The copper era and Morenci leader., 1913-10-31
MEXICAN KILLED AT DUNCAN BY
 OFFICER
Deputy Sheriff Lowenbruck, of Dun- can Shoots to Death Mexican Who Savagely Assaults Three
 Men, Including Officer
 Who Slew Him.

Men, Including Officer
 Who Slew Him.
 On Tuesday, October 2S, Deputy Sheriff Lowenbruck, of Duncan, at
 that place shot to death a Mexican
 who had entered the caboose of a
 freight train, in this place savagely assaulting two railway employees, in addition to a murderous attack upon Lowenbruck, and whose career was ended only by well directed shots fired from Lowenbrucks gun.
 After having attacked and painful ly wounded MT. Van Bibber, for many years employed at the pump stations of the A. & N. M. R. R., and MT M. D. Ryan, head brakeman of the train in the eaboOSe of which the Mexican was encountered, call for assistance reached Officer Lowen- 1 bruck, who hastened to the scene, and attempted the mans arrest, with the result that the Mexican attacked him with a long iron bar, knocking to the ground the stricken officer, who in that position fired four bull lets from rifle into the Mexican's body, either wound being sufficient to cause death.
 The train, which was the local freight of the A. & N. M. and rum ming daily between Clifton and Ha- chita, stops regularly <at Duncan at about the noon hour, for the purpose that. the crew might obtain lunch.
 Mr. Van Bibber, the first man to be assaulted by the intruding Mexi- can, is employed at pump stations at both Guthrie, his home, and Duncan, visiting every day at Duncan, where he has charge of the pump station that supplies water to the locomo- tives. In the afternoon he returns on the local freight to Guthrie, and on Tuesday shortly after the noon hour, and while the entire crew were at lunch he entered the caboose for | the ride to Guthrie. The Mexican upon his entrance, was busily engag- ed in rifling the compartments of the caboose, apparently being to some 1 extent demented, and thinking the tcorrespondence, concerning the var1- ous movements of the train, to be of value. No sooner had MT. Van Bib- Der entered the car than the Mexican secured heavy wedge, which IS used to prop the door of the caboose, and began beating him about the face and head. For probably ten minutes MT. Van Bibber pluckily struggled with the antagonist, receiving many painful abrasions. Finally he suc- ceeded in breaking from the Mexi- cans hold, and escaped from the train. L
 Immediately upon escaping from his assailant, the injured man strug- gled toward Duncan, about half a mile distant On the way, he met MT. M. D. Ryan, the head brakeman of the train, and told him the story of the altercation. MT: Ryan pro ceeded to the caboose, thinking to effect the detention of the miscreant until the arrival of an officer. But the Mexican was not of the same in tention, and from behind the car door, where he had hidden, emerged, and threw at the trainman the heavy wedge used in the encounter with MT Van Bibber. The two men struggled for the possession of the weapon, the Mexican finally securing it, and dealing severe blows to his slight fracture on the left arm, in ad- dition to broken bones in the right hand Also, he was bruised in many parts, although the broken arm was the most serious of the wounds sus- tained
 MT. Ryan struggled with the Mexi- can for perhaps fifteen minutes, until a few moments before the arrival from Duncan of Officer Lowenbruck. When finally escaping from the car, the exhausted trainman fell by the railway tracks, unable to move fur ther from the caboose.
 At this juncture, Officer Lowen- bruck, in company with the second brakeman of the train, arrived upon the scene. The officer, who was armed with a 30-30 rife, besides his revolver, immediately advanced into the train to effect the Mexican's ar rest. But the Mexican met him at the door, and savagely struck him a blow upon the head with an iron bar about three feet in length, knocking the officer completely from the plat form of the caboose. Lowenbruck fell upon his back alongside the rail- way tracks, and in this position fired four bullets from the rife into the Mexican's body. It was considered that either of the wounds would have proven fatal. Sorely wounded, the Mexican passed into the car, and fell upon the floor The officer entered l to ascertain the results of the rifle fire, and was again attacked by the dying man. The officer now grasp ed his revolver and fired at the Mexi- can, the bullet passing through the brain, resulting in the mans instant death.
 It is supposed that the Mexican was demented, no other reason being advanced for his robbery of the rec ords of the caboose, as they would nave been Of no value to him. At he time of Mr. Van Bibbers' entrance nto the car, the Mexican had re- moved a quantity of the various pa- pers from their places in the con-