Mineral Wells Index, 12 July 1916
RUSHING FROM BATH ROOM TO AID OF BROTHER WHEN SHOT IS HEARD,
HARRY WALTERS MEETS DEATH.
A tragedy occured at about 11’30 o’clock last night at the Fairfield Inn. W.R. Walters of Memphis, Tenn., and his brother Harry Walters, of Dallas, had gone to their room to retire for the night and were partially undressed when a man, described as being about six feet tall, weighing one hundred and sixty pounds slightly stooped, wearing a blueish colored suit, with a black mask over his face, entered their room and demanded money at the point of a gun.
The surviving brother, W.R. Walters, says at first he thought it was a joke being played by some guest in the house, but seeing his mistake remarked “all right” and made a step towards his grip when the robber fired, the bullet going high and passing through the window pane. He fell, at the sound of the shot, across the bed near which he was standing. At the sound of the shot, his brother Harry, rushed out of the bath room and from the position of the body, most have rushed towards the robber, when two more shots rang out in quick succession, one of them entering near the vitals, causing almost instant death. After the shooting the burglar left the room and made his get away and, so far no clue as to his identity has developed.
Chief of Police and Night Patrolman Thompson and City Attorney, Roy Creighton were on the scene in a few minutes after the fatal shooting. Sheriff Abernathy came over from Palo Pinto and every energy is being exerted to run down the guilty party. The story of the shooting as told by the surviving brother, is practically substantiated at every point by others, who were near by or who arrived immediately after the shooting.
The body was prepared for burial and is being held at Beetham & Son undertaking establishment.
Source: Frost Bowman, “Various Obituaries Taken from the Records of the Beetham and Son Funeral Home, Beetham-Powell Funeral Home, Buzbee Funeral Home, Now White’s Funeral Home in Mineral Wells, Texas, beginning 1912 to 1961” (Mineral Wells, Texas: unpublished manuscript, 1988), pp. 444-45; Boyce Ditto Public Library, Mineral Wells.