The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1921-05-05

- DNNANAOA
ing alone on his farm in Beaver
county, Oklahoma, eight miles south
and east Of Liberal, was found dead
between two stacks of feed Monday
Nafternoon with bullet hole through
his head, every evidence pointing to
murder.
Road 0verseer Frank Cook made
the guesome find. He went to the
Longenecker farm Monday morning
to get Longenecker to work on the
road. Not finding him at the house
he went to the barn and noticing a
team with the harness on, and the
harness badly disarranged he remov-
ed them and went on his way.
About noon he returned to the
place and seeing the team still in
tn barn decided to turn them loose
to rustic for feed. A calf in the barn
was bawling for feed and he went
outside the barn where there were
stacks of feed and noticing some
loose bundles picked one up and in
doing so uncovered the head of a
man which proved to be Longe-
necker.
He called Longenecker's sister Mrs
I. Shelton who lives in the Lorena
neighborhood, who phoned coroner
s. A. Miller of Liberal. Miller notifi-
ed the county attorney and sheriff at
Beaver and they arrived at the farm
about 2 o'clock. A Justice of the
Peace was deputized as coroner and
a hearing was held, the verdict of the
jury being that Longenecker came
to his death as a result Of a gunshot
wound inflicted by parties unknown.
g Indications are that Longenecker
was killed and dragged to the feed
stacks. He had bullet hole through
his head, the bullet entering back
Of the left ear and lodging in the
cheek bone on the right side Of his
face. There was cut on his forehead
about 24 inches long clear to the
skull, but the bone was not fractur-
ed.
Longnecker probably met his
death soon after noon on Friday He
was in town that day and about one
o'clock stopped at the Otis Turner
grocery in South Liberal and bought
some groceries for lunch. That he
was killed within few minutes af-
ter eating is attested by physicians
who viewed the contents of his stom-
ach and noted that digestion had not
been started. =
His car was found four or five
miles southeast of the place. One
tire was down, but there was plenty
Of gasoline in the tank. The coils
had been removed, but whether the
car was driven off by the murderers
and the coils taken by them is a
matter Of conjecture.
When the body was found some-
thing like $40 in change was found
in the pockets, which does not COIN
eide with the theory of robbery.
While there are rumors afloat as to
his displaying large sums of money
relatives are of the opinion that
Try are mistakes as none of them
eva knew him to practice the habit.
Longenecker was about Al years
old, and had lived by himself since
the death of his mother about a year
ago. Previous to that time the two
occupied the farm home for many
years. At the death of his mother
ne inherited the home place by rea-
son Of his having taken care Of his
mother. He had considerable live
stock, but was not known as man
Of means.
A search Of the house revealed
that nothing had been disturbed, an
other incident which does not bear
out the idea that he was killed dur
ing a robbery.
Really, the motive of the murder
er Is difficult Of solution. That
Longenecker was murdered, no one
can doubt, but the motive for the
deed is beyond conjecture, He was
known as a good-natured gentleman,
not given to making enemies, and
relatives are loss to explain why
anyone should wish him out of the
way.
YIhe body was brought to the Lib
eai Undertaking parlors and pre-