Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-05-05
DEAD MAN IS
IDENTIFIED
r. j. LEWIS OF BEACON REcoG.
NlzEs VICTIM OF SHOOTING
AFFRAY AS HIS SON
BODY is TAKEN HOME

Tragic Death Of L. r. Lewis is a Sc.
we're Shock to Father and sister,
Girl Becomes Observation-Disclosures
Identified by Des Moines Pawnbrok-
er and Cab Driver.
The mystery surrounding the iden-
tlty OF the man killed Sunday morning |
at the old starch mill has been cleared |
away by the arrival of his father and
sister from Beacon. The dead man is
Lorenzo R. Lewis, son of R. j. Lewis,
and brother of Miss Annie e. Lewis.
The Identification was made yesterday
afternoon at Daggett's undertaking
parlors.
In identifying the victim of Sunday
mornings shooting ARRAY as his son,
Il. j. Lewis, and his daughter have re-
ceived blow that is most keenly felt.
Their grief was further increased when
the manner in which the young man
met his death was explained.
Girl HysterlcaI.
Weak and inflrm, just recovering
from an illness continuing since
Thanksgiving, the father more the de-
tails of the affair bravely, though with
much concern. The daughter, given
to Mysteries, was placed in the hands
the city missionary. Miss Margaret
Young, who with sympathy and feeling,
apprised the unfortunate girl Of the cir
cumstances surrounding the tragic
death of her brother.
Father Makes Statement.
When told of the tragic circum-
stances that surrounded the death of
his son, the elder Lewis could not be-
lieve that his son would threaten the
life Of anyone. He said:
II can not believe that this thing is
so. My son would not shoot any one.
He has always been quiet and peace
able. He never drank; he would not
even sell cider while working In my
store at Beacon. He has never been
in any trouble to my knowledge. He
left our home the last time two weeks
ago last Friday, going to Oskaloosa.
We received a card from him at that
place the following Saturday saying
ShoI liO was 6SkuE W WOlh lOf d JGlSs
phone company. Since then we have
not heard from him, until coming to
this city to find him dead My atten-
tion was called to an article in yester-
day mornings Des Moines paper,
which referred to l.. r. Lewis as being
killed in Ottumwa. The article spoke
about the man being an Indian, and !
thought nothing more about it. My
daughter. however, would not accept
this belief and we came to this city
only to find that our boy is dead The
shock will kill my daughter. She has
been a mother to Lorenzo since my
wife died twenty-five years ago. She
has tried to raise him like Christian.
He was at one time a member of the
Good Templars lodge. He was a good
boy, | know, until he left home. He
might have been little wild after
that, but I can not bring myself to be.
lieve, that he would shoot any one.
have never heard him speak OF OF.
tumwa, nor did we ever get letter
from him from here.
Was Called Home.
II have been sick since last Thanks.
giving. About three weeks ago, was
very sick and my daughter wrote to
Kansas City to my son, who was there
at the time, telling him to come home
He came and staid about week and
then went to Oskaloosa, as | said be-
fore. At that time his hair was
/ longer than 1t Is now.
/ Son Had Worried.
"He has never been morose, except
that he used to worry over being idle
SO much and become discouraged, u
he threatened the lives of your off
GERS here Sunday he must have been
desperate over something.
81 do not know where my son war
in February. He told us when he
went away some years ago that he
had a government position in Colo
RADIO. My daughter and were wait
| ing on him to assist us In the pur
chase of small piece of land neal
Beacon, but now that's all over with
1 we depended lot on that boy"
The elder Lewis was formerly
miner, but owing to an injury he re
ceived while mining, he was com
PEELED to enter other business. Hi
purchased a small candy store, which
he has since been conducting in Bea
con. Miss Lewis is talented elocu
| ZIONIST, having attended the Chicago
university.
The body was removed to Beaco,
this morning on the Rock Island The
/ funeral will be held In that place thil
| afternoon.
4 Identifies Gun.
i The gun found in Lewis possession
was yesterday identified by Nose LIE
vich, of Des Moines, as the one stolei
from him some time ago. Constable
| George Blount took the fire-arm to De
MONIES yesterday and Leyich 1emphati
cally claimed it as his own. The cal
driver, whom Lewis is alleged to hav'
forced to drive him out of town afte
the robbery Of the Npawn shop wa
committed, also identified the gun nj
the one placed to his head Just re
Gently.
Il Stn,s Kuo,.,a ami,