats behind
hun When witness frs. saw Alice
4 coming into the car there was a. mar
i following behind him whom witness
did not know but that he would agait
recognize, The man he saw was with
Alice and he ,uld not say that he saw
him in the court room. Witness die
not see Alice until the latter, wal
within three or four seat
of witness coming down the aisl,
He could not say that Alice was
AIMED, as he saw no pistol upon til,
defendant or upon any other person
Shortly after that he heard pisto
shots 10 the car. Witness did not Sc,
who fred the shots as they. wer,
behind him. He did not turn around
having his little daughters with him
+, One OF them screamed and he busie,
/. himself attending TO them. After tn