Beckham County, OK - Deaths: W. E. Lowery, 1901
29 August 2008
Submitted by: delma25@pldi.net (Delma Tindell)

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LOWERY, W. E.
(2 May 1901, Thursday, Berlin Venture, Berlin, Roger Mills Co, OK):
On Sunday last officers brought in J. P. Nowlin, a merchant of Carter,
this county, and lodged him in jail to await examination on the charge of
having killed W. E. Lowery, a blacksmith who has been doing business at
the same place.  It appears that Mr. Nowlin was annoyed some time ago by
discovering a card nailed to his store bearing the figure of a man hanging
by the neck and intimating that Mr. Nowlin had better leave the country
within ten days.  Not having complied with the warning, in a short time
afterward, on the 14th of April, his store building and its contents were
destroyed by fire.  Suspecting that Lowery was connected with the burning,
he had the latter's house searched by officers to see if there was
anything there which would show that the store had been robbed.  This
action was strongly resented by Lowery and increased the bad feeling which
had existed between the two men for some time.  On Saturday last the two
men met.  Lowery demanded to know if Nowlin suspected him of burning his
store, and if so, on what grounds.  Nowlin replied that he did suspect
him, and that his reason therefor was based on his belief that the
handwriting of the notice posted on his store building was that of Lowery.
 The latter immediately attacked Nowlin, cutting his head in eight or nine
places with a pair of brass knuckles which he wore.  In the struggle
Nowlin managed to get out his gun and shoot, inflicting a fatal wound. 
The dead man also had a gun on his person.  Both are married men with
families.
After the fight between the two men, a son of Lowery's attacked Nowlin
with a rock and was shot in the side by the latter, but not dangerously
wounded.
At the preliminary trial held Thursday before Judge Houston, the prisoner
was discharged on the murder count, but was placed under $1,500 bond to
answer for the shooting at the young man Lowery with intent to kill.  The
judgment of the court is fully endorsed by the crowd of spectators, who
heard the witnesses testify. - Cheyenne Sunbeam.

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