Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-12-09
SHOT
THROUGH THE DOOR
OF CLAIM SHANTY
Rival for Hand of Young Wom-
an Claimholder Is Suspected
of the Crime.

Daviston, S. D., Dec. 4.-Gus Banick,
a young homesteader or this county,
lies dead with a bullet through his left
lung, while Arthur w. Lowry, a neigh
Dor, is under arrest charged with his
murder. All this 1T is believed, is pc
cause Lizzie Walrath, a young lady or
the neighborhood, had told Lowry that
Banick should hereafter be her steady
company" a distinction that oWry
had previously enjoyed and which he
still coveted. All three parties occu-
pied adjoining homestead claims about
four miles west of Date, a rural post
office of Perkins county, and their re-
s~peCtive shacks are all within a dis
tanCe OF so rod or less from each
other.
a Tilted Lovers Vengeance.
Arthur Lowry had been keeping
company with Miss Walrath for sew
eral months and Friday afternoon,
November rs, went to her shack" to.
engage her company for the meeting
Of a literary society which met that
evening in the school houe at Date.
He found Banick there ahead of him
and was informed that Lizzie a al
ready made an engagement with the
latter for the evening, and, more than
that, he was to be her steady" for
the future. Lowry made 40 secret of
lIe IdCl lIldl lie WAS angry over lHS
rebuff, but finally left, telling the girl
that he would see her later.
Evening came and the society met,
but II was noted that Lowry, Banick
and Miss Walrath, who had always
been regular attendants. were absent
from the meeting. Some of those who
were present passed Banick's shack on
their way home and seeing a bright
light burning stopped to inquire the
pa11Gn of hic nholnnn TNhnrn nl0 ID
response TO their knocking on the door
and they pushed it open to find the
owner Of the shack lying dead just
inside his doorway, with a bullet hole
in his chest and his clothing saturated
with blood. Word was sent to the
sheriff at Bison as quickly as possible
and he came to the place the next
day.
Mas Shot Through the Door.
Investigation revealed a bullet hole
through a panel Of the door about the
height Of the wound in Banick's body.
Another bullet was found imbedded in
the wall of the rOom, opposite the door.
The inference of the officers is that
two shots were fired-the first one,
shot while the door was open and
Banick standing in the doorway.
missed it's intended victim and struck
the opposite wall. while the second one.
shot after Banick had slammed the
door in the face of his assailant. ac-
complished its deadly purpose.
Shots Heard at WaIrath Shack.
A little brother of Miss Walrath,
who was staying with her, was put
side the shack at about 7:30 p. m.,
and claims to have heard two shots
fired in the direction of Banick's abode.
This would seem to fix with some ac-
curacy the o at which the crime
was committed. Lowry alleges that
he was not on his own claim that eve
ming nor in that neighborhood. but had
gone to the claim of a sister about
three miles distant, where he spent
he night as he had frequently done
heretofore. 1t was at his sisters
claim that the officers found him Sat
nrday night. Unfortunately for the
abb, which he will doubtless seek TO
establish, his sister was away from
home on the evening in question visit
ing at a neighbours, and there was no
one at her place when he arrived or
for two or three hours later, covering
the time in which the killing is sup
posed to have taken place.