HIS THROAT CUT.
_____

MYSTERY AND A BARLOW KNIFE AT
FARMERS' BRANCH.
______

A Case of Murder or Suicide -- The Body of
a Strange Young Man Unidentified.
Inquiries Made by a Strange
Young Woman Recalled.
 

The body of an unknown man [Ira B. Oliver] was found on the river bank at the mouth of Farmers' Branch, five miles from the town of Farmers' Branch, yesterday, and Justice Skelton inquested it, but without identifying it.

The deceased was a young man with clean-shaven face, dressed in jeans pants, home-made drawers and socks, partially worn shoes and a common $.50 hat. His hands were tender and evidently not accustomed to recent hard work. There was some wheat chaff in his pockets and thresher dust on his hat and clothes, indicating that he had either been working or sleeping about a threshing machine. But, there was nothing on him by which he could be identified.

His throat was cut and a Barlow knife with a dirk blade open was found lying on the ground near him.

One theory is that he suicided and another is that he was murdered.

Justice Skelton ascertained at Farmers' Branch, that several days ago, a woman from Grapevine came up to that place on one train and went back on the next, making inquiry about her husband.

Sheriff Cabell, who is making a thorough investigation of the matter, says that, so far, he has discovered nothing pointing to the identity of the man, and he is unprepared to say whether it was a case of suicide or murder.

Sheriff Cabell said this afternoon that he had reason to believe the dead man's name is Crowell, but could learn nothing else about him.

- July 14, 1894, Dallas Daily Times Herald, p. 3, col. 3.

AMOS BREWER
MAKES A STATEMENT
______

HE WAS THE LAST COMPANION OF
IRA B. OLIVER.
_______

All the Circumstances That Have Come to
Light Tend to Show That Oliver, in a
Fit of Despondency, Commit-
ted Suicide.

Sheriff Cabell arrived this morning from Fannin county, accompanied by Amos Brewer, the young man who traveled with Ira B. Oliver from Fannin county to Farmers Branch in this county, and there left him a few miles from where the dead body of Oliver was found, with the throat cut, full details of which have already appeared in the TIMES HERALD.

Brewer is a typical farmer boy, about 19 or 20 years old. He stated that he left Fannin county with Oliver and went to Renner, where they worked with a thresher and stopped with a Mr. Smith. From there, they went to Farmers Branch in search of work, but finding none, they separated, Brewer returning to Fannin, and Oliver going in the direction of Fort Worth, the one first striking work to write the other. This was the last Brewer saw of Oliver.

Sheriff Cabell produced the hat, shoes, shirt, vest, bandana handkerchief and knife of the dead man. Brewer readily identified them as belonging to Oliver.

Brewer said that Oliver was usually of a cheerful disposition, but that he had recently taken to drink and this seemed to give him gloomy fits. The day before separating from him, Brewer says Oliver remarked that this thing of being away from home and out of work was distressing, and he would as soon be dead as to be in such a fix. This was all Brewer ever heard him say in regard to being weary of life.

Sheriff Cabell had the county attorney to take Brewer's statement in writing. It was the desire to thoroughly sift this matter that Mr. Cabell went to the trouble and expense of bringing Brewer to Dallas, and he says the further he investigates the case, the more he is convinced that it was suicide.

Young Brewer will return home this evening.

BREWER CHARGED
WITH MURDER.
_____

THE MYSTERY OF IRA B. OLIVER'S
DEATH BEING SOLVED.
______

The Story of Suicide Giving Place to That
of Foul Play -- Brewer Will Have an
Examining Trial To-morrow
or Saturday.

A few weeks ago, the dead body of Ira B. Oliver, with his throat cut from ear to ear, was found on the river bank at the mouth of Farmers' branch.

It was generally believed, at the time, that Oliver was a farmer boy in search of work, and had, in a fit of despondency, committed suicide.

Amos Brewer, a young man who worked with Oliver in Collin county, and who traveled with him until the morning of the day on which he is supposed to have suicided, went back to Fannin county, the place they originally started from.

Brewer was brought to Dallas by Sheriff Cabell to make a statement, after which he was permitted to return to Fannin county.

Here lately, new evidence has been discovered, and an affidavit was made before Justice Malone, of Richardson, charging Brewer with the murder of Oliver, and Sheriff Cabell got in with Brewer last night and lodged him in jail. He will have an examining trial to-morrow or Saturday.

HIS SWEETHEART
GAVE HIM AWAY.
________

MISS WILLIAMS SAYS BREWER TOLD
HER HE KILLED OLIVER.
_______

She Will This Afternoon Confront the Pris-
oner Before Justice Malone of Car-
rollton and Tell What He
Confided to Her.

Sheriff Cabell left on the noon train for Carrollton, having in charge, Amos Brewer, who will have an examining trail this afternoon before Justice C. E. Malone of Precinct No. 2, on charge of being the slayer of Ira B. Oliver, whose dead body was found near the mouth of Farmers Branch about a month ago.

At the time of the inquest, Brewer, who had been a fellow farm hand of Oliver, made a statement regarded as conclusively exculpating him from any hand in the taking off of Oliver. It is not now believed by the officials that Brewer is guilty, but the alleged discovery of new evidence made it necessary to arrest and try him.

Assistant County Attorney Littleton went to Carrollton to represent the state in the trail.

Barry Miller and Green Williams go along to defend Brewer.

Green Williams stated to a TIMES HERALD reporter that the new testimony discovered is the statement of a Miss Williams, who claims that Brewer told her that he had killed Oliver in the afternoon of the day on which Brewer and Oliver are supposed to have separated at Mr. Connor's house, Brewer to return to Fannin county and Oliver going in the opposite direction. Brewer reached the home of Miss Williams' parents and stopped. Miss Williams says Brewer told her about the murder.

The testimony against Brewer at the trial this afternoon will be the statement of Miss Williams.

DID AMOS BREWER
KILL IRA OLIVER?
______

MISS WILLIAMS SWEARS HE CON-
FESSED TO HER.
______

Jealousy the Apparent Cause of the Crime.
The Investigation Begun Saturday
Before Justice Malone at Carroll-
ton and Adjourned to Dallas.

The examining trial of Amos Brewer, charged with the murder of Ira B. Oliver, which was commenced before Justice C. E. Malone, of Precinct No. 2, at Carrollton, last Saturday, was adjourned to Dallas to-day, but owing to the absence of some of the witnesses, it was further adjourned to be resumed at Richardson on Wednesday.

Miss Winnie Williams was the only witness examined Saturday. Miss Williams is 16 years old, and keeps house for her brother on a farm near Carrollton. She testified that Oliver and Brewer stopped at her brother's house and she got acquainted with both of them. At about noon of the day on which the two men had separated in the morning, and on which Oliver is supposed to have met his death, Brewer stopped at her house on his way back to Fannin county and said he had a secret to confide to her. He told her he had killed Oliver, because he had told him a few lies and because she seemed to give Oliver the preference over him. He further said he had killed him for very slight provocation, and if he could recall the deed, he would not do it again.

Those who heard Miss Williams' testimony say she made a very straightforward statement.

John W. Oliver, father of the dead man, was here to attend the trial. He lives at Milan, Tennessee. He says his son never knew Brewer until he came to Texas.

O. M. Thornton, a brother-in-law of the dead man, is also here. He lives in Fannin county. He says Ira B. Oliver helped him make a crop this year, and after it was laid by, he started across the country to visit a friend in the Nation. It was on this journey he fell in with Brewer, who evidently got him to go out of his way, as the route he took will show. He says Oliver was not looking for work, nor hard up for money, as he had a home and an interest in a crop with him, and could, anytime, get any moderate sum of money for the asking, from either him or John W. Oliver.

Both the father and brother-in-law say Ira was very boyish for his age, which was 19 years, and of a cheerful disposition and enjoyed good health, and that he never suicided. They are satisfied that Brewer killed him.

Sheriff Cabell says he has no statement to make at the present.

"The testimony shows that on the morning Oliver and Brewer separated, Oliver left Mrs. Connor's house at 7 o'clock, going west. Two hours later, Brewer left and followed the same road a short distance, and was seen to take the fork leading to the east. At 11 o'clock, while still holding on his easterly course, Brewer fell in with Mr. Frick in a wagon, and rode with him. Mr. Frick says his conversation was that of a country boy. He talked of his home and what kind of work he did. He also spoke of his friend, Oliver, and said he tried to get him to return East with him. Mr. Frick said he was not excited in the least, and did not appear to have anything weighing on his mind.

"It was late in the afternoon of the same day when Brewer reached Miss Williams' house and, she says, made a confession to her. This was on the 11th. The same evening, Miss Williams told her married sister what Brewer had confided to her. But, neither of the ladies told anybody else, and the body was not found until the 13th, when some persons fishing, discovered it about one and a half miles beyond the home of Mr. Connor, where Oliver was last seen alive. Miss Williams said nothing about the secret she had until last week.

"We are still working on the case. I am going to Farmer's Branch this evening. I don't know what may come of the case."

GOES FREE.
____

THE JURY SAYS NOT GUILTY.
____

Adjudged Not to Have Shot Ira B. Oliver in
the Back and Cut His Head Nearly
From the Shoulders -- Farmers
Branch Mystery Unsolved.
 

The jury in the Amos Brewer murder case were out just ten minutes, when they brought in a verdict of acquittal.

____

Brewer was indicted for the murder of Ira B. Oliver near Farmers Branch last July, with the details, of which TIMES HERALD readers are familiar.

Brewer and Oliver had been working together, and on the day of the death of Oliver, they separated, near where the body was found, Brewer to return to his home near Paris, and Oliver to go to Fannin county in search of work.

Every one of the State's witnesses corroborated Brewer's statement in detail, except Miss Minnie Williams, who testified that Brewer told her he killed Oliver. At the inquest, the only wound found on Oliver was where his throat had been cut. But, Miss Williams testified on the examining trial of Brewer that Brewer told her he first shot Oliver in the back of the head and then cut his throat. The body of Oliver was then exhumed and a bullet hole found in the back of his head.

____

The State failed to prove any motive for the murder.

____

Brewer, a mere boy, was cool in deportment and straightforward and perfectly consistent in his statements throughout, by which he made a most favorable impression on the court and jury and spectators.

Yet, the mysterious part of the matter to everybody is how Miss Williams knew about the bullet hole in the back of Oliver's head. Somebody that knew must have told her about it.