Bennington banner and reformer. (Bennington, Vt.) 1903-19??, 1903-02-26
DOWNEY MURDER CASE.
Hover Will Be Brought Before Grand Jury In
March.

Frank Hover of North Bennington,
charged with the murder of Warren
Downey at Hoosick Junction last week
Tuesday, is now in jail at Troy where
he was taken after a preliminary hear
ing at Hoosick Falls.
The chase was a long one, the of
ficers having been on the mans trail
1 since O'Clock Wednesday morning.
They finally learned that he was at Che
home of Fred Fairbanks, whose wife
is a neice of Hover's wife. When the
officers arrived at Fairbanks place,
the family denied that Hover was
there or had been there, but on search
ing the house he was found sitting on
a bed in bedroom.
The statements Of Witnesses obtained
by District Attorney O'Brien Wednes-
day afternoon and evening substan-
tally agree, and make the story Of
the homicide like this: Hover and his
son, Fred, came up to look at a wreck
near Hoosick Junction, but first stop
ped at Downey's place, where the elder
Hover had four or five drinks of ale.
The two Hovers then went into the
kitchen, and sat there watching Mrs
Pratt making cookies After sitting
there some time Hover passed out to
go TO the bar.
To do so he had to pass through
Downey's bedroom. Downey was
lying on the bed On a stand nearby
was a bottle of alcohol. AS Hover
passed through, he picked up the bot
tie and uncorked IT, Downey jumped
from the bed, took the bottle away,
and said, "Get out Of here. don't
" ant any thief about me. With
words to that effect, Downey pushed
Hover into small hail. and then into
the barroom, where he again ordered
Hover to get out Of the place,
The two Hovers went out and around
to the barn, but came back again to
the front piazza. From there to the
railroad tracks there is raised plank
walk, on each side of which there is
railing about three feet high. From
this walk to the tracks there are steps.
Young Hover tried to get his father
away, and finally he said he would go
provided some one would help him up
the steps, Downey heard that and re-
piled, Il II help you.
The three started from the piazza,
Hover on the right side of Downey,
They had gone but about twenty feet
when Hover suddenly turned and made
two lunges at Downey. The latter
struck his assailant and knocked him
over the railing into the snow Dow
ney, after delivering the blow, turned
and walked towards his saloon Mean
while another and elder son of Hover, /
named Thomas, who had been work /
ing on the tracks, tore of a part OF
the railing and came rushing towards |
Downey The bartender, Richard |
Shires, intercepted this son and said
"Hold on, your father has stabbed |
Downey and done enough dirty work I
around here today The three Ho- |
vers then went away, the father and |
younger son hurrying down the tracks |
and the elder son going in a different |
direction.
District Attorney O'Brien, besides |
the knife. has also the bottle Of alco- |
hol and piece OF wood as exhibits for |
the trial when it is reached. The dis |
trict attorney will probably present |
the case to the grand jury which will |
sit in connection with the March term
OF the Supreme court. Attorney /
Tiffany and Justice of the Peace Cahill |
saw Hover at the jail and cautioned |
him not to talk about the case.
The autopsy performed showed that |
there were two wounds on Downey's !
body, and both ugly cuts. One was
on the leg and the other in the abdo- !
men. The doctors decided that Dow
ney bled to death.