The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-08
FARMER BANKS MURDERED
LURED FROM Hrs HOME WEAR OoRN-
INC SHOT TO DEATH.

whue ut supper with His win en- Friaay
EveninG he was Called Out on the Pre-
tenoe That His Cow HAD Been Caught in .
Wire Fence-His Body Found In n usavine.
CORNING, N. Y, Aug. 7.-Moses K. Banks, q
produce dealer. was lured from his homo In the
farming portion OF the town Of Corning last
night and shot to death. At about z o'clock Mr..
Banks arrived homo from his business in the
city, and 1t was after 8 o'clock before supper
was finished. He and his wife wero still At the
table when somo one raped at the door. When
Banks opened the door Mrs. Banks saw two mon
on tho outside. Banks asked what they wanted,
and in reply ono Of them said:
when wo wero coming down the Rose Hin
road up here we saw q COW tangled up in the
wire fence and wero unable to got her loose, but
II you'll get your lantern and como with US
we'll help you get her out"
Mrs. Banks said sho lighted the lantern and
her husband walked up the road with the men.
She was worried about the COW and went to tho
door to listen. In the moonlight she distin-
Ruished the outlines Of Eve men walking up the
road toward where the mon had told Banks the
COW was caught. She went back to finish her sup
per, but something seemed to make her realize
that all was not right and again she went to tho
door. While standing in the open door sho
could SEQ the lantern In the road. near q sort
Va S'N eSSes sOttJ hSuo ohotehe tto" VIZ
house. Suddenly the light vanished and an In
slant later she heard q strange voice using
oaths and uttering threats. Then Q shot was
fired, followed by another, and before she re-
covered from her fright another shot was heard.
Mrs. Banks ran to tho house OF Joseph Ro.
blyer noar by and begged him to go up to tho
COW pasture AZ soon AZ he possibly could, as
some ono had killed or at least shot at her hus.
band. Roblyer, his son George, ana George
Tongue ran up the road with lanterns In hand.
As they neared tho ravine they heard q voice
which they recognized as that Of Banks. and
soon afterward heard groans, which warned
them that Mrs. Banks's suspicious Of
murder were true. BY tho sound Of
the voice they followed the ravine back
from the road about fifty feet. The voice
was silent, but suddenly Roblyer stumbled
against an object which. when his son came up
with the lantern, proved to be the dead body Of
Banks. The hands were still warm, and were
bathed in blood, which was oozing from q bullet
wound in Banks's left temple. There was an
other wound in the right side. directly over the
heart. from which the blood flowed freely.
Sheriff Whiting and his deputy and Chief
Ryan and the city police have been at work all
last night and to-day, but their efforts proved
%fruitless. William Curry, a Farmland, who was
believed to know something Of the murder. was
arrested, but he proved his innocence and was
Curry half an hour before the murder. hut
simply tried to scare him. Tonight Sheriff
Whiting offered q reward OF $500 for the arrest
and conviction OF the muruercrs.
1t is now believed that the work was done by
residents Of this city. and that three men. who
knew Banks well and know that he alwav VS. had
q largo sum Of money on his person. murdered
him for the money he WIS supposed to have.
Banks had just given his money to his wifs be-
fore the men called him out under the rretenoe
that one of his cows was caught in the wire
fence. He must have had an awful struggle
with his aaAAilantq- aa hia hody VIVA hnrtad
TWENTY-FIVE feet below. Coroner Con has been
holding an inquest all day, but no light was
Bankss son. Burt in an embarrassing position.
The son was shown to have been unfrfendly to
his father. and to have expressed an opinion re-
Gently that he didn't care how soon he died. He
Ia the only heir TO the large property. The in
quest was adjourned until Aug. 81.