The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-06-21
THE RATHSACK TRIAL.

The Rathsack case Was called on We'd
nesday morning of last week. Eleven of
the Sc iurymen of the regular PANEL
passed the gauntlet of challenge for
cause and spent that night under The
surveillance of an officer while the sheriff
was busy picking up 100 jurors on a
special venire. Sheriff Bibinger did his
task well considering the difficulty he
had to contend against in the wide pub
licity the case has had. Thursday after
noon the work of getting jury was
begun and the Judge held sturdily to
work until the 's12 men good and true
and unprejudiced were sworn in. George
Byron took the working oar in the
defense and did himself intimate credit
considering that he is young lawyer
and hitherto without much practice.
He was watchful, quick and ingenious,
and seemed to have special aversion to
readers of The Pilot as iurymen on this
case.
The district attorney, Mr.. Walker,
wore an air of confidence throughout and
was anxious to get the case disposed of
in as short time as possible. Esta-
brook took hand in the prosecution
occasionally, his dark hair and clear
complexion making him striking object
to the visitors who have an eye for good
looks.
Hugo Reuss' intelligent face and man.
ly appearance attracted attention in the
jury box. Germans and Irishmen were
the nationalities represented on the jury.
There was no effort made to protract
the case by asking immaterial questions.
Witnesses were promptly examined and
questioned only on matters having a
bearing on the guilt or innocence of the
accused, and at five clock on Saturday
afternoon the jury withdrew. Shortly
before six they returned to the court
room with verdict of murder in the
first degree.
The prisoner showed very little emo
ton when the result of the iury's delib-
Grafton was announced and acted as
though the verdict was not unexpected.
When asked if he had any reason to
advance why such sentence should not
be passed upon him he said yes, and
rising stated that he was drunk when the
crime was committed and that he did
not intend to kill his wife.
Judge ellison then sentenced him to
Imprisonment for life at hard labor, the
first ten days to be passed in solitary
confinement as also the Dist of each
September, the date of the murder.
The prisoner did not speak again until
descending the stairs when he broke out
in a torrent of abuse and curses upon
the jury and others connected with the
trial, concluding with threat to burn
the court house and Jail. After donning
new suit of clothes his old ones were
searched and lot of matches found care
fully sewed in the lining, showing that
the carrying out of his threat had some
foundation in his mind. Ever since his
trial he has been ugly, allowing the
innate deviltry in him to show itself for
the first time since his incarceration.
The following is the jury who passed
upon his case: Michael Richard,
Thomas Haney, Enos Smell, Edward
Keenan,, Patrick Brady, Fred Luecke,
Dominiok Lambers, Joseph Scheuer,
Frank Luhacek, Joseph Schuber, George
Garry and Hugo Reuss.
The verdict is in accord with popular
sentiment and there are very few who
will say that Rathsack will receive more
punishment than his crime deserved.