Arizona republican., 1896-03-17
An iye Witness Tells of the
 Tragedy.
Robbery Appears to Have Been the Motive Of the Crlme-Two Man Were In-
 vo ved.

Walter J. Smith of the firm of Smith & Grumm, merchants at Minnehaha Fat, Yavapai county, was murdered in cold blood at his store Friday night by two unknown men, who successful ly made their escape.
 It was about o'clock. Smith was sitting within the log and frame build ing, near the door, conversing with a miner, George Lappin, whose cabin was but a short distance away.
 Lapp.n tells the story He, seated toward the rear of the store and facing One of them he believes was a MeXi- can, but both were strangers to him. As they entered both of them fired with revolvers. The bullet intended for Lappin went wide of its mark, the would-be assassin coming on swiftly, however, and striking .Lappin over the head with the butt of his revolver. Lappin dropped Hike a log, stunned, though thereafter dimly conscious of the events that tosk place.
 As Lappin stanted to his feet after the first shot he saw Smith break for the nearby door. one of the robbers following and firing four shots after him into the darkness. Then the men returned and proceeded to ransack the store. In 50 doing they had occasion several times to step over the pros trate form of Lappin, but seemed to regard him as dead man and paid no attention to him. The men took the small silver that was in the till and tried to open the safe, but it was locked, and with a few curses the mis- creants left.
 Shortly after their departure, Lap pin, whose injury had been by him largely simulated, arose and summon ing assistance, commenced a search for Smith. Finally the body of the un- fortunate man was found fully three quarters of a mile down the mountain road that leads southward
 Though the body was not stripped, there appeared to be but one wound on the body. It had been evidently made at the very first shot fired when the assalssins entered the store and was on the side of the head, the bullet only partially penetrating the brain.
 Theodore Button, young man who had worked for Smith & Grumm, had already started for Phoenix. He was overtaken by a messenger and it was Button who brought the news to Phoe- nix Sunday. There had been held no inquest up to the time of his departure and little could be learned of any cor relative circumstances of the murder.
 There seems to be a general idea that the killing was more for revenge than for money, for the men, who were evil dently well acquainted with the place and With Smith, must have known that the safe would have been locked at that time of night, even later than the usual time for closing. Smith was a man of few and sharp words and while man of strict honesty and highly esteemed by his many friends. had made number Of enemies n the neighborhood of the camp.
 Smith, too, was one of the most de- termined and brave9t of men, and sev- eral times when in possession of any | considerable amount of coin has said that the man who would attempt to mold him up' must first kill him. He was quick shot and a dead shot, and this fact seemed to have been appreci- ated by the miscreant who shot him l behind the ear.
 Smith was native of Minnesota, 6( years of age. He came to Arizona about eight years ago and for several years With Grumm kept a station al New River, about forty miles north ot Phoenix. For the past two years the two have been at Minnehaha, eighty. five miles north of the city, via the Ho. Springs.
 Grumm was not in the camp at the time of the trouble, but returned speedily and is busying himself witt
 the work of hunting down his part
 ners murderers. The sheriffs of al the Arizona counties have been noti
 fled by wire and the keenest searcl will be unintermittingly kept up.