The Sentinel=record., 1918-08-28
FARMER KILLED FROM AMBUSH
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1.

was that the man had come to his death at the hands of parties unknown. | Wagner, his wife, and their six chli- dren occupied farm on the extreme south line of this county Across the road from where the persons who fired the shots stood was in the adjoining county south. The Waeners had come to that place from South Dakota and from Oregon
 Wagner was within the draft age. and it was stated, was preparing to eo to some other locality with view of locating his family on some more healthful farm, before himself re- spending to the extended age draft.
 Mrs. Wagner, the widow. and Rl- mold Wagner, the eldest son, were the only witnesses before the coroner's ljury. They could throw no light on the reason for the assassination. Both were examined closely by Prosecuting Attorney Randolph as to neighbor- hood quarrels or anything that might have led to such tragedy. They could offer no explanation.
 The matter of the German descent of the man was taken up Mrs. Wag- ner stated that she had never known him to get into any arguments there lover the question of patriotism Shs said that recently he went out into lOklahoma and into Hampstead coun lty with a view of finding them more hoalthful location. before he was called by the draft, and that when he lreturned home last Saturday he was rather excited over moving picture he had seen entitled "The Beast of Berlin" Mrs Wagner said that he told her of the picture, and how the kaiser was pictured as such beast, and that he did not believe that was fright, and that when the war broke out President Wilson had urged the lpeople not to indulge hatred agains. the German people She said that he spoke of it being shame how the people talked and acted who saw the picture" and that coming out of the theatre he said one man was heard to say that he would like to shoot the heart of out of the kaiser" Wagner evidently was resentful of this kind [of expression. and told her that the reports from pershing and others about the abuse of the Belgians by the Germans were all lies. He told her that the American people did not un derstand that the people in Germany loved the kaiser, and that there they might be portrayng the Beast or Washington" referring to the presi- dent of this country He did not be- lieve that America should have taken sides against Germany who he be- ,leved had been the friend of Amer ica, and said that If Socialist were president, the war would never have been entered.
 | While Mrs. Wagner told these state- ments as things she heard her hus hand say on his return from the trip Iwhere he had seen the moving picture. she said that she never had heard of him telling others of these views. and that she knew of no arguments he had ever gotten into Sha said that he was born in a Russian province, and served in the ftussian army, and that he was of German descent.
 Strangely offsetting these impress sions he related to his wife on his return home, he had told her and his children that he believed that Ger many needed a licking and that Ger many would be the last country he ever would want to live in The mans lneighbors stated that when the I.lb-- erty loan campaign was on there no talked with them, bought a Libersy bond, and was in full sympathy with the movement apparently, and that he later bought war savings stamps, ani that he had never taken the side of lGermany in arguments that they knew Of Perhaps as many as twenty of his lneighbors were present there at the midnight inquest and they were all his friends.
 He was mp at the graveyard this forenoon" said Dr. Henderson, we'll known man of that section. '-Ilir neighhorhood mad turned out to dig . grave for Widow Rutherford, and Wagner was there helping and did not get back to his home until noon. never knew of anybody having grudge against him"
 It developed that once or twice in their three year residence there, there
  or some trivial matter with neighbors. and that the quarrels had not lasted. and the one apparently the most serl- ous, some months ago, was with a family part Of which spent some of the afternoon with the Wagners in their home yesterday, That had all been eliminated as a grudge.
 The shot that killed Wagner was a single shot fired from 6 rifle rifle ;s:: a man who knew how 10 shoot. At the time the shot was fired the assas- sin was fully 125 yards away Wagner was stopped down in cotton row. The bullet entered his hat and went through his head He never was able to speak after the shot.
 The body had not been moved when the officers arrived. After viewing the body Dr. Shaw ordered 1t removed to the home, and long ladder was