Omaha daily bee., 1911-09-14

thu West Dodge road thirteen miles
west Of Omaha on the farm OF 1Er. Col
ley, and this Jury II wholly unable from
the Evidence to determine the cause OF
death, aud we reoommsnd that the said
Edward Kobler be discharged from GUS
tody."
Edward Kobler who has been held in
connection with the death of William B.
overton, whose partially decomposed body
was found Saturday morning on 2. A.
Colley's farm several miles firm Omaha
on the West Dodge road. was discharged
yesterday Afternoon by a coroner's jury.
The only evidence advanced that could
be held against the youth was that of
Sheriff Bradley, to the effect that buggy
and horse tracks near the place where the
body was found, corresponded with those
Of ROBBERS team and buggy in which over
ton was riding when last seen alive and the
testimony of Mrs. Sarah Sage of SPRING
field. which contradicted ROBBERS state
nIent that he returned to her house be-
tween II 80 and IL o'clock the night over
ton disappeared.
Looks for Further Evidence.
When the jury's verdict was announced
Sheriff Bradley said he would continue col
lecting evidence. 1T is plain" he said
that Overton was murdered. and some
body did it. With deputies l will go to-
morrow to the neighborhood Of Springfield
and attempt to either strengthen the evil
dence against Kobler or pick up the loose
clues against others, There is another
man who may know something of the
case. His whereabouts are not now known
and we will endeavor to get a trace of
him"
Sheriff Bradley refused to divulge who
this person is, but IL was intimated that
the man who was seen about the home of
Overton several days before the old mans
disappearance has been considered as a
material witness.
Mrs. Sage swore that after young Kob-
Ter returned to her home and gave her the
old fiddle and packages to keep until Over
| ton would call for them, she looked at the
clock when he had gone and saw that 1t
was O'Clock.
County Attorney English, in examining
Kobler, tried to establish the fact that
Kobler had spent a great deal of money
| in attending fairs and in buying horses
! since the disappearance of Overton. Byron
Overtoh, a nephew of the dead man said
that Kobler had hired two extra farm
hands and had been spending a great deal
OF money attending county fairs
Has Several Names.
According to witnesses who testified at
the inquest this man goes under several
names, one of them being Edward Tum-
nney. They said he was employed by over
| ton as cook. The man had been at the
place for a short time a year ago.
| In expressing their opinion of the evi-
dence. the jurymen said that Kobler's own
story was too straight" to warrant them
| in holding him. The testimony of Sheriff
Bradley, which was corroborated by F. L.
Ball, a liveryman Of Springfield in re-
gard to the similarity In the tracks near
the spot where the body was found and
the tracks OF Koblers team and buggy
and Mrs. Sage's story caused the jurymen
| to take a half hour in deliberation. This
evidence, they said was barely circum-
stantial.
| Kobler told OF how he bought Overton' .
the old man to believe he, himself, was
: buying the land. The lad could give no
excuse for covering the Identity of the real
purchaser. He said Overton had paid him
500 commission on the sale and Sack had
given him team of horses and harness
for $50 for making the deal. Sack and
Overton, he said, were not on good terms.
and Sack wanted him to make the pur-
chase for him. The land he said, would
be valuable 10 Sack because 1t adJoined
I the latter's farm.