The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1917-03-15
MURDERED AND ROBBED
E. e. Wart, Traffic Bridge Night
Toll Colollector, Victim.
Reward of $1,000 Offered Jointly by This
Parish and City of Shreveport
for Arrest and Conviction.

Mr.. q. E. Wart, serving Temporal
lily as night toll collector for Rossier
Parish at the new Shreveport-Bossi
traffic bridge has been missing ever
since an early hour Sunday morning
and there is every reason to suspect
foul play in connection with his sud-
den disappearance. 1t is thought that
he was murdered and robbed and his
body thrown into the river. The
room provided for the collector Ct
tolls for Bossier Parish is not at the
east end Of the bridge as might be
supposed, but about half way the
lenrth of the bridge, and it was here
while Mr.. Wart was on duty that he is
supposed to have lost his life. If he
was murdered and robbed, and all
evidences seem to point undeniably
in that direction, it is believed to have
been the deed of at least two white
men, and perhaps as many as three.
Near the center of ths box-likc
room was found a pool Of blood on
the floor and near this spot lay the
glasses that were worn by Mr.. Wart.
A long smear Of blood led from the
door Of the room out to the left and
over the railing Of the bridge at
point perhaps twenty feet from the
room. Leading away from the scene
Of the tragedy and in the direction of
Bossier City were bloody footprints.
In view of these evidences, it is
thought that the two men who COM
mitteed the double crime approached
from the east end Of the brige, that
enc Of them paid the toll for two, and
that the other struck him in the back
Of the head with some heavy death
dealing object just as he had turned
to walk back into the room. He
was then perhaps robbed and his
body dragged to one side and thrown
into the river. The two men then
evidently returned to the room to
search for more loot and while there
stepped into the pool of blood. This
would account for the bloody tracks
leading off in the direction of Bos-
eie- City. That a chest in the. room
containing about S115 was not broken
open and robbed would seem to indi-
cate that the criminals were friehten-
ed away by hearing what they thought
to be the approach of some one frar'
the Shreveport end of the bridge.
This is the theory advanced by .
friend well familiar with all physical
evidences of the crime to be seen on
the bridge Sunday morning.
Sheriff Edwards is>being assisted
in his efforts to apprehend the ouilty
persons by Sheriff Hughes of Cadd-
Parish. the police force of Shreveport.
and detectives Of that city. A joint
reward of $1,000 for the arrest anf
conviction of the criminals has beer
offered by the authorities of Bessie.
Parish and the CITY Of Shreveport
Some arrests have been made. more
on general suspicion than otherwise
but as yet there is no real clue to ths
identity of the criminals.
4 Mr.. Wart was in the forty-sixtl
wear of his age. He was born in Co
lumbia County. Ark, where hi
parents, Mr.. and Mrs. W. Wart. re
sided for four wears, but was reare'
and spent nearlv the whole of his lif'
in Bossier Parish. His home for man,
wears was in Haughton, where b.
clerked in the stores of Mr.. ]. W
Elston and Mr.. Joel Hodges, and h
continued as an employee of Nh
Hodges after that gentleman removes
to Sweetwater. Texas. About tn
time he went to Texas he was in yer
noor health and after an absence 0
only year or so returned to Louis
;ana. He suffered for some year
, from rheumatism and hab;tually use
stick when walkirr. He was an IN
ohtrnsive and retirinc man. reliabl
and honorable and, so far as is known
had no enemies.
His father formerly resided a
. Haughton, but is now living a
, Taylortown. Other surviving mem
/ hers Of the immediate family are on
E brother ard two sisters. who are
/ Mr.. E. C. Wart, of Bossier City; Mr..
: Mora Sanders. Of Natchitoches, an
Mrs. Dehey Morris, Of 1920 Dow
Street. Shreveport,
e To make the burden of their grie
= Greater still, the members Of tn
7 family have thus far been denied tn
privilege Of giving their decease
0 relative decent interment. tt
d river has been repeatedly drar~ed {
e a Point just below the bridee, br
i the corpse has not been found. 1t
/ thought that the current has pc
hans carried it far down stream.