The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1903-11-06

Participants.
The village of Lawrence was the scene
OF homicide last Saturday at about 8
o'clock in the evening, resulting in the
almost instantaneous death of Arba
Martin a resident of that town. The
killing was done by Harry Fairbanks,
who also lived at Lawrence and who
made his home with his mother and
stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. Jay Smith.
The weapon used was % caliber rifle.
Four young men, Arba Martin, Dan.
Arnold, Bert Lawton and Clarence
Stearns, were celebrating Hallowe EN-,
having procured from a Lawrence drug
store one dozen bottles of beer-presum-
ably for medicinal purposes. Martin,
it appears from the evidence given at
the inquest held by Justice Rowland,
had "a grudge against Jay Smith and
wanted to thrash him, so he commits
stoned Arnold to induce Smith to come
out of the house so he could have an
opportunity TO accomplish his purpose.
Mr.. and Mrs. Smith, Arnold, Lawton
and Stearns were all examined at the
inquest There was some conflict of
testimony, Smith and his wife evidently
trying to shield Fairbanks as much as
possible and the other witnesses appar-
emily coloring their testimony in favor
of Martin and themselves.
AS near as can be gathered from the
evidence, the gang was outside the house
in the street and when Arnold went to
the door Fairbanks met him with blow
in the face which caused his nose to
bleed profusely. Smith took him in the
house, where he washed up and told
Fairbanks there was man outside who
wanted to trade horses with him, which
statement he acknowledged to be
falsehood Just why be said this to
Fairbanks when he claims it to have
been Smith who was wanted he seems
unable to explain. In the course of the
conversation Fairbanks asked him if he
was working for that s of b.,
Martin. Arnold replied in the affirma-
tive and testifies that Fairbanks said: II
will shoot the S of a B." Going
out of the house, followed by Mr. and
Mrs. Smith, Fairbanks took his gun
with him. The two parties soon came
together and Martin, who evidently had
heard the conversation at the house,
said to Fairbanks II am that $ of
b" The parties were then within
| 10 or II feet of each other. Smith and
his wife say Martin was advancing in a
threatening attitude and that Fairbanks
told him to stand back and that he kept
on coming, when Fairbanks raised his
gun and fired, the ball entering the
heart and causing instant death.
The other witnesses say that Fair
banks said nothing at ALL but shot as
soon as Martin spoke. The Smith party
then returned to their house without
stopping to ascertain whether Martin
was dead or alive, and Fairbanks was
arrested there shortly afterward. The
defense will be, no doubt, that Fair
banks, as he now says, thought it was
either Martin or himself 1t does not
appear thus far that there had been any
i'll feeling between Fairbanks and Mar
tin, although there had been trouble
between Martin and Smith, as we'll as
between Lawton and Smith The crowd
was of rather a disreputable character.
Fairbanks has heretofore been convicted
in the circuit court of resisting an officer,
and the names of all the parties men
toned, unless it be Arnold and Mrs.
Smith, grace the criminal dockets of
several different justices of the peace of
| this county.
An Information for murdeB will, no
doubt, be lodged against Fairbanks after
the conclusion of the coroners inquest,
which was adjourned until to-day.