Omaha daily bee., 1895-06-07
WORK OF BOWER BURGLARS
Postmaster Graham Fatally Shot BY
Masked Men at That Place.
REFUSED TO THROW UP HIS HANDS
Companion of the Murdered Man Jump
Through window and Escapes
-Assassins Being Closely
Hunted by Officers.

BEATRICE, June Especial Telegram)-
bold attempt at murder and robbery oc-
CURED at the little town Of Bower, twenty
miles west Of this city, last night. The scene
Of the affair was in the store Of Postmaster
Luntz Graham During the earlier part OF
the evening friends and neighbors to the
number Of five or six were in the store, and
about 10 o'clock all went away except a Mr..
Hart who remained in the doorway talking
to Postmaster Graham, when two men
stepped from the side OF the house, and, COW
ering them with pistols, commanded them to
throw up their hands. The robbers were
masked, and one is described as a short.
heavy set man, and the other as a tall, slen-
der fellow.
Graham and Hart were taken completely by
surprise, and Graham, not obeying the COM
mand on the instant. received shot in his
breast. As he turned to run another bullet
struck him in the back Of the head, fractur-
ing his skull. Hart in the meanwhile ran
back through the store, jumped out of a rear
window and gave the alarm,
Help was hurriedly at hand, but the mur-
derers had fed Postmaster Graham was
found lying on the floor in the doorway
with a bad wound in his breast and head. He
was partially conscious and physicians were
promptly summoned. One bullet had passed
inTouBh MS breast INTO ms lung ana the
other had fractured his skull. His wounds
are regarded as very serious. A posse at
once started in pursuit of the murderers but
they escaped in the darkness
They secured nothing from the store or
postOice, being frightened away before ac-
complishing the robbery. The community is
terribly excited and should the robbers be
caught they will surely be lynched.
Word at once wired to all surrounding
towns describing the robbers. In the search
for the robbers it was found that they had
a buggy hitched just at the outskirts of the
town and had escaped in It. A big posse Is
still in pursuit and the trail seems to- lead
northward.
At a late hour this afternoon Graham was
still alive, but cannot live until morning
Graham has been conscious most of tho
day. His statement of the affair Is that
he and Hart, a neighbor, were sitting in
the store when the two men with the upper
part of their faces covered entered and
presenting revoyers ordered them to throw
up their hands. Graham raised a chair
over his head to strike, when both fired.
breaking out window escaped and gave
the alarm. A shot, evidently fired at Hart,
was found in the wall, by the door where
he was trying to escape. Another shot was
fired, passing through the transom over the
door. and the bullet was found in box on
a shelf. Four shots were heard by parties
living near.
The buggy tracks were followed for some
distance north, but the trail was finally lost.
There is a strong suspicion that the crime
was committed by parties living near, but
no arrests have been made. Graham has
kept store at Bower for about ten years, and
has accumulated considerable property. He
is a brother-in-law Of Hon. G. j. Carpenter
and has wife, living at present in Pennsyl-