Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-10-30
Council Bluffs
EVOLVE THEORY OF MURDER
Bluffs Police Still Holding White in
Fallers Case.
ALLEGE TOLD HOW HE SHOT MAN
Witness LothrOp Narrates story
of shooting as Told to
Him.

Him.
The Council Bluffs police officers arc
proceeding with much confidence upon
the theory that they have discovered
in the person OF L. c. White, an aged
and decrepit old man. who has lived for
many years with his aged wife and
daughter in the little shanty in the
woods south OF the eastern approach TO
the street railway bridge, the murderer
of Horace f. Fallers, who Is supposed
to have been murdered and thrown into
the river near the toll house where he
was employed on the night Of July g.
The accusation against White is based
upon the story which he Is alleged to
have told about the murder, and in which
he is said to have boosted that he had
killed Fallers for revenge after the lat
ter had assaulted and beaten him sew
eral months before the night OF the muir
der.
White has been permitted by the
street railway company to act as care
taker for the strip of ancient right-of-
way on the south side of the bridge
on which the shanty stands. The old
man is more than "a years old and those
! who know him say for years he has
been addicted TO the use of alcoholic
beverages to a degree that has greatly
| impaired him mentally and physically.
| He is said to be a veteran of the con-
! federate army and is undoubtedly a pep
perry old soldier. He has been talking
about the murder ever since it occurred,
| telling vague Stories and was one among
the very first TO tell about hearing a
shot fired on the bridge about the hour
of the murder.
Two Men Had Trouble.
For several months before the murder
it was known that there had been trouble
between White and Fallers, and that on
many occasions Fallers nad reprlmanded
White for using bad language at the
toll house in the presence OF men and
women in passing vehicles
! On one occasion, prior to April /, Fall
lers lost his patience and checked the
| old mans abuse by a vigorous slap in
the face. A few days after this a more
serious alteration occurred when White
crossed the bridge, when under the in
fluence Of liquor. and got into a dispute
with Fallers. 1t is known that Fallers
again used vigorous measures. One Of
the Council Bluffs officers in the opera
tive department came over the bridge
Just after the trouble was over and met
| White going west about 200 feet from
the toll house swearing loudly and tell
ing about Fallers striking him. The
official walked on to the toll house and
advised Fallers not TO use force with the
old man and Fallers admitted that he
had lost his temper and slapped him
pretty hard.
Many times during the spring and sum
mer White referred to this and is re-
! ported TO have made threats that he
| would get even. A few days ago White
had some trouble with an old man named
| Conkling. residing at 1922 Seventh avenue
and threatened him. A. N Lathrop, who
lives at the Conkling place, met White
soon after and heard him tell OF his
! trouble with ConSling.
Alleged Told OF Murder.
Lathrop says the old man probably be-
came greatly excited and began 10 tell
what he could do TO the man, and then
| began TO tell what he had done to
Fallers. He then began TO tell. accord
ing to Lathrop. the full details Of the
murder. He is reported TO have said
that he beanie involved I'm a quarrel with
Fallers over worn dime and then
struck him a blow with his heavy cane
knocking him against the bridge rail-
ms. ana he then shot Fallers before he
recovered consciousness He said the first
shot was in the neck ranging downward
and for fear II had not killed him he
bent over the dying man and pressing
the revolver against his head fired an
other shot into his brain. The old man.
according TO Lathrop's story. said he
then lifted Fallers' body and threw Il
over the railing into the river
White, who is still locked up in the
city jail, vshemently denies this story
and declares that he never told anything
OF the kind. and that he never. had a
revolver. People who have known the
old man for years say they doubt II he
had the physical strength TO lift the
body OF a man as heavy as Fallers, nearly
900 pounds. over the high bridge railing
White will be held until after the re-
tuIn Of County Attorney Cspell
Evidence that one or more shots were
fired on the bridge that night can be
secured. Two young men stated coon
after the murder that after passing the
toll house on the bridge at the time
near when the murder must have been
committed, they heard a shot and saw
an automobile stop east Of the toll
house. a man named Anderson. living
near the bridge, says he heard two shots
fired that night. John Wilson, well known
In the western part of the city, SAYS
White told him as long ago as April
about having trouble with FalIorS.
!
A shooting scrnpe