Thursday, May 31, 1948
FATAL SHOOTING
Boyd Luther Gainer, aged 21, of Kerens, died in an Elkins hospital last Wednesday morning from gunshot wounds. Carl Teter, aged 45 years, of Dry Fork, is in the Pocahontas County jail on a charge of murder. The shooting occurred on Tuesday night at Spruce, in the assistant train master’s office. Both men were employed by the Western Maryland Railway Company.
State Police officers said Teter was drinking and was still under the influence of intoxicants when he gave himself up. They could ascribe no motive for the killing.
FIELD NOTES
Boude Beverage, of Dry Creek, was in town Wednesday to report a kill of five foxes the past fur season – two reds and three grays. He filled three other reds full of shot. These retired to rock dens and ceased from troubling about the farm.
Mr. Beverage was over in the Black Forest last week to get his daily limit of trout. He camped on Black Mountain Run, sheltering of nights in a pine bough lean-to in proper pioneer style. On an old logging road grade in a grassy spot he came upon a grouse mother with fifteen or more chicks. The little ones hid the best they could. The hen crippled around to lure him away from her little ones. Mr. Beverage was not taking any chances of stepping on a single little grouse so he took the best way out of there. This was following the hen until she took wing.
Mr. Beverage has the habit of hooking big brown trout out of beaver dams, so when he came to a nice big pond, he began to look around for a likely place to drop a hook. Just then a beaver as large as a good sized shepherd dog came swimming toward him. It came within fifteen feet of the man, and then swam up and down, as if patrolling. Sticks and stones chunked at it did not phase it one bit until a stone bit it on the back. Then the beaver did slap the water with its tail and dived, only to come up immediately and continue to swim up and down. Mr. Beverage figured the beaver had young in the big lodge in the pond, and it was not any too particular about company that day.
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On last Thursday, Oscar and Austin Sharp got another hurry call from M. P. Vandevender, of Big Spring Fork of Elk River, to come immediately with their bear dogs – a bear had killed and eaten sheep on his Middle Mountain farm. They went over; got the bear up and going. After a long chase, the bear took to a tree on Slaty Fork. A grandson of L. D. Sharp got to the bear first, and shot him down. Grandpa Sharp was coming strong, but the boy out traveled him. This was a medium sized bear. This was Oscar’s tenth bear hunt this season, and seventh bear.
Since the above was written and put in type the word comes this bear was shot and killed by young Ivan Sharp and young Henry Gibson, each aged about 12 years. They shot at the same time and both hit.
START OF HITCHHIKING
Hitchhiking started long before the advent of the automobile. In pioneer days, two men often would make a long journey with only one horse. Since riding double for long stretches was uncomfortable, one man would mount and ride while the other started hiking. At a specified time, the rider would stop, hitch the steed to a roadside tree and walk on ahead. Soon the first man would arrive, mount the horse and ride on past the second until his time was up, when he would hitch the animal and go along on foot again.
BIRTHS
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Summers Poage, of Seebert, a son, named Robert Paul.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Grant Sharp, of Millpoint, a son, named Harold Green.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Jack Rose, of Frostburg, Maryland, a daughter, named Betty Ann.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Blair Oliver, of Durbin, a son, named Thomas Blair.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Hickman, of Hillsboro, a daughter.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Sparks, of Marlinton, a son.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Chappell, of Millpoint, a daughter, named Linda Jean.
DEATHS
Philadelphia – The body of First Sergeant Gay S. Fertig, of Cloverlick, is being returned to America. He lost his life in the Pacific. The bodies of 65 West Virginia service men who died in the Pacific area are being returned at the request of next of kin. In this instance, the next of kin is Earl W. Fertig.
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Birdie Baxter Slear, aged about 76 years, widow of the late H. A. Slear, died at her home in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, May 27, 1948. She was a daughter of the late George Baxter… She is survived by a number of children. Her brother is A. O. Baxter, and her sisters are Mrs. Fred Pritchard, Mrs. Elmer Duncan, Mrs. E. C. Smith and Mrs. Charles Knox.