East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-10-08

In the trial Of James Sawyer today
the story of the defendants difficult
ties with the others OF the Juniper
threshing crew were told in detail and
during the day some very melodra-
matte testimony was offered.
At the opening Of the case today
Lloyd Buchanan, one OF the sack sew
ers on the combine, was called to the
witness chair. He said that Sawyer
had been running the header on the
machine while Monee was the driver.
On the day OF the shooting he says
he glanced out from the dog house"
where he was working and noticed
that Sawyer was upon the drivers
seat In place OF Monee.
Later on the witness had seen Saw.
yer and Monee rolling upon the
ground in a fight and he with two
other men separated them. Both men
were bleeding when they got up.
a little later Buchanan said a fight
occurred between Sawyer and Jim
Cubic who was known as Friday
by the threshing crew. In the strug-
gle Sawyer received the worst of the
deal and admitted his defeat The
last thing the witness had seen was
Sawyer extending his hand to Cubic
with the acknowledgement that he
had been whipped.
Between and o'clock that even
ing Buchanan had seen Sawyer come
around the barn in the dusk and as
he appeared he fired shot in the
air. He then asked as TO the identity
of each man he met and was appar-
emily looking for Monee. you had
better be speaking up, for don't care
who | shoot" he Is said to have ex-
claimed to one of the crew he met.
on meeting Monee the latter had
jumped at Sawyer. and as they went
down Buchanan said two shots were
fired by the defendant. One of these
had struck Monee in the groin.
other witnesses called during the
forenoon were l.. S. Highnote. ]. C.
Cubic. George Cummings, William
Monee brother of the dead man, Jack
Huston and Bert Wilson, deputy sher-
III.
Highnote and Cummings were both
with the thresher crew and they told
Of the demonstrations that had been
made against Sawyer by the other
workmen. HighnOte had asked Saw
yer to smell of a rope he had, insin-
uating that II might be used upon
him. But Cummings had opposed
the idea OF lynching and said he had
declared there would be no hanging
that night at least.
Deputy Sheriff Wilson was called
to testify as to a settlement Sawyer
was credited with having made to him
shortly after his arrest, The admis- |
sion OF this evidence was stoutly op-
posed by the defense and for the pur- !
pose of explanation District Attorney
Phelps took the stand himself for a
time. The noon recess was taken
however, before the point had been
passed upon by Judge Bean.
Beer Was Plentiful.
The witnesses for the state were ,
cross-examined by w. C. e. Pruitt,
the leading counsel for the defense,
and Buchanan said that a keg of beer !
had been given the thresher crew on
the day of the trouble. 1t was sta
toned upon lid of the tool box and
both Monee and Sawyer were some,
what under the influence of liquor
when they had their trouble.
Yesterday afternoon three physc-
ians, Messrs McFaul, Cole and Vim
cent, were called by the state to tes-
tify as to the cause of Monee's death.
They attributed 1t to the wound in
flicted by Sawyer, though their tes-
timony left some loopholes for the de- I
fense.
Mr.. and Mrs. Eaton, of the ranch
where the fight occurred, were also
both upon the stand last evening and
told concerning what they had seen
of the trouble.
Afternoon Session.
At the opening Of court this after
noon Judge Bean ruled that deputy
Wilson might tell of Sawyer's state |