Jud Browning Killing In Ryan - Jefferson County, Oklahoma Transcribed by: Maggie Wettengel 13 Nov 2005 Return to Jefferson County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/jefferson/jefferson.htm ========================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ========================================================================== Originally posted at: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/CaB.2ACI/733.1 *From the Waurika News-Democrat, Waurika, Jefferson county, Oklahoma, Friday, July 24, 1931, front page. "Jud Browning Killing In Ryan By John Arner Shooting Occurs Early Monday Evening -- Bullets Through Browning's Heart Is Fatal As a result of heated words on the street and a shooting which began on the Main Street of Ryan Monday evening about 7:00 o'clock and ended in the Epperson Cafe a few minutes later, J.W. (Jud) Browning, is dead and John Arner, with a slight flesh wound under the right arm is being held in the county jail at Waurika to answer the charge of murder. Bill Wray, who was with Arner just before the shooting took place, was held by the county officers Monday night, but was released the next day and no charges wre filed against him. Arner was taken to the Ryan hospital for treatment and remained there during the night under guard of Deputy Sheriff Gardner, who brought him to Waurika Tuesday morning and lodged him in the county jail. Testimony at the trial may bring out the cause of the difficulty but at the present time, no one seems to know the cause of the difficulty that resulted in the killing. A News-Democrat reporter has talked to the officers and to several eye witnesses, but we refrain from attempting to quote testimony at the request of officers and out of a desire not to add to the difficulty of procuring a jury if the case comes to trial, which it will probably do at the September term of district court. It appears that Arner and Wray drove up and parked in front of th Epperson Cafe about 7:00 o'clock. Don Major, Grady Epperson, Charley Ben Berrett and Lewis Young were either in front or near the front of the cafe. Some conversation took place and the name of Jud Browning is said to have come into the conversation. Browning came down the street a little later and sat down in front of the cafe, either in a chair or on a cream can. Wray is said to have gotten out of the car and gone back into the cafe before any shooting started. Some words passed between Arner and Browning and Browning got up and walked out to the car. Some conversation probably took place there and witnesses say a scuffle over something. Browning drew a small double barrel pistol and fired. Witnesses say that Arner fired about the same time. Whether Browning fired first or both fired near the same time is a matter of dispute. Browning had only two shells in his gun and witnesses say that after a second scuffle, he walked around behind the car and fired from the back through the back glass. He then ran into the cafe and took refuge behind a show case. Arner followed to the door and five shots were fired through the screen door at Browning. These shots went through a show case, peanut roaster and typewriter and one shot which passed through the lower part of the show case, hit Browning in the lower leg and embedded itself in the bone. Browning then fell back and went around into a small booth and picked up a table and held it in front of him. Arner walked back and fired again, what was perhaps the fatal shot, which passed through the heart and the entire body. Browning then lunged forward and a scuffle took place in which Browning seemed to have Arner down and was hammering with his fist. Don Major asked for the fun and it was released to him. Browning got up, walked back a few steps and crumpled over dead. The cafe bore all the evidence of a battle. Funeral services were conducted for Browning from the Ryan Tabernacle Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 o'clock before what is said to have been the largest crowd ever assembled in the building. The services were conducted by Rev. R.M. Holland, assisted by Mrs. Cassie Brown. Browning was born in Texas, January 5, 1888, and was in his forty-fourth year. He leaves a wife and seven children, 2 girls and 5 boys. He is survived by his step-mother and three half brothers, one of whom is a Methodist preacher in Dallas. He has been an officer in the county at intervals for several years and was at one time deput sheriff under Frank Driskill. He was recently appointed town marshall at Ryan. At the time of going to press, no date had been set for a preliminary hearing of the charges against Arner. It will probably be held some time next week." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Jefferson County Archives: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ok/jefferson/jefferson.htm