TWO MEN SHOT IN COLD BLOOD
Crowley Signal September 10, 1904
News Article from Adadia Parish
Submitted by Winston Boudreaux, 2006

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TWO MEN SHOT IN COLD BLOOD
Crowley Signal September 10, 1904
Will Bruner and Joseph Trahan were shot and instantly killed by Homer Meche 
at Coulee Croche, fifteen miles northeast of this city, late Friday evening.  The 
shooting occurred in front of Ernest Higginbotham’s store and from accounts 
appears to have been cold blooded, unprovoked affair.
Meche who was under the influence of liquor, was out for trouble and seemed 
to be particularly anxious to pick a quarrel with Mr. Higginbotham.  He rode up 
and down the street in from of Higginbotham’s store, flashing a revolver, 
cursing and threatening the proprietor and daring him out in the street.  
Bruner and Trahan were standing in front of the store conversing quietly when 
the angry young man turned his abuse against them.  He dismounted from his 
horse and walked up to them calling them abusive names.  Trahan told him to 
stop, but that only made him worse, whereupon Trahan slapped him in the 
face.  Meche told him in loud angry tone to be careful what he did, but Trahan, 
who seems to have lost his temper at the abuse heaped on him, slapped 
Meche again, when the latter drew a revolver and fired twice, both bullets 
taking deadly effect.
Meche then remounted his horse and as he started to ride away turned and 
fired two shots at Bruner, who had backed away from the scene of the 
trouble.  Both shots struck Bruner in the breast and either would have proved 
fatal.
The first shot fired at Trahan took effect in the left breast just below the heart 
and would have proved fatal.  The second struck him in the right side and 
passed through the intestines.  This shot was also fatal.  Bruner was struck in 
the breast, the first shot severing the main artery.  The second struck about 
three inches lower down.  Bruner was killed instantly and Trahan lived about 
20 minutes.
After the shooting Meche rode to his home nearby and commenced at the 
fowls in the barnyard.  His step-mother came out of the house and asked him 
to desist when he leveled the gun at her and pulled the trigger.  The gun 
missed fire or he would probably have had another murder to answer for.
Sheriff Murrell and Coroner Mouton were notified of the shooting shortly after 
it occurred and the sheriff left this city about 8 o’clock Friday night for the 
scene of the crime.  Meche was still under the influence of liquor when the 
sheriff arrived and threatened to shoot the officers if they tried to arrest him.  
Sheriff Murrel waited for the man to cool down before trying to take him, but in 
the meantime Deputy Sheriff Eugene Thibodeaux caught the murder napping 
and took him in custody and turned him over to the sheriff.  He was brought to 
Crowley Saturday morning and lodged in jail.
The murdered men are both quite well known over the parish.  Mr. Bruner is 
the brother of Judge E. O. Bruner of Rayne and has a number of friends in 
Crowley.  He was fifty-two years old and leaves a family.  Mr. Trahan was forty-
five years old and also has a family.
Meche is a young man about nineteen years of age and is said to come from a 
good family.