The Daily Oklahoman
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
December 12, 1905
page 5

A Negro Killed

Another Murder Sunday in the Little Town of Luther

The Crime Followed a Dance

George Wilber's Slayer Not Yet Identified, Although Several Arrests Were Made.

Another murder occurred in Luther, Oklahoma, Sunday morning at 1:3o o'clock, immediately in front of the Dewey rooming house, the victim being Geo. Wilbers, a negro.

The identity of the murderer has not yet been established, although three persons are now in the county jail to be investigated as being implicated in the crime. They are S. A. Allen, Otis Neil and Oscar Harmon.

The parties are all said to have been involved at a quarrel, which developed at a negro dance held in Luther Saturday night.

Allen and Wilbers left the room shortly after 1 o'clock, and in a few moments shots were heard and when the dancers rushed out they found Wilber lying on the ground with a bullet through his heart and another wound in his neck.

Suspicion, however, points strongly toward Harmon, who is alled to have paying attention to Mrs. Wilbers.

The county authorities are busily probing for the facts in the case. Deputy Sheriff Bartell states that Wilber's wife seemed very little interested in the fact that her husband had been slain. Bartell does not believe that Allen was implicated in the crime, although a gun of the same caliber as that with which Wilbers was shot was found on his person. Neil and Harmon were also found carrying pistols.

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The Daily Oklahoman
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
December 14, 1905
page 7

For Luther Murder

Coroner's Jury Recommended That He Be Detained For Inquiry By The Grand Jury

The inquiry to investigate all the ascertainable facts relating to the murder of George Wilburn, a negro, which occurred at Luther, Okla. at about 1:30 o'clock last Sunday morning, commenced its work at Luther at about ten o'clock yesterday morning. All the testimony was in by 3:45 o'clock in the afternoon and, after a very brief deliberation, the jury returned a verdict recommending that Otis Neal and Oscar Harmon be discharged and that Essie Allen be held for further examination into the facts relating to the tragedy.

The Oklahoma City contingent present at the inquest was composed of Coroner, Schaefer, County Attorney Hays and Deputies Dyer and Bartell.

A number of witnesses were examined and the gist of the testimony very strongly points toward Allen as being the guilty man by no means establishes it as a fact that he did fire the fatal shot.

David King, who was serving as night watchman the night of tragedy, testified that he was sitting in Crossley's restaurant at about 1:30 o'clock Sunday morning, December 10, and heard two shots fired. Immediately rushing outside he noticed a negro run by him, traveling from the direction in which the firing was heard. He was going in a northerly direction. King heard the negro say, "Someone is shooting at me." and he was muttering, " Oh Lordy!"

Druggist McCutcheon heard the shots fired and ran to the front door of his store. He resides in the building. He saw Watchman King across the street and inquired as to who was doing the shooting. Looking northward he saw someone crossing the Frisco depot platform, running in a northeasterly direction, toward a point where Essie Allen's team is known to have been hitched that night. McCutcheon identified Allen as a negro who had purchased a paper tablet in his drug state the day previous. He believes Allen to be the guilty man, but admitted the possibility of his belief being erroneous.

John Celestine, a colored witness, who was at the Dewey rooming house attending the dance the night of the murder testified that he saw Allen there that night and that on two or three different occasions Allen threatened to... (clipping ends)