The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-01-19
"Details of Tragedy at Monon
gah Told at Preliminary
Hearing.
SLAYER HELD FOR COURT
His Attorneys Did Not Put
Any Witnesses Upon
the Stand.

In the testimony brought out in the
preliminary hearing Of Hoy Christner
charged with shooting and killing
Fred Buckeye" Shaver, December IL,
az Monongah, one disinterested eye
witness to the whole affair, Allen Wat
son, was put on the stand. Besides
Watson, Lee King, one Of the men i'm
plicated In the assault upon Christner
which brought about the murder, and
Clyde Satterfield, who saw the shoot
ing, were heard. having been placed
on the stand by the state.
Roy Adds, member of the party OF
which Shaver was also a member Just
prior to his ascending the stairs to his
death was not called. Adds testified
before the coroner.
watson left the impression that, at
the time Shaver and King came on the
Thoburn side of Monongah together
that Monday afternoon in December,
there was hushed excitement every.
where. When the neighbors and the
women folks" Of the Thoburn side
saw Shaver they knew something was
up and all peered into the street from
behind curtains except d >se who knew
shaver personally. These ventured
into The Roadway TO shake hands with
lie n a siye buckeye" and to bask
in the now dead mans small town
glory. They knew Shaver had no bus.
mess on the peaceful Thobufn side
Unless there was something stirring
Aud they knew something was wrong,
for Shaver was accompanied by Lee
King, who the night previous, as the
whole town knew, had fought with
Hoy ehristner
AS is the case in most small villages,
everyone there knew that on several
occasions Shaver had beaten up Christ
ler and they rightly figured that Shaw.
err and King were hunting for him. To
prove that they were hunting for him,
King stated on the stand that he went
1850 yards out OF the way TO nail
Christner. However, Watson did not
know that they we're going out OF their
< way, he simply knew and saw that
stioy Christner was STOPPING over
fence playing with dog when King
came up and struck him with such
force that Christner did not make
move other than to fall to the ground.
Christner, Watson says, did not even
open his mouth to talk, did not even
lift his arm to strike back and the
reason for this was that the first blow
knocked MIN unconscious.
Harry Shaw who defended Christ
uer tried to get out of King that he
used d weapon to strike with but
King stoutly denied this. He also
maintained that Shaver was. not guilty
In any way Of striking Christner. This
Allen Watson corroborates. Watson
says he did not see Shaver do any
injury to Christner.
Walter Haggerty, who represented
the state in person, asked Watson II
Hoy Christner did not get up OF his
own violation. This Watson answered
in the negative, saying that Christ
ner did not get up until Mrs. Hoy
christner. who was sent to her hus-
band by the witness himself, had reach
ad the PROSTATE body of the assaulted
man, AS soon as Christner got to his
feet he went to his house. 1t seems
that Watson knew OF suspected that
the victim of the murderous and cold
blooded assault, would seek a gun, IN
which case. Watson says, Il yelled to
Mrs. Christner, telling her to put that
gun away He referred to gun
which he knew stood in corner III
the Christner home.
Ghristner did get the gun, and came
toward Monongah with it. Watson
> followed him and when he reached q
tree just above the Monongahela Val
ley Traction company's station he saw
Ghristner stop and saw Fred Shaver
coming toward him. Watson then
stated that he heard Christner warn
Shaver to stay back from him, that
YOU and me amt good friends, Buck
eyei'' Shaver came forward never.
theiess, and throwing hfs right hand
toward his hip pocket, said: you
won't shoot Christner said: you
stay back, don't come any closer
When within three steps of christner
shaver got the contents of o shot
gun in the breast. He fell dead.
The defense rested it's case without
calling any witnesses. Justice Of the
Peace d. P. Smith of Grant district
sltting on the case with Justice of the
f5dace n. G. Price, held the prisoner
for the Grand Jury,
Satterfield told of Shaver's attempts
10 borrow revolver from Tommy
Hartman and of his failure to get the
weapon.
DANISH SHIP SUNK