The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-01

called Pa Bender, on Luke street.
The house is situated in an extreme
corner of the Tenth ward east of the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
railroad tracks. The place has
been q frequent source of COM
plant to Burgess Daniel Powell, of
Dunmore, who has been unable to act
against 1t on account of the loca-
tion of the house just inside the city
line, where Sunday drinking bouts and
carousals have been Of frequent oc-
currence.
ABOUT TO BE MARRIED.
Mayer did little at his trade and
seemed to have no occupation beyond
that which required a mans presence
about the house. He was considered
one of the family, and on Friday this
week was to marry Bender's daugh
ter, "Venie," according to a statement
| made yesterday by the latter, who
seems to be the one chiefly concerned
about Mayors violent death.
Keller is % years old and married.
He has no children. He and Mrs. Kel
| Ter resided with the latter's father.
| Byron Davis, on Kirtz street. The lat
| ter thoroughfare is in Dunmore bor-
| ough, skirts the bluff overlooking the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Erie and
| Wyoming Valley railroad tracks and
runs at right angles to Luke street, on
which the Bender house is situated.
The Davis and Bender properties are
| about equally distant from the inter-
| section of the two streets. The rear
yards run together, although several
vacant lots lie about the intersection
made by the two thoroughfares. 1t
was this proximity which led to the
| shooting, although there was no cor
| responding affinity in the social stand
! ing of the two principals to the affair,
| judging from the interior and exterior
| appearances of the houses and from
the personality of the friends of the
| occupants.
In the rear of the Davis home Is a
garden in which Keller has taken con-
siderable pride. His efforts to make
things grow were handicapped, how
ever, by a flock of pigeons owned by
Bender and Mayer. The pigeons dug
up much of the two paintings of seed
which Keller had sown, and have re-
Gently been scratching among the third
planting. Last Thursday Keller shot
four of the birds. He and Mayer had
angry words over the matter.
THE MEN QUARRELED.
Yesterday morning Keller fired into
the garden and killed two of the pig
cons. Mayer came to the side of the
Davis house and renewed the quarre
with Keller, who could be heard but
not seen behind the blinds of a sec,
ond-story window. Mayer wanted Kel
Ter to come down into the lot and fight
Keller's non-appearance led Mayer Il
threaten to "do" the man inside. II,
said he would fix" him. Charlie,
Lown, Dunmore special officer, who's,
home is near by, told Mayer to e.
home: Lown said there should be n,
fighting. The Bender girl finally in
duced Mayer to return to the house.
The neighbors talked of the lnciden
and their attention was naturally at
tracted to Keller when he emerged
from the house soon after O'Clock
He walked down Kirts street, speaking
a word to several neighbors, and con
tinued his way to the path which lead
down the high bank to the Erie an
Wyoming tracks. He had hardly go
fairly on the roadbed and trestle whe,
someone remarked that Mayer wa
: passing behind the houses and heade
across the Delaware, Lackawanna an
Western tracks, which pass beneatl
the trestle.
In the group of watchers were Spe
cial Officer Lown, Harvey Swingle an
! Lemuel Jones. All expected troubl
! when Keller and Mayer met. KelIe
| crossed the trestle and met Fran
) | skinner, an Erie and Wyoming sectio
boss. The latter knew Of the bad bloc
1 between Keller and Mayer and toll
Keller he had better return home a
: Mayer was crossing the tracks beloy
| them and would meet Keller farthe
= on. Keller remarked significantly tha
he would take care of himself and con
tinued toward the Erie and Wyomin
: depot, Skinner remained at the trestl
= and saw. as did the watchers on tn
street above, what followed. Anothe
: who saw the shooting was ]. e. shulel
: butcher who was walking on tn
! tracks and saw Mayer coming up tn
, embankment.
> QUARREL RENEWED.
1 Mayer traversed a path leading u
I to the Erie tracks and reached the to
in time to see Keller several rod
ahead of him Mayer overlook Kellt
near the first switch leading to III
. railroad yard and round-house The
followed much gesticulation and ey
o dent harsh words.
e Finally it appeared as though Kellt
:. was trying to hurry away from MayC
= and that the latter was determined q
: keeping the other company. Betwee
| tho sacopd and third sUItcb tho,y IA n