Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-01-15

E. N. Larpenteur, Reuben Haus, E. @. Belote,
Howard Ward, and j. G. Ramsey, and at
three o'clock on that day the inquest COM
menced, in the room of the City Council,
which was crowded to its utmost tension by
an eager multitude of citizens whose curiosity
had been excited by the strange developments
Of this mysterious affair. p, .' 49, -"
Laurens Laliyer. the prisoner, was brought
in. He was composed and Indifferent, appa.
rently, and sat unconcernedly during most
of the inquest, only once or twice interrupt
ing the testimony. He is about 80 years Of
age, rather good looking, with Teutonic cast
Of countenance Towards the close. however,
he began to look troubled.
The following is the result Of the post
mortem examination on the remains found in
the ice house: ......- .....
The undersigned physicians and surgeons,
have examined the bones submitted to them,
and pronounce them positively to be those Of
the action of fire and water, are much de-
stroyed and imperfect, so that it is almost
impossible to arrive at the age or sex. A
portion of the scalp with the hair attached
contained three or four hair pins in good pre-
servation; and the fragments of clothing found
with the remains are such as are worn by fe-
males We can arrive at no conclusion as to
whether deceased came to death by violence
or not. The skull is broken in 15 or 20 pie
ces. Signed,
.-. ..o.. w. H. MORTON,
j. d. GooDRICH,
THos. R. PoTTs.
Capt. Il. Bennett, the first ,citness, testi-
fed That he knew the prisoner; he resi-
ded near witness place, until the fall of 1856;
said he was married man, but witness knew
nothing of his family relations; Mrs. Z. dis
appeared in the fall of 1856; L. said she had
burned Mr.. Greishers hay, for which he
whipped her and. she ran off; asked him if he
wasn't afraid she would come back and burn
his house; he said, no danger! the ice house
was burned a few days after the hay; witness
had never heard Of Mrs. L. since; 10 one ever
saw her 60 away; understood Laliyer had
somebody cooking for him afterwards; Grei-
sher and Laliyer had cut the hay on shares;
G. owned 80 acres, and L. 20, SO witness was
told; Greishers and Laliyers houses are about
hundred rods distant from each other, and
the ice house about quarter of mile from
LIS house; witness heard Laliyer say that the
ice house had taken fire from the prairie burn
ing; it belonged to Samuel Wilson & Bro. of
Nd; Laliyer told him that he had tried to get
divorce from deceased, because she was a
disagreeable woman; l thought myself that
she was either fool or knave, as she acted
in an unbecoming and indecent manner; she
was in person about 81 feet high, weighing
maybe 12O lbs; do not remember about her
hair Or teeth, or the color of any dress she
wore; there had been disturbance, so Lali-
yer said, between Greisher and Mrs. L. and
G. was going to have her arrested for burning
the hay; she was not 80 years old, should
think
Philip Greisher Sioorn Know prisoner;
have known him for five years. We lived to-
gether in this city, knew his wife, they quar-
relied, and never lived we'll together. Never
saw any blows pass between them.
Witnesses testimony which was lengthy, is
about as follows: Laliyer and he had kepta
Saloon in partnership in st. Paul, when he
bought Laliyer out, giving him 60 acres Of
land on Bass Lake. In July 1853, witness
married and moved out to his place and Lali-
yer and wife also moved out. They lived to-
gether in a neighbors house until they got
their own houses built. Witness had lived
there ever since. Lalier and his wife quar-
relied very often out there. Witness never
had any difficulty with her though. Laliyer
toldihim after the hay was burned, that Mrs.
L. did it; that I ought to sue her. Before
did so, though, she disappeared, and Laliyer
told me she had run off and aoould nerer come
back sure. l have never seen her since, but
have always said she had run off. A few
days after the hay was burned, Tilman, Lali-
yer's hired man, and started to 60 to Little
Canada to election. Did not 60 into the
house, but stopped for him. Laliyer had a
stray horse which Tilmen rode After getting
over there, Tilmen got some liquor and rode
back about taoO or three o'clock! l staid until
dark. Laliyer would not 60 to the election
He staid home, as he said, to watch the fire,
which was burning in the woods. The even
ing before this the ice house was burned up
Laliyer told me it had caught from the burning
grass.
A few days afterwards, CHANGING by the
ruins, 1 stopped to pick up nails, and calling
at LIS told him if 1 had shovel to dig with,
l Icould find lots. He told Inc, Don't you dig
there, or you'U find something" He told
me that his acite acas buried there! Idisbe-
tieoed this, but in a teD days again lie told me
that lie had killed his aoits; that 7slmsen and
he had put her body on the horse, and that
they had taken 1t to the ice house the night be-
fore election, Mre0 it in, burned up the ice
house, and that he atteracards had buried the
bones, de-, IN a grace there. l still disbeliev.
ed him, but never had the curiosity to examine
the place to see. l never went there for nails
again. Tilmen left soon afterwards on one Of
the last boats. Laliyer left the next spring.
His brother holds the land in his name. No
one lives on it.
Here piece of skull with bunch of hair
was shown witness he said it was about the
color of Mrs. L. s hair. He said he had seen
her wear dress like fragment shown him,
found in the grave, about the time of her dis
appearance.
This is about narrative of the information
elected from Graisher. 1t was obtained from
himIwith much difficulty, as he seemed oppos-
ed to unbosoming what he knew. He denied
having been bribed to secrecy, and protested
that he never credited Laliyer'S account of the