The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-11-18
John w. Helms Trial for
the Killing of Frank
Saunders.
The Jury Believes it Was
Justif1able Homicide, and
Acquitted the Pris-
Oner.
Synopsis OF Evidence Introduced
instructions of the Court
Verdict in Ten Minutes.

yesterday, and resulted in verdict OF &C.
quit a, about ha past s o'clock IasI
night.
The particulars of the tragedy were pub
| lished In the BAZOo at the time, ard are
yet fresh in the memory of a majority 81
the readers. Klein was at the time In the
employ of John Hoffman, proprietor OF
the glue works. He was sent through the
country TO buy up material Tor the works,
and was on one OF his tri ps when the IN
fortunate aft ir happened. He wss goirg
north from LamOnte when he was over
tax % qy the negro, Frank Saunders. A
dispute arose between the two as 10 the
pulling qualities of their horses, ard
TO settle the matter IL was
agreed that the horses should pull agai nsI
each other. Then followed tie tragedy.
The horses pulled and a dispute arose
when Klein shot Saunders and fed. He
was overtaken and arrested by l.. Stevens
and c. q. ClingeD. The prisoner was tsk
en- to Lamonte and given a preliminary
examination, and put under $1,000 bonds.
Not being able to give bond Klein was
sent to Jail where he remained until his
| trial yesterday.
KLEIN's FIRST STATEMENT.
The day following the killing. Klein
made the following statement 10 BAZoo
reporter. u
monte, and when about three miles from
town, overlook me and made the remark
that That is a good pair of 10. ses you
drive / replied, 'Yes, that L hal as
good pair as there was in the state >
Then he m ,de some remark sbOIt his, and
finally made b inter TO test them, SD i
told him he could choose either of nv
horses that he wished to and We would
hitch them together and have a test. 20
one of them was selected aud taking the
harness off of my other horses srd put Ing
il on his. We selected ano her man who was
present 10 give the word. He cid This aud
after pulling steadily for lit e while my
horse began TO get the bes! OF Sauni,rs
horse, ard finally began to drag him. L
pulled his horse abcu. one hundred yard,
when having stopped them, S.u ders C me
up and started his horse up 9iihout any
warning. ! told him 10 stop As | Gil not
want TO start them agIin url-:s with isir
start. He thought / was mad std PIT h
hard behind him and began 70 move his
elbow like he was drawing p;s ol then
Ss tODn dS Il CDtiu Etl SAo-
shot between The horses, Saunders tfen
galksd about 300 yards. l kept my pistol
on him and could have siot him sev-ral
Tins Then 1 told the witness TO take my
team. and started and wen. about twenty
five or thirty steps, WHEN / came back aud
concluded TO go tn Sedzlia and give myself
up. / started for Dre,den and was think
about q quarter of a mile from there when
| was arrested"
wHIsKEY CAUSED 1T.
In a subsequent interview, K Elm admit
ted that whisky caused him 10 Commit the
rash act, The second interview wss a.
follows:
"Were you under the irfiuenc of liquor
at the time you killed Saunders, Mr..
KleinP
"Yes, slightly. ! had been drinking,
but knew everything was doing"
"Do you think you would have commit
ted the deed if you had not been drink
ing?"
"No sir, do not believe would."
"Have you been in the habit OF carrying
concealed weapons ?"
"No, sir"
aHow came you with revolver on this
occasion%
"WelI, Ifav to make lengthy trips
through the country, and having once been
in peril on account OF a few mu: derous
thieves following me for the ies dollars
mot TO exceed Sl4 or Sl5) On my person
conceived the idea of carryiI 6 quo. L
wish had not done so nov
ibid you ever have occasion to US your
revolver before"
"No, sir"
GLOW does your wifet axe the trouble ~
"Well, at first, she was badly broken up,
but seeing NY ca m demeanor, she has be-
come resigned"
You feel no qualm o. conscience then
for what you have DONE"
"Not the least, / sc'e1 purely In self
defense. Ii had not killed the g he
would have killed me-"
THE TRIAL.
The case was called yesterday, a jnTy
empaunelled and the evidence received be-
fore 2 o'clock in the sf;erDOon. There
were only three witnesses for The pr, secu-
ton and the same number for defense.
The following is synopsis of the state
ments given 10 the jury:
c. c. CLINGEN's TESTIMONY.
Mr.. CIicgsn testified that on the after
noon of December q, 1883, the defer dsnt
and Frank Saunders had gotten into dis
pute about the merits of their horses. In
or5er 10 settle The question, they bad
pitched the horses 10 The Ooubletree OF the
wagon that defendant was driving, each
one betting his horse on the result. The
terms of the bet were that defendants
horse was to pull Saunders horse mile
snd half, while Saunders horse was to
pull defendants horse six inches. Witness
gave the word "go," and defendants horse
walked off with SAUNDERS horse. Alter
dragging il about 15O yards, Saunders
called 10 sop them and defendant did 50.
Then without waiting for further orders,
started his horse, dragging defendants
horse, saying "---it we'll take him
back to the scratch" Defendant ordered