The Monett times., 1919-10-03
.LIKINS is CONVICTED
OF SLAYiNG RELATIVE
Jury Returns Verdict Fixing Law
renee County Mans Punish
ment at Fifteen Years.

Mount Vernon, Mo-, Sept. 25.--Ex-
actly one hour after it retired to
deliberate, jury which heard the
murder trial Of Charles Likins, charg-
/ ed with the shooting of his brother-ir-
law, Fred Snyder, on Snyders farm
near Lawrenceburg, July 2, 1918, at
| Z O'Clock tonight returned verdict OF
guilty and fixed punishment at g
sentence of fifteen years in the peni-
tentary.
Attorneys for Likins intimated that
they will file notice of appeal to the
state supreme court.
| The Likins murder trial has attract
ed more interest than any other
criminal proceeding in this country IN
! twenty years. More than 500 persons
crowded the courtroom today, and
| approximately as many waited outside
lhearing the testimony as it was passed
back by more fortunate ones sitting
Tin the windows or standing in the
doors and aisles. The crowd Wednes-
\ day, when the trial began was smaller
l Hundreds of persons came here
from the Lawrencc'5urg vicinity, IN
which Likins and Snyder were well
known, to hear the trial.
| Lillins was the principal witness to-
day. He swore that he fired in self
defense, and asserted that Snyder
made the first threatening move IN the
quarrel that resulted in his death.
"I was going through Snyder's farm
that morning." he testified, "and Sny-
der came toward me and demanded
t'What was doing treading down his
oat shocks p said ! was not molest-
1 ing his property and then asked him
what he meant by disturbing and beat
ing my live stock"
".Well settle this now,' Snyder
shouted. He reached toward his hip
pocket with his right hand, and !
jerked my revolver from my pocket
and fired.
"Snyder whirled on his heels and
| leaned forward, his back toward me,
/ did not know what he was up to, and
feared he might be trying to get out
his revolver, so | fired at his back
three times. | did not know my first
bullet had pierced heart"
Other witnesses testified that five
shots were fired. -Four of the bullets
struck Snyder, and the fifth is be-
llieved to have made hole in Snyder's s
hat, which was laying on the ground
beside the dead man when neighbors
j came at the call of Carl Snyder, son
4 of the murdered man.
! Young Snyder, who witnessed the
last phase of the shooting from the
seat of cultivator about 200 yards
| from the scene, testified that Likins
loaded his revolver as he stood over
the body of Snyder, then disappeared
into the brush.
On the stand, Likins said he had car
ried loaded revolver for two days
Mrs Snyder, Likins' sister, and
Wheat Likins, his father, sat with
him in the court room during the trial
4 They took the jury's verdict calmly,
\ ne did fhe defendant.
LilSins was committed to the county
Jail here tonight at the order of Judge
I Charles L. Henson. He is being held
(, without bond ito await appeal Of his
case to the supreme court or his conn
mitment to the state penitentiary.
!, "A murder trial Of Virgil WilkS
charged with Staying his father, which
was scheduled to begin tomorrow, has
been postponed until Wednesday
, October 1.
The crime that is charged to WilkS
was committed in November, 1917, al
!, Verona. Wilks was tried few
months later, the first hearing result
ing in mistrial. AT the second tria
he was sentenced to serve life tern
in the penitentiarY but the STATE
supreme court ordered new tria
when the case was appealed.
% A