Murder Mystery, Continued

Great grandpa Eddie Adams is on the right

Edward Lemuel Adams, 1912?

I never know what surprises the day will bring. I received a package in the mail recently from one of my grandmother's cousins with another piece of the puzzle that is my great grandfather, Lemuel Edward Adams. I recently wrote about the difference between the story my grandmother told about her father's death in 1914, and the obituary clipping I found in a family reference book from Fairfield, Washington. I had written this kind cousin, a man who is a much more diligent researcher than I am, enquiring about what he knew of Len Adams' death. He sent some new to me photos and two interesting clippings.

The first is from the Spokane Spokesman Review from May, 1914.

"Logger Charged With Murder"
Mount Vernon, Wash., May 25.--
Matt Snyder, a logger, of Hamilton, is in the county jail here charged with killing Edward Adams, a fellow worker, late Saturday night.

The second is from the Aberdeen World, and it reveals a bit more. It also raises more questions.

"Logger Slays Comrad"
Quarrel Ends Fatally -- Wife Hands Husband Deadly Gun.
Mt. Vernon, Wash. May 25 --
Matt Snyder, a logger of Hamilton, is in the county jail here charged with killing Edward Adams, a fellow workman, last Saturday. Adams is said to have attacked Snyder with brass knuckles, and the latter shot his assailant with a revolver handed him by Mrs. Snyder.

Oh my. I can well imagine why my grandmother, who was ten years old, wasn't told all the details of her father's death. But I wonder, what really made Len bring brass knuckles to a fight? Why was he working at the logging camp and not as an engineer? What happened to Matt Snyder, who evidentally was defending himself?

The search continues.