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The Enterprise, White Salmon, WA., August 8, 1924, page 1

KILLED WHILE ROBBING STORE AT HUSUM
Alarm On Cash Drawer Is Undoing Of Young Man Who Entered Kreps' Store

Avery Christensen, 19 year boy up Husum, caught in the act of robbing the Kreps store at Husum Wednesday night, was shot by George Kreps, owner of the store, and died within a few minutes.
Krebs' store had been entered several times recently and an alarm on the cash drawer in the store had since been connected with Mr. Kreps' room at the Husum hotel. At 11 o'clock Wednesday night Mr. Kreps was awakened by the alarm.
Grabbing a 12-gauge shot gun, he rushed to the store, unlocked the front door with his key. As he stepped inside he saw the form of a man behind the counten. The robber seeing Kreps shouted -"Stick 'em up", but Kreps who was carrying his gun in his right hand pulled the trigger as soon as he heard the command. The boy fell to the floor where he died within ten minutes. By his side was a 22-rifle, cocked.
Mr. Kreps then telephoned for Ed Fordyce and C.R. Norris, nearby residents who arrived on the scene as the young Christensen was dying.
Sheriff Warwick was notified, and with County Attorney C.W. Ramsay left Goldendale at midnight. With Justice of the Peace A.B. Groshong of this city, they reached the Husum store at 3 a.m. and at 6 a.m. held an inquest.
The jury exhonorated George Kreps, holding that he had shot in self-defence and in the protection of his property. The jury was composed of Wm. Olson, James Hendryx, H. Roberts, Wm. Miller, Steve Lusk, and John Jarvis.
It was learned that young Christensen had entered the store by breaking out of the glass in the front window. In his pockets were found a new knife taken from the show case, and his pockets were also well filled with canby from the show case.
When he tried to open the cash till he sprung the alarm which sounded at the hotel. The cash drawer only contained a few cents. The jury found that Christensen had been shot four inches below the left nipple by a full charge from a 12-gauge shotgun.
Young Christensen is the son of Ever Christensen who lives about a quarter mile up the Rattlesnake from the Husum store. The news of the death of the son were broken to the father shortly afterwards by Judge Groshong.
The funeral of Avery Christensen was held at the Husum church yesterday afternoon and the remains were buried in the White Salmon cemetery. The entire district extends its sympathy to the family.
The father, who was in town yesterday, said his boy's act was almost unbelievable. Avery always stayed at home, and that night was home with the rest of the family up to a few minutes to ten when he went to his room, and his father thought he had retired. Avery, who has been attending the Pleasant View high school was well thought of by everyone. This summer he had worked for neighbors and had plenty of money. His father cannot account for the boy's doings of Wednesday night.