Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-03-27
MIEDE'S MURDER.

1 lib
Cell No. Of the county Jail bad for guest
last night man convicted of perhaps the
darkest crime that has ever stained the crimi-
nal record of Minnesota. The williams name
is Michael Miede, convicted as the principal to
| to the murder of Henry Kolway and man
named Steinhuber which occurred on the 9th
OF last October near Long Prairie, Todd county,
| Minnesota.
The trial commenced on Tuesday the 23d
inst. before Judge McKelvY at Long Prairie,
and concluded Thursday evening at
| o'clock, the prisoner being convicted of murder
| In the hrst degree and sentenced to the peni-
tertiary at Saltwater at hard labor for life.
The convicted murderer arrived in st. Paul
over the St. Paul Il Manitoba railroad last
evening. He was heavily ironed and in the
custody of Sheriff Bassett and Deputy Sheriff
Butler, of Todd county.
He was conveyed to the Jail and lodged in
| cell No. 5, where he sat for the following pen
picture as sketched by GLOBE reporter:
The convicted felon is branded with the
| mark of Cain in every feature and lineament of
his repulsive and hideously ugly phisiognomy.
From outward appearance it would be difficult
| to select better subject for the rope of the
hangman.
In physique he is thick-set, short in stature,
! with coarse hair and moustache black as the
! ravens wing. The most striking feature of the
| meath which are almost concealed pair of coal
black eyes, the glance of which combines vul-
pine cunning and the sharpness of the weasel.
When seen by the GLOBE reporter, Miede was
lying down in the cell with arms and legs Sc
| curely shackeled. He stubbornly refused to
rise and has such limited knowledge of Eng
| lish as to make anything like conversation in
native vernacular out of the question.
The GLOBE linguist opened fire in German,
but on all points concerning his connection
with the tragedy he is entirely reticent. On
other matters he is familiarly glib, bat evades
conversation on the murder, replying to all
questions by protesting his innocence
The murder for which Miede was convicted.
and for which his brother, BLACK john" was
lynched, is one of the most bloody and cold
hearted affairs ever recorded rs having taken
place in this State. The murder was the result
of criminal passion resulting from the seduction
and illicit iasion by Miede with Kolway's
wife.
The parties were near neighbors, and after
seducing Mrs. Kolway he persuaded her to
| leave her husband and cohabit with him as his
| mistress. The shameful affair became the
theme of the neighborhood, and the utmost in
dignation was expressed at the action of the
| Miedes
The people became so incepsed at the affair
that the house of the Miedes' was burned, by
some unknown person, which led to the MUIR
der. few nights after the fire the Miede
brothers visited Kolway's house and Drained
him and Steinhuber with an axe.
The murder was prompted by revenge and
the country became intensely excited at the
enormitY of the outrage. ALI the circum-
stances pointed to the Miede brothers as the
fendish perpetrators and justice was not slow
in asserting her claims.
The brothers were duly captured and charged
| with the crime. "Black john Miede, q
brother to Michael, came into the meshes of the
law first and was made to feel the weight of
retributive Justice at once. An indignation
meeting was called and the citizens decided to
administer summary justice, and without fur
| Their ado he was lynched.
| A few hours before the lynching "Black
| John" confessed to priest that he and Mike
had done the killing. The latter was subse-
quently captured, and would have suffered the
same fate as his brother had it not been for the
| precautionary measures taken by the sheriff.
| The trial lasted three days. and the proceed
ings were watched with the most absorbing in-
| terest, and concluding with conviction and
sentence for life as before stated.
| Aprincipal witness at the trial was Mrs. Kol-
| way, wife of the murdered man and former
mistress of the prisoner, of whose testimony
| the Todd County argus of yesterday has the
following:
SOPHIA KOLwAY,
the wife of the murdered man, now took the stand
for the State. She seemed to be in ortal fear of
harm, but was assured of safety and protection by
the court. She testified as follows: am the widow
of Henry Kclway; lived in Wisconsin and was mar
ried to him February T. 1879. at Burlington am II
years of age. We came to Todd county and went to
| housekeeping. Welef Wisconsin March 4, and we
first went to live in "Black Johns" house, and we
lived there until April, and then went to live
our claim. Miedes did not live with ms in Johns
house; they lived at their sisters. lived with Kol
way until July 4, and then went to live with the de-
PENDANT TN; Michael Mede as his wife; did not live
| Michael coaxed me away. He said
would have to wash for living Michael told me he
wonld make me his wife and said he would write to
his wife In Germany that he would not live with her
any more. got letter from my mother who told
Michael that must go to live with my husband. He
said if did would sleep my last night in Minneso-
this to Mike. nike got his gun and threatened to
| shoot me. grabbed him by the shoulder and
coaxed him not to shoot me, and promised him
| would not go back to Koiway. I was afraid. He
took me wherever he went, and he got revolver and
told me must say that would shoot Kolway if he
came to me: Johns house was burned about the
last of October. "Back John" treated me well, but
did not live with him. "Black John" was afraid of
Mike. Mike was the stoutest.
Cross examinatlon-W lived in Miede's house from
| March II, until April. Mike aud John were there
often. "Black john told me he had to look out for
Nike Mike and John quarreled about aper, The
house was burned on Friday, and that day we were
hunting. We went back from the hunting ground
way lived with Steinhuber. We went hunting Tues
day and got back Saturday. Saturday night we're
at Riemers. John, Mike and their br 'ther Jo and
were at Riemer's. 1 stayed there Monday. John
and Mike went to where the house was burned They
went after breakfast Monday and got back before
noon, and Monday afternoon Mike and John went
| away again and they got back at supper time. I
can't say how long they were gone. Mike got back
Arst was at Reimer's house Monday night; John
went t. sleep in the granary. They had
dinner at IL and supper at Mon
day. They were gone between dinner and supper on
Monday. This is the day on which the murder was
probably committed. The gun shot was heard by
| Showers at P. NJ. I at Reimer's Tuesday.
John and Mike went after lumber, and worked on
the granery and went after stove and fixed the
granery to live in. Koway sued me for q divorce.
went and talked with Kelway, but did not dare to
stay because was afraid Miede would be after me
and that he might shoot. I was afrsid-Kolway said
he afraid too, and he told me to go back till he
| could get help and come after me. Mike proposed
to pay Kolwsy for me.
Sheriff Bassett and Deputy Butler will leave
| for Saltwater with their prisoner this morn
lug.
Mr.. Gels Wants to Get Rid of a Tenant.
1t was announced in Tuesdays GLOBE that