The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1915-09-23
Murdered While He Silent.

s'o, oooohp ditiCu ueI, anu Will De-
come student in the college.
Murdered While He Slept.
Some time after midnight Saturday
night Mr.. w. NJ. loops, team foreman
and dirt and gravel contractor, was MUIR
dered and perhaps robbed at his camp
three miles south of this place.
His lifeless body was discovered at an
early hour Sunday morning by the two
negroes who occupied one of the two
tents at the camp site, and the authori-
ties and citizens generally of this place
were at once notified. Diligent search
was made in and around the two tents,
but no clue to indicate who committed
the dastardly deed could be found. In
an old sock, thrown carelessly into a
box containing drugs for his mules, etc.,
was found a small roll of bills and some
silver, totaling S77.55. However, it is
believed by some that the unfortunate
man, in the habit of carrying consider
able money on his person, was robbed of
much larger sum. Others think not,
reasoning that after being unemployed
for month or SO and having his teams
to feed all the while, he perhaps only
had this sum of money, more than that
having been paid to him Saturday.
Mr.. loops teams were engaged in
hauling gravel for surfacing the gap in
the new improved road leading south
from this place. AS most of the labor
lived on nearby plantations there were
only two others aside from himself in
his camp. They were the colored cook,
a kind of trusted employee who came
here with him, and a transient negro by
the name of Dan Woods. This last
named negro is suspected of having
committed the crime and Sunday was
arrested and jailed. 1t seems that the
two negroes and many Others attended
frolic Saturday night which did not
break up until nearly daylight. How
ever, about two O'Clock in the morning
Dan Woods complained that he was
feeling sick and tired and was going to
return to his tent and go to bed. He
did leave the scene of the frolic, but
when his companion reached the tent,
between four and five o'clock, he found
him still up and dressed, and lying
across his bed smoking cigarette
Because he has not made satisfactory
explanation Of this conduct, because Of
his suggestion some days ago as to how
the deceased man could be robbed, and
because of his generally shady character
his arrest and incarceration followed
His explanation offered for being uE
was that the mosquitors we're so bad he
could not sleep, and as for being dressed
he said he had only been there three
nights and because his undertaking
was ragged he did not remove his tor
clothes after the first night but KEEP
them on as a protection against the
mosquitoes.
j
/ death to the unfortunate man opinion.
differ. Several have suggested that j
must have been "a pick. Others thinl
one of the sharpened steel rods used al
supports for the side planks that serv'
as bounds when the gravel is dumped oil
the roadway was made use Of. Their
were no evidences of struggle and NJ
abrasions about the body. Just thre'
strokes into the skull, all but the on
on the back clean cut, and one icl
across the side of the head. The prop
critics in the tent were thrown about il
general disorder, showing that care
full search was made for the roll of bills
!, and the dead mans pockets were ais
turned inside out. Mr.. loops frs
came here some months since fror
Texas, and to that State from Missis
: sippi, so said. He had before worke
, for Mr.. S. A. Gano, the contractor fo
the Bossier City to Benton highway
and it seems that his calling was i
following road construction camps an
> securing hauling contracts. He wa
i rather an eccentric character. Havin
been twice caught by bank failures, h
carried his money on his person. 1t
said that he has wife and daughte
living in Mississippi, but that after b
Z deserted them and remained away twent
wears he returned to find the daughte
grown and married, and his wife marie
to another man. Since that time /
has lived alone.
Mr.. loops was not without FRIEND
4 here in Benton and number of the
u noting in making change or in payin
II for supplies, etc., he freely exhibite
his money, warned him against tt
. practice OF carrying it on his perso
= He did not head their warnings, how
: ever, and paid for it with his life.
: The remains were shipped Sunda