The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-08-04
Ora Turner Charged With Stay
ing Roy Snyder Of Raymond.
Officers Believe They Have SUI
ficient Evidence to Convict.
REVOLVER is FOUND.
Had Been Secreted by Youth
Who Is Accused of Crime.
Work of Amateur Detectives
May Lead to a Conviction.

Lyons, Kan, Aug. 4.-Sheriff Will
son, County Attorney Green, Deputy
Sheriff Burfield and Attorney Sam
ueI Jones have returned from Ray
mond bringing with them Ora Tur-
ner, 20 years of age, who they be-
lteve is the person who killed Roy
Snyder while the latter was return
ing home from the residence of his
| sweetheart, Miss Lena Otto, at Ray
mond on the night of July IA. AS
| the result of the investigation made
| by the county authorities they believe
| that there is little doubt that Turner
| is the man who took the lie OIL the
| 18-year-old farmer.
| Story of the Snyder Murder.
| On the morning of July 18th the
body of Roy Snyder was found in the
road between the town of Raymond
and his home. Six bullet wounds in
dictated that he had been shot from
the horse which he was riding and
that afterwards the murderer stood
over him and fired five more shots
into the body.
An investigation showed that the
murdered boy had spent the evening
with his sweetheart in Raymond,
starting for home late in the even
ing. A tree was located where the
murderer had tied his horse and
short distance the spot from which
the first shot was fired.
At this point the grass was tramp
ed down and there were other indi-
cations that the murderer had wait
ed for the coming of his victim for
several hours.
There were plenty of rumors afloat
as to the identity of the murderer
but no direct evidence against any
one, and it looked as though he would
go unpublished. In order to bring the
murderer to justice the citizens of
Raymond last week raised large
amount of money and the county
commissioners voted an additional
sum.
Bullets Offer Glue to Slayer.
The first move on the part of those
who were employed in solving the
murder mystery was to make a thor
ough examination of one of the bull
let's found in the body of the dead
boy and then, after weighing it, to
learn what kind of a gun or revolver
it had been fired from. 1t was dis
covered that the rifles of the weapon
had creased the leaden missile six
times. Further investigation brought
out the fact that the bullet must have
been fired from a 38-caliber Colts
revolver of the model known as the
Police Positive
Having gained the information, ev-
cry house in the locality was visited
with the view of learning who owned
a revolver of this pattern. Informal
that the station agent at Raymond |
whose name was Livingston, once had |
possessed such a weapon. 1t was
at this point that the coils began to |
tighten about Ora Turner.
This Revolver Traded to Turner.
Livingston admitted that he had |
owned a Colts revolver which carried |
a bullet like the one found in Sny- |
der's body but said that he had traded |
it to Lee Turner, a cousin of the man |
first suspected of the crime. Lee /
Turner, it was learned, was living |
on a farm near Lone Wolf. Okla. |
The sheriff lost no time in going to |
that town and in bringing Turner to |
Raymond. While this man also adj
rnitted that the Colts revolver had |
been owned by him, he said that he |
had traded it to his cousin, Ora Tur-
ner for another gun.
When the sheriff and the county
attorney first questioned Ora Turner,
the latter denied having such re-
volver and to prove it showed them
number of other weapons which he
had about the house.
Accused Had Secreted This Weapon.
Later on cross examination, how
ever, he broke down and led the Of
ficers to a haymow where he drew
forth the weapon which had been
sought.
While Ora Turner has not admitted
that he is the murderer of the Sny-
der boy it is known that he was a
former sweetheart Of the Otto girl
with whom Snyder was in love.