Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1880-09-02
ASSASSINATION.
An Attempt to Kill Judge Page, Of Austin,
MiunosOfo


Minnesota.
On the evening of August "a, as Judge
Sherman Page was sitting in his residence
near Austin, MINI, reading paper, some uu-
known assassin shot him through the window.
Seven No. l shot struck him in the back OF
the head and neck, making a serious but not
necessarily fatal wound. It Is copiectured
that as he is engaged on important suits in
the district court, which meets early in Sep
tember, some Of his enemies took this means
to get him out of the way.
Judge Page has furnished the following
statement for publications:
Since the last term Of the court, In the past
month nothing has occurred whatever that
would be the ground Of any upleasantness,
so far as know, between myself and parties In
Austin. have attended to my law business
strictly, and have had ne sort Of difficulty with
any parties whatever. There have been threats
m 4de by parties in Austin, as am credibly
informed, that they would shoot me. There
have been remarks made and statements
made frequently by the friends of these
parties that should be shot. but have
never had the least apprehension that should
ever be injured except that it should be by
some cowardly assassin who should steal on
me unawares.
My friends have cautioned me repeatedly,
and have endeavored tc be reasonably pru.
dent as to exposing myself to danger, but
have never modified my business or habits to
avoid 1t. Parties immediately after the
last term OF court in this county threatened
that they would fix me sooner or later, but
these parties have hardly been seen by me
for the last two or three months. Recently |
have taken hardly any precautions as to dan.
ger, not so much as l ought to have done, as
this seems to show. Yesterday after
noon went to Taopi to attend law suit
The suit was settled and disposed of, and
returned to Austin on the evening freight
train, arriving here at 7:20. My horse and
Office, got My mail without stopping.
called at a neighbor's. Mr.. Matthews, for my
little boy. and drove home quite fast. When
/ dove home it was about as dark, as it was
afterward; assisted in putting up the horse;
went from the barn to the house at once;
stopped q moment on the way,
in my dining room and drank cup Of tea.
Mr.: Sake, a ne ghbor, and O. friend of bis
called to see me while was drinking the tea.
We sat with our backs in the direction
Of the side of the house whence this shot
was fred. Mr.. Sake got up to leave. Went
to the door and l went with him to
tell him he could pass around the house to-
ward the road, and he went around the house,
past the bay window, where the shot was fired.
After he had left, Immediately passed into
the sitting room, took seat by the table,
my left side toward the window. Did not
notice that the curtains were up. Took
up the Minneapolis Tribune which lay on
the table and commenced reading and within
five minutes from the time l sat- down the
shot was fred
heard the crash through the bay window
and felt the blow. 1t stunned me, but jumped
to my feet and cried out to my wife who
was just coming into the room from the
dining-room, that was shot. When the shot
was fired, as my wife said, it was exactly 8.
There is the best evidence to my mind that
the person or persons engaged In the affair
were about the premises before arrived home.
In the first place there was hardly time for
them to come from town here after ! left
town; there was not time for them to come
from the depot which is two miles away, un.
less they came with horse, as drove very
fest. More than this, am satisfied that they
saw Mr. Sake and his friend who were here
and knew when they left. They could have
stood ten rods away and seen them pass the
bay window without being seen them.
selves. They could have been watch.
ing me when I went out with Mr..
Sake. The weapon, in my Judgment was
double barrelled shot gun, muzzle loader,
duckshot, anda ball. think both barrels were
fred simultaneously. The shot struck me in
the left side Of the back of the head and neck,
apparently the most dangerous wound being
on the side of the head. Part only Of the shot
have been taken out. There were six or eight
shots entered my head and neck. The shots ex-
tract ed were about double shot. There
were threats made prior to the last term Of
court, and at that time. There is no
doubt at all that it was the intention to blow
my brains out, and the only thing that pre-.
prevented it was the wire screen that scat
tered the shot, the heavy sash had turned
them little out Of their course, the nerv.
business, probably of the man who took the
aim, and the table whsch diverted from Its
course directly towards my body, the bullet
was caused to glance SO that it went
through three thicknesses of the stove
pipe before it buried itself in the wall. fully
believe this method OF attack had been deter
mined upon before hand. for have habitually
with my family sat by that table In the
same way TO read Just before retiring at night,
and last night was the first time for month
or more that I had been there alone. have
no more doubt that this Is the elimination of
conspiracy to destroy me, Of which the i'm.
peachment trial was q part than I have
that am still alive, and that the attempted
assassination last night was part and parcel
OF the conspiracy, and that it was under the
orders Of the abettors Of that conspiracy. no
fair-minded man who has lived in Austin for
the past five years can have any doubt about
It at all.