A Lad's Appaling Crime.

Opunake Times, Volume I, Issue 47, 11 December 1894, Page 4

A Lad's Appaling Crime.

A horrible instance of juvenile depravity has occurred at Rich Hill, a mountain hamlet in Philadelphia. Kernard Loker., au elderly man, who had for many years a coke drawer, saved by dint of economy the sum of 7uodol,and when the great strike a few months ago threw him out of work he invested a portion of his humble savings in a small farm in the mountains, and he and his wife settled down there together. F. Morris, aged 16, the son of the man from whom they bought the farm, often came to see them, and was treated with great kindness by the Lokers. On September 13, while Loker was repairing the cellar wall Morris crept up on all fours within 20ft of his old friend, and shot him through the head with a revolver. Supposing the man was dead, he rolled the body over, and rifled the pockets. To conceal his crime he next attempted to burn down the honse. He heaped the "bedclothes on the floor and saturated them with oil, with the intention of putting Loker's body on it. As he was about to drag the body to the spot he saw that Loker was not yet dead, and as a small dog belonging to the house began to bark at him he chased it some distance in case it should give an alarm, and killed it. As he was returning ho met Mrs Loker and immediately fired at her. Morris, believing he had killed, lied and spent the night in the mountains. Thinking Lo escape, be waylaid a rider named Halfhill, and ordered him to give up bis hors*», but the man rode off. Morris fired at him, and lodged a bullet in his arm and another in his shoulder, without however, bringing him to a stop. The police are now searching for the murderer among the mountains.