Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-31
A Very Remarkable Murder Trial Now
In Progress at st. James.
GIRLS INsULTED BY YOUNG MAN.
lie is Invited to Look Down Shot Gun
Barrel.
BUT HE DECLINES THE HONOR.
The Result is All the Same, However.
and He Goes Over the River Flying.
WAS 1T ACCIDENT OR DESIGN?
A Problem Which Jury of Twelve
Men are Wrestling With.
Especial Telegram. to the Globe. I

Special Telegram. to the Globe.
ST. JAMES, Watonwan county, Dec. 3d.
The trial of William w. Murphy, of Madelia,
for the murder of Samuel Ash, is causing
considerable excitement here. It is the gen.
eral topic of conversation here on the streets,
in the saloons, the family circle, and even in
the church. So that the readers of the
GLOBE may fully understand the whole cir
cumstances of the case. beside the evidence
already given here and published in these
columns, it will be necessary to give full
history of the swful tragedy.
Itwould appear that on the 18th of August
last, young man was walking down the rail
road track toward Madelia when within
three-quarters of mile of the village he
met three girls and little boy. 70 the
Oldest girl he made improper proposals, and
she refused his solicitations. He offered her
money and she still refused, when he ran
after her and she ran away into the bushes
They afterwards walked together down the
railroad toward Madelia. These facts we're
mary examination, August Dist, as follows
Cora CressweH sworn: says, I am 10 years
old; live in Madelia; l was down on the rail-
road track; 1t was a week or two ago; | saw q
man; when 1 first saw him he was coming down
by the railroad bridge; he came near u.s.. He
then asked who lived in the houses and the
name of the town and river. I told him. He
wanted to know if we came all alone to the
pasture to salt colts. I said yes He then
he DGf1 tall Hn tod o how ,nko
course with me; he said it twice; then he
offered me half dollar. He then commenced
TO climb over the fence. / then ran down to
the bushes; he ran after us; he did not run
more than rod. We then began to halloo and
he went back. When he got opposite us he
went along with him up near Mr.. Murphy's. I
then told him to go ahead and we would not
be afraid. We stopped at Mr.. Murphy's. When
he got most to town l came home. l saw him
in town when Mr.. Glispin went up there. He
did not use violence in having us come up on
the railroad track; he only asked us.
One of the girls was Geogiana Murphy,
daughter of prisoner, little girl 8 years old.
She told her mother what had transpired,
and when Murphy came home his wife re-
peated to him what the little girl told her.
Mr.. Murphy became excited and vowed he
would hunt the fellow up, whom he stated
he believed to be a tramp After eating his
dinner, he took his gun and went out, taking
with him his hired man, Charles Kempfer.
They walked as rapidly to town as they
could with the idea of overtaking the
tramp" whom Murphy, from the evidence
of two witnesses, Clark and Haycroft, said
he would shoot. He stated several times
that he would "shoot the -" The two
went to the house of B. o. Kempfer, father
of Cora Cresswell. He found Kenpfer out
and started in search of him and found him.
He asked him about the tramp who
had insulted the girls. Kempfer said it was
all right; the man was arrested by Sheriff
Glispin. Murphy did not think it all
right and said, Barney, you are different
man than took you to be- if you call that
all right" He then went off sup the street.
Barney was vexed but he followed after,
and they had some talk near Voughts hotel"
and the three went up the street in search
of the sheriff. They found him with his
prisoner near Mr.. Cheney's. Murphy said
to the sheriff, chow do you do,'' and then
turning to the young man, asked him
If he was the man that said some
thing to the girls. The man replied
that he was. Murphy asked if
he did not know better than that, and ''then
said that man that would do that ought to
be shot" The sheriff, evidently fearing
mischief, said, "Let the law take it's course.
Murphy then turned toward the prisoner
standing directly in front of him, the de-
ceased leaning against the fence, and asked
him if he ever looked down the barrel of a
gun? He said no, and he did not want to.
Murphy then raised the gun within a few
inches OF the mans breast-one witness said
four, another eighteen to twenty-four inches.
lie held the gun in cavalry style, with one
hand grasping the small part of the stock
behind the trigger-and the gun went off,
prisoner saying he could tell how it went off.
The whole contents of the barrel pene-
trated the left breast of the deceased
and came out at the back, passing
through him in almost horizontal
line. The wounded man cried, sob DON'T
and fell to the ground weltering in his blood.
Almost Immediately the cap on the second
barrel snapped, Testified to by the witness.)
The sheriff then grabbed the gun and tried
to wrest it from Murphy, and hot struggle
ensued, when Murphy said he was willing to
give the gun up to Charley Kempfer, and
handed it over to him. The sheriff did not
arrest Murphy, but allowed him to depart.
Murphy left for home almost Immediately,
remarking that he bad some wheat to stack,
and if Glispin wanted him he would find
hiiil w Aoihe' LILO oAtIoSoeu Ilo ACiiOFS VI
excitement, or regret. He admitted at the
preliminary examination if the man had
been a tramp and had tried to
run away he would have shot him.
The gun, when discharged, was so near de-
ceased that it set his clothes on fire. He lay
for some little time on the sidewalk, when
DR.. Cooley came and examined the wound.
The boy was taken to the house of his uncle,
G. p. Ash, who is highly respectable citi-
zen of Madelia. Deceased expired on Aug
ust 10th, but before his death his deposition
was taken. In his testimony at the prelim-
mary examination, prisoner said that after
the shooting he said to the sheriff, 81 sup
pose shall be called upon to answer for it -
that it was accidental he did not know how
the gun went off and that he did not make
any threats.
THE PRESENT TRIAL.
AS the readers of the GLOBE are already
aware, the trial commenced on Saturday, a
jury having been impanneled after seventy
names had been called. The jurors are:
w. X. Armstrong, G.. II. Mack,
James Hopkins, N. A. Melick,
Sam V. Haycroft, J. n. Loveless,
William Forsyth, John Olson,
u. ii. Forsyth, Halver Halverson,
Warren Case, G.. l.. BoyIes.
The Jury is O body of as intellipenf q lot