This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Arner-Ryan Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/CaB.2ACI/562 Message Board Post: Anyone who has follow-up information regarding this killing or the John Wesley Arner, victim, please contact me. Judy > Article detailing John Arner's death June 13, 1937 Issue of Ryan Leader > Newspaper. This article was obtained by Jennifer Holle and her mom, Ramona, > on a trip to Ryan during the summer of '99. A Mr. Givens was nice enough to > dig it up from his collection of old newspapers. > > "John Arner was shot and killed in Waurika, Thursday night about > 8:00 o'clock by a gun in the hands of L. D. Bums of Ryan who fired > six shots. The tragedy occurred only a few hours after Amer had > been to Ryan to attend the funeral of his sister, Mrs. Martha Ryan. > > The Leader was unable to get in direct contact with witnesses to > the shooting, if there were any witnesses, or with Bums, but the > general talk is that the two men were seen a few minutes before > the shooting drinking beer together in the Casino Cafe at Waurika, > apparently in a friendly mood. They were standing at the bar for a > while, but later went into one of the booths it is said where an > argument between the two started, and where the first shots were fired > by Burns. Amer is said to have fled out of the cafe, into the > street. He fell fatally wounded just before he reached the sidewalk > on the opposite side of the street. Six shots it is reported were > fired, two missed. One shot struck Amer at ankle breaking both bones, > one pierced his heart, and two others entered his body. > > Night Watchman Newt Lewis who was a short distance from the Casino > Cafe at the time the shots were fired was almost the first person > to reach the slain man. He immediately disarmed Bums, placed him > under arrest, and took him to jail at the courthouse. He surrendered > quietly to the officer, but refused to discuss the cause of the > shooting at that time. In a search of the clothing of the slain > man, no firearms were found. *****men were in Ryan at the *****e > Thursday afternoon and *****was known by friends of *****es, that > *****enmity exist. """Christ of Duncan, W******* by G. Willard > Collins, Evangelist of the Church of Christ, whose home is in > Nashville, Tenn., and Mrs. Cassie Brown of Ryan. > > The remains were laid to rest in Ryan Cemetary. > > John Wesley Amer was born in Searcy, Ark., December 29, 1879 and > was 57 years, 7 months and 6 days old at his death. He came to > Ryan with his parents in the early days, and grew to manhood on the > family farm across Beaver Creek on the west edge of Ryan. He was > a carpenter by trade and was known as a skilled workman. He was > united in marriage to Miss Ollie Thompson in 1900 who died in Ryan > in January 1919. A few years later he married Miss Sweetie Bond of > Terral to which union two sons were born, and both survive their > father. Other surviving relatives are one son and three daughters by > his first marriage, Roscoe Amer of Duncan; Misses Bonnie and Louise > Amer of Norman and Mrs. Eva Roland of Perry, Okla; two brothers, > Frank Amer of Ryan and Will Amer of Oklahoma City; and one sister, > Mrs. Lula West of Ryan. > > * * * * * sections indicate areas of the original article that > were unreadable. Each * does not necessarily indicate one letter.