Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1867-12-11
PAR RIGID J..
The Schnepf Murder Case.
Trial Of the Case in the Co
lumbia County Circuit.

md the Portage City Register both give
full reports of the trial, and to these papers
we are indebted for the lighy interesting
details which we give to our readers to-
day:
PORTAGE CITY, DEC 4-The trial of
J. Joseph Schnepf, for the murder Of his
father, near Waterfowl, in April last,
commenced to-day, in the circuit court
of Columbia county now in session at this
place-the Hon. Alva Stewart. circuit
Judge of this judicial circuit, presiding.
The case promises to be one of rare in
terest to the legal profession, as we'll as
the public at large.-the guilt Of the
prisoner being predicated wholly upon
circumstantial evidence, and the body
having been according to the theory of
the prosecution destroyed beyond the
possibility of Identification, there re
naming only some pieces of bone. In
deed, the prosecution rely wholly upon
extrinsic circumstances to establish even
the death of the missing man. Of course,
the relation of father and son which ex-
listed between the alleged victim and muir
derer adds stronger coloring to the cold
blooded atrocity involved.
D. F. Weymouth, Esq, district attor-
ney of Jeffe son county, and Hon. Gerrit
7 Thorn of Jefferson, represent the state !;
while Messrs Orion and Mulberger, and
Myron B. Williams, Esq, of WatertoWn,
conduct the defence.
The charge is, that, in April last /;
while boil, were engaged In clearing the
timber from land belonging to the father,
the homicide was perpetrated and the
body burned in the Immediate locality, to
escape detection.
Everything connected with the case
exctes intense interest.
A large number of witnesses are in at
tendance-among them, Prof Carr, of
the Wisconsin State University, as
we'll as other eminent medical men.
is supposed that the scientific and medi-
cal testimony will be directed toward
proving the length of time necessary to
destroy human body by fire. as we'll as
the naturalization of those found as hui
man bones.
Yesterday | visited the prisoner, at the
Jail. He is % years of age, of medium
height; has black hair, hazel eyes is
tolerably good looking; clean md respec-
tably dressed He is German but speaks
English readily, and furnishes no strik-
ing evidences Of h Teutonic extraction
The court opened at 8 o'clock A. NJ,
the fine, ample courtroom being well
filled. At a quarter before 10, the pris-
oner was brought in by the sheriff, S. K.
Vaughan, and the process of I'M anel
ing jury commenced. As the case was
change Of venue from j Jefferson county,
and the defendent was an obscure indi-
vidual, no difficulty was apprehended In
obtaining jury; but the result indicates
the great increase in the circulation of
newspapers, as nearly every one called
had read accounts of the case. One
Scandinavian gentlem n occupied the
proud eminence Of not being subscri
Der to any paper; Of course he was prompt
" stricken from the list. The regularly
summoned supply was exhausted, and
taiesmen summoned from among the
spectators, one after another, to the nun
Der of fourteen-thus exhausting a list
of fifty men in obtaining a jury Of twelve
After the panel was full, his honor the
Judge directed the sheriff to procure
board and lodging for the jurors where
they could be accommodated in a body
4 deputy was then detailed to take charge
of them, and the oath usually administer
ed to the officer taking charge of jurors
during their deliberations was taken. 1t
was suggested that the duty Of the Off
Ger to allow them no drink but water was
tough on the jury, so his honor instruct
ed him to SO construe it as to include tea
and coffee. The Indictment was then
read by Mr.. Weymouth 1t contains
four counts The first one charges xii
ling in the town of Watertown, on April
3, 1867, with an axe; the second, with
a beetle the third, with his hands and
feet; and the fourth, by means unknown.
Mr. Weymouth opened the case to the
jury. He said that the deceased, al
though past the age Of liability to mill
tary duty, served in the army; that,
when about to leave for duty, he had ex
ecused a power-of attorney to his wife,
empowering her to control his property
that, upon bis return, the wife protested
against the surrender of the trust, and
that, in this course, she was supported
by the prisoner that, on the I'd Of April.
tie prisoner and the deceased were la
boring together in clearing land; and
that, since that time, the latter had been
ms5in that, on that day-which he
claimed was very unusual hour for such
a purpose-the prisoner fred large heap
of brush that IN the ashes were subse-
quently found fragments of human bones.
The learned counsel explained to the jury
that the case was one of circnmstantlal