The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-09
COUPLE SLAIN ON
AUTOMOBILE TRIP
Mans Body Found in Car;
Woman Struggled With
Assassin in Road.
MOTIVE PROVES PUZZLE
No Robbery Committed in Case
Which Battles Police
Near Buffalo.
MOTIVE PROVES PUZZLE
spacinr p.,ratch 90 TIE SUE.

BUFFALO, Sept s.--Kissing his mother
good-by and promising to return home
early. Norman w. Shear. rs years old.
of 2o2 Hertel avenue Jumped into his
automobile last night ran around the
corner and picked UP his fianoee, Mary
r. cdessmer. 90, Of 4s2 Tonawanda street.
The two started out for ride around
the city.
Their bodies were discovered at 8
o'clock this morning on the lonely En-
singer road. about two miles outside the
city limits. There was bullet hole in
Shears left breast A bulelt had pierced
his heart. The body was doubled up in
the back seat Of the touring car.
The body of Miss Messmer was found
about a hundred feet from the car. The
bullet, from the same gun as that which
shot Shear, had entered her face at the
bridge of the nose and gone through her
brain.
There is no known motive for the
double murder Left in the pockets Of
Shear was his watch and a small sum
of money, all he carried when he left
home, his mother said. There was no
mark on the girl except the bullet wound.
Struggle with Assailant.
II is pretty clearly established that
Shear died as he sat with his sweetheart
in the rear of the automobile. From
marks on the ground near the machine
It is evident that Miss Messmer struggled
with her assailant before she was shot.
10
The sheriff's office is authority for the
statement that marks on the ground
show Miss Messmer, after she was shot,
rolled more than one hundred feet
from the automobile to the place her
body was discovered.
Careful search of the vicinity has
produced no trace Of the weapon with
which the murders were done.
The tragedy was discovered at 8
o'clock by William J. and John H. Kuhn.
farmers. The sheriff's office was notified.
Death evidently had occurred eight hours
before. There were powder marks on
the girls face. made. the examiner says,
by a gun held no more than a foot from
her when fired. There were no powder
marks on the clothing of Shear.
Father Starts Inquiry.
Before the bodies were discovered the
father of the Messmer girl had begun an
investigation of the reason for her not
returning home last night. When he
arose at 4 80 o'clock he at once went to
the home of Shear. where he found the
mans aged mother awake. She had not
gone to bed when her son failed to keep
his promise to return early. A present
ment. she said. kept her awake. When
Messmer found that Shear, too, had not
gotten home the Investigation was be-
gun. Before it had gone very far, how
ever, the parents were notified of the
tragedy.
Max Messmer, a brother of the MUIR
dered girl, patrolman on the city police
force, has geep granted leave of absence
to seek the murderer.
Shear and Miss Messmer had been
sweethearts since childhood. She had
never had another fellow; he had
never had another girl" There was
a tentative engagement although the
families of both, say there was nothing
ever formally announced.
Sheriffs' deputies have found a wom-
an who drove along the road about
$3.50. She declares that as she passed
she saw Shear and Miss Messmer sit
ting in the tonneau Of the touring car.
Robbery was not the motive, evil
IDENTIFY. as valuables in Shears pockets
were untouched. jealousy is not
Teckoned with, as Miss Messmer was
not a girl who went about much.