Birt, Lloyd

The body of Lloyd Birt, a young hard rock lead and zinc miner of Century Oklahoma, was recovered from the waters of Tar River Saturday morning by a searching party that had found his clothes on the bank of the river. Birt is known to have gone swimming Friday afternoon. His clothes were later found on the bank, and his body was brought to the surface by dynamite. Physicians who held an autopsy attribute death to drowning. Donald Tanner, who has known Birt for some time, was arrested Saturday and is being held by the county authorities for investigation although it is not thought that he is connected with Birt's death. Tanner says that he and a friend of his, William Pliley, were talking to Birt Friday afternoon. He told them that he was going swimming, and when they tried to persuade him not to, Tanner claims that Birt shot at them. Witnesses corroborated his statement. Tanner, who lives at Webb City Missouri, and Pliley had merely stopped in Century Oklahoma, for a few days on their way to the Kansas wheat fields, he says. He also adds that he had known Birt for some time and had once stayed at his home in Verona Missouri. Birt's father lives on Rt 3 out of Verona.

Two post mortem examinations were made of the body of Lloyd Birt, Saturday afternoon by F. R. Dean, a physician from Douthat Oklahoma, and came to the following conclusion in a statement in which Dean says: "Lloyd Birt was found dead in Tar Creek about one-half mile south of the bridge west of Douthat, and in the vicinity of the Quebec Mine and from all appearances he was drowned accidently. To all appearances he had been dead about 24 hours; blood was flowing from both ears and nose but no visible wounds. I was called to examine the body by N. C. Cox, deputy sheriff from Commerce Oklahoma."

Obituary.

Donald Tanner, who was sentenced last week to the State Industrial school at Paul's Valley by County Judge C. S. Wortman on the charge of being a delinquent, is still being held for investigation in connection with the drowning of Lloyd Birt, June 14. Tanner was arrested at that time, but no evidence has been produced that he was in any way connected with Birt's death, which the examining physicians attributed to drowning. Birt's body was recovered from the waters of the Tar River Saturday, June 14. Tanner was seen with Birt and William Pliley Friday afternoon. Pliley has never been found.