OFFICIAL PAPER OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
VOL. XXXIII.
ST. HELENS, OREGON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6. 1914
NO 7.
MOTION
FOR
A NEW TRIAL
Attorneys for John A.Pender
File Sensational Affidavits
OLD REVOLVER DUG UP
Several persons give Testi
mony tending to Cast Sus
picion on Another
Party
l.ait Saturday Judge Eakin listened
II day to th arguments fur a new trial
In the ra of the stale vi. John A.
Pender, who waa convicted of murder
In the flrat degree last November. At-
torneya Jeffrey and Logan of Portland
had filed eeveraf afflils vl'suis basis fur
the motion for another Vial in wl.ich
Kim aenaatlonal atatementa were
made. L, C. Myera made one affidavit
wherein he elated that he and Mrs, My
era and their ion had lived aeveral
months at the Wehrman home during
the aummer of 1911 prior to the murde r
and that he wai familiar with the cue
tome of the Wehrman family aa to do
ing the work; that it waa the habit of
Mre. Wehrman to wash on Monday,
iron on Tueeday bake bread on Wed
neiday and Saturday, rest on Thursday
and make rookiea cakee, etc. on Fri
day. That this custom waa carried out
by bar without variation. That the
water for the Wehrman cabin had to
be carried for distance of about 200
feetfrom down in a canyon and that it
waa the custom of Mr. Wehrman on
Sundaya to carry enough water to fill
all the tuba and other vesaela around
the house so that Mrs. Wehrman would
have enough water with which to wash
on Modnay; that he, Myers was pres
ent on the 6th of September, lull, two
daya after the murder and that there
hud been no washing done that week
and the laundry waa dirty and around
the house. It waa also the custom to
keep a ran of keto.ene under the steps
outside the house but that when ihe
murder waa discovered the can waa
Inside the house under the bed. Myera
aleo seta up that he waa the owner of
a 88 rallbre .revolver and had It with
him while ft the Wehrman home; that
Wehrman bad apoken to him aeveral
times about purchasing a revolver and
aid he ass going to get a second hand
38 calibre pistel; that some time after
the murder Myera and Wehrman were
at the little farm of the Wehrman's
nd that he, Myera, took a shovel and
went to the potato patch to dig some
DOCK COMMITTEE BUSY WOMAN COMMITS SUICIDE, CHED READER COR SOON
Conlraclors Visit Si. Helens ; Lola Stewart, Alone and With- Delia Crowder Miller Will En
to Bid on Municipal Dock
Several contractors have buen in St.
Helens thia week looking over the
municipal dock plane and location with
a view to bidding on the work. The
council is planning on getting this work
started at an early date so the dock
will be completed this spring. The
location haa been denfiitely located at
the foot of St. Helena street and will
be 100 feet by 200 feet extending out
In the river far enough to have a depth
of 24 feet at low water. Warehouses
will be built on the dock for the acorn
moilation of the business man and the
1 street will be graded ao as to afford
as nearly as positil'le a level approach
, to the dock.
potatoes; that Wehrman immediately
became very nervous and excited and
insisted that the potatoea be let alone
as they were not worth digging; while
this waa going on Wehrman asked
where it was supposed the assassin bad
thrjwn the gun after committing tbe
murder; upon Myera answering that
it had probably been thrown down the
canyon Wehrman Leoame cool and
Myera ceased to dig the potaloea.
That Wehrman had gone to the home
of the Myera' in Portland after
the murder and stayed there
several days and during all that time
he showed great nervous excitement
and fear; wou'd pull down the blind
early and waa heard every night pacing
up and down tbe floor of his room at all
hours of the night; that Wehrman was
very jealoua of his wife and on several
occasions tolj Myert that "thia has got
to stop" and that Mrs Wehrman waa
very cruel to the child, etc. Also that
after the murder Wehrman said several
times that he waa considering suicide.
Mrs. Myers, the wife, recites much
the same story in her affidavit with the
addition that during the stay of Wehr
man at her home In Portland while she
waa In the kitchen one day Wehrman
came in with a bundle of clothing and
wanted permission to burn it, which
he did. Mra. Myera also tells of the
cruelty of Mrs. Wehrman to her
child and says that on ore occasion
she beat the child with a stick of
wood until It became unconscious.
She also tells of the habits of Mrs.
Wehrman aa to household duties on
particular daya.
Lisle Myere, the 9 vearoUaon, tells
In hia affidavit of the same events.
F. A. Roberts, the detective who
bas been working on the Pender case
for the defendant for some time, tells
in his affidavit of having gone to the
Continued on Page 8 '
I
out Friends Takes Poison tertain St. Helens People
Lola Stewart, 17 yeara old commit
ted suicide at the McKie Rooming
House in St. Helena last Saturday
night by taking strychnine. She left
a note to her brother telling him that
there was no una in trying to live a
she had no friends and no one to look
after her. A man in a near by room
heard her groan and cal'ing to her re
ceived no answer whereupon he broke
the door in and found her dying. He
immediately ran for a doctor but be
fore he could return with Dra. Peel
and Wade the girl waa dead.
She waa the datigher of Mr and Mra.
Stewart, farmers residing in the Yank
ton country. Funeral was held at Houl-
ton Tueaday and the remaina were tak
en to Yankton for burial.
HOLDS THE LUCKY
Scappoose Merchant Wins
$1000 at Auto Show
P. W. Price of the firm of Watts &
Price, merchants of Scappoose, held
the number at the Portland Automo
bile show, which won a prize of $1,000,
which is good on the purchase price of
sny auto that was exhibited at the
show. No doubt Mr. Price will soon
be the possessor of one of the latest
machines built.
Women of Woodcraft
Houlton circle of Women of Wood
craft was visited by a grand officer on
the last meeting who acted as installing
officer. Installing the following officers:
Guardian Neighbor, Anna Van Nat
ta; P. Guardian Neighbor, Elsa Wick
strom; Advisor, Agnea Dixon; Clerk,
Minnie Morley; Banker, Mamie Felton;
C. G., Anna Richardson; Muiacian,
Viola Berdahl; I. S. Maud Chlttim; O.
S., Mary Hazen; Attendant, Ada
Brouse; Managera, Etta Cole and Elsa
Wicks trom.
M. E. Church Notices.
Sunday School at 10:00 a m. Preach
ing aervlcea at 11 :00 a. m. and 7 :30 p.
m. Mia a Anna Quick will have charge
of the Epwortb League aervice at 6:45
p. m. The subject of the League ser
vice is, "Gentleness with Vehemtnce."
Edward T. Luther, Pastor.
FOR SALE Oat atraw at the Coun
ty Farm, 15.00 per ton loose, $6.00 per
ton bailed. W. D. CASE 6t
On Wednesday, Feb. 18th, 1914. Del
la Crowder Miller, the gifted reader,
will appear at the City Hall under the
auspices of the High School students.
Miss Miller will give a reading from
Ben Hur and several other famous
books and the entertainment will be
one of the best ever held in the city.
The admission price is 25 cents to any
seat In the house. This entertainment
is given to belp in msking up a deficit
which la being faced by the Lyceum
Course Committee and comet as an ex
tra attraction. It ia to be hoped that
tbe house will be well filled and the
committee urges all friends of the Ly
ceum Course to attend. Tbe date is
Wednesday, Feb. 1, 1914. Do not fjr
get it.
COMMISSARY ROBBED
Third Time During the Winter
and Is Getting Tiresome
The commissary at tbe St. Helens
Lumber Co. Camp was broken into lasl
Monday night by some perosn or per
sona who stale several aacks of flour
and eight hama beaides some canned
goods and other articles. Thia is the
third time this same thing has happen
ed this winter and aa it is quite evident
that the thievea are local it ia expected
that their idenity will soon be known,
and arrests will quickly follow.
POST OfflCE IS MOVED
New Quarters in the Masonic
Hall Credit to City
Mra. Dodd'moved the poet office into
the new Maaonic Building on Columbia
street yesterday. Tbe building bas
been fitted up with a complete and
modern cabinet system with all lablea,
desks etc., so that the office will afford
every convenience to tbe post master
aa well as the patrons.
ADVERTISED LETTERS
Road Bond Election Carries
Voters of Columbia County Vote
to Issue $300,000 Bonds to
Build Roads
Letters unclaimed at the St. Helen,
Oregon postoffice for the week ending
January 31, 1914.
Mr. Earl Austin
J Mr. Wilbert Hicks
Mr. W. J. Hicka
Mrs. Maude Kensaw
Letters uncla'med by February 14,
1914 will be lent to the dead letter
office. IVA E. DODD, P. M.
Wfff ttf Iff ITf BILLY JjOLLERTON SEEMS TO BE SATISFIED WITH THE ELECTION RETURNS Iflflfltfflfnf
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Majority in Favor is 533 Votes
By a vote of 1C95 to 1162 the people of Columbia County
said last Monday that the county would issue ita bonds in the
sum of $360,000 for the purpose of building permanent roads.
The election was a quiet one but one in which a great deal of in
terest was taken, especially by the voters of the farming com
munities and the cities in the north portion of the county. A
total vote of 2857 was cast, in most places the women taking an
active part in the voting.
The details of the returns by precincts are as follows:
Precinct Yes No
Apiary 38 32
Beaver Falls 61 23
Clatskanie No. 1 142 53
Clatskanie No. 2 214 38
Deer Island 31 52
Goble 112 25
Marshland 31 4
Mist 14 106
Oak Point 78 59
Prescott 45 1
Ramrer No. I. 282 22
Rainier No. 2 176 19
Rainier No. 3 112 35
Scappoose . 113 78
Spitzenberg 15 15
St. Helens No. 1 97 34
St. Helens No. 2 76 54
St. Helens No. 3 (Houlton) 15 102
Vernonia 29 129
Warren 9 129
Yankton 6 112
Totals 1695 11PZ
Majority for .... 533
The County Court will make arrangements just aa soon as
possible to get action on the bonds and the money will be secured
pet haps in time to commence work on the road construction
in the early spring. The survey being made under the supervis
ion of the State Highway Com-nission will be completed within a
month and the actual work of construction and grading will be
under the direction of the State Highway engineer and the Coun
ty Court. The County Court has employed Mr. Leo Titus, an
experienced road builder and engineer to have charge of the
work for the county, as petitioned for and voted. $260,000 of the
bond issue will be used on the Columbia Highway from the Mult
nomah County line to the Clatsop County line running along the
river as nearly as possible. $60,000 will be used on the Neha
lem road between the Washington County line and the Clatsop
County line; following the present road as nearly as possible;
$25,000 will be used on the road between St Hete ns and Pitts
burg and $15,000 on the road between Mist and Clatskanie.
CRIMINAL TERM SIET
Judge E&kin Will Clear
Criminal Docket in March
Judge Eakin will be In St. Helens
next Monday, Feb. 9th, at which time
he will aet for trial all the criminal
caaea now on the docket and County
Attorney Dillard says ha will have all
caaea ready for trial during the first
two weeks in March, when a jury will
be called for the purpose of clearing up
the criminal docket.
A. W. Mueller has moved his law
offices into the Bank Building adjoin
ing the offices of Attorney J. W. Day.
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
1 1 1 1 T 1
New Auto Finn Now Establi
shed in St. Helens
Tbe Columbia County Autto Co. has
already opeued for business in Sc. Hel
ena. Their building will not be com
pleted for two or three months yet,
but they have placed Mr. Wellington
Langgutn of Portland in St. Helena
with a Ford machine and he Is located
at the Garage of the Independent Aoto
Co. temporarily. He is prepared tn
sail Fords together with all accessor-
es, tires, etc., and aleo will take or
ders for Indisn Motorcyles. Work on
the new building will be started soon
and rushed to completion as f aat aa possible.