Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-26
JURY HOLDS NASAOUIDES
Testimony in LOwery Inquest Of .
Convincing Character.
LILLY BREEsE TELLS HER STORY
she and other witnesses Testify h .
Massurides Fired the First shot
In Fatal Duel with Omcer
LOwery.

We, the coroner's jury, sitting in inquest.
this 18th day OF February, 1899, over the
body Of Edward ]. Dowery, deceased, having
examined all the evidence presented before
us, the aforesaid turymen, and having heard
the same, find that the said Bdward j.
wound, and that the same was inflicted
and done upon him by one John Masdurides,
at or about 1i:S p. m. of the 18th DAY OF
tween o and n streets, South Omaha
Douglas county state OF Nebraska. We
hereby recommend that he, the said John
Masourides, be held and dealt with accord
ing to the law and the evidence.
JOHN HfNcHEY.
ED BURSON,
JAMES SHEEHAN,
MIKE BRENNAN,
TOM O'CONNOR.
Foremsn.)
The above decision was rendered yester-
day after the testimonys of Lilly Breese,
Mrs. Nell Haynes, her landlady; DR.. A. H.
Koenig, Ralston Brown, officer p. j.
Harder. Sam Truehart, Jesse Carr, Harry
wanamsker and John Briggs bad been
heard.
All the witnesses told a straight, clear
and concise story OF their connection with
the case. The greatest interest centered
In the testimony Of the principal witness
for the state. Miss Lilly Breese. She
created a favorable impression by her in
telliEent testimony and the evident desire
TO tell the whole truth.
Knife Taken from Greek.
She testified that her mother had hired a
room for her with Mrs. Haynes in the fiat
at 24O7 n street. and three weeks ago left
her there to stay with her little brother
while the mother went to Grand Island
looking for work. While in the city since
then she had worked part of the time at a
candy kitchen at Twenty-sixth and n
streets, run by a Greek. named Comas.
There she met Masourides, a man past 80.
and agreed to teach him to speak English.
She permitted the man to come to her room
over the Cressey shoe store to receive his
lessons. This the man did Wednesday and
Thursday nights. remaining there for an
hour or more. On Friday night, the night
of the murder, he did not come, and she
went to the candy kitchen and met him
there. She returned with him and her
brother to the room about 1880 p. m. Of
ficer Lowry on N street must have received
some warning, for he looked on the mat
ter as a suspicious circumstance. He called
Mrs. Haynes from her bed, and they went
to the girls room on the third floor. There
Mrs. Haynes was left outside. The officer
1 RAuNtd bONA ~ hlah liz ntT6GlI uHQtI 7
rest. While her companion was putting on
his overcoat the sheath OF a knife fell on
the floor and the officer saw it. He asked
for the knife and took it from the Greek.
Thinking he had the man dissrmed com
pletely, he started for the station. When
they arrived opposite the car used for a
shop, the Greek put his hand In his pocket,
and Lowry ordered him to take 1t out. He
tried to pry the Greeks arm with his club.
In this way the two men passed her and
she heard someone she thought was the
Greek say, Stop" Then she heard two
shots and ran into the hall OF the Richie
building and hid a moment to escape the
bullets.
There she heard four or five more
shots and saw the Greek leaving the place.
The Greek ran into Tanners livery barn.
DIR. A. H. Koenlg testified he saw the
Greek enter the barn and go out again
with the gun still smoking in his pocket.
He also had seen the shooting at a little
distance. His evidence s~ubstantiates the
testimony of the girl in every particular
Ralston Brown saw the man enter the
stairway again from which he had beer
led when arrested.
Harder Tells of Second Arrest.
Officer Harder told of the arrest Of the
Greek and the struggle he made and the
effort to reach his gun, which he had
hidden In a pile of rags in a CORNER Of
the room. The officer then knocked the
man down twice with his club.
Harry Wanamaker assisted in the arrest
He is a soldier from Fort Crook.
Sam T-uehart and Jesse Carr. two
negroes were with DR.. II. A. Koenig anc
all three testified in a manner to leav,
no doubt that the Greek fired the frs
two shots. All three distinctly saw tn,
flashes OF the gun in his hand. Lowry
gun was in his pocket an the girl saw hin
draw after the shots had been fired. III,
: did not shoot until he was almost betweer
the car and the clothing store.
After the hearing was over. Lilly Brees
said she was glad she had been $,
promptly arrested. for it put her to grea
advantage, and helped to clear her Of an,
I connection with the crime.
The county attorney will file his com
plant against Masourides this morning, 1
: being too late to get the complaints draw
y up last night after the verdict was rem
dered.
( The only hesitancy in any Of the testi
. mony was in that Officer Harder VIII
. found the mans gun and put It into hi
own pocket and later gave II to the jaileI
: He said in the excitement he had no
examined the weapon carefully enough /
= be sure that the gun presented for iden
T tification was the one he had found in tn
: room. He said 1t looked exactly like &
e but he could not take oath that it wa
d the gun.
FLEE FROM 0HI0 E00D'