Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-01-30
MURDER MOST FOUL.
A Wife and Her Paramour Murder
the Husband.
The SttTy Told by the Little Son
Of tho Dead Man.
Arrest and Trial Of the Crimi-
nails.

Elk Poiae special: In these columns
a short time since was given the
account OF the arrest Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Orlln Larrtway, charged with tie the murder
OF Oscar Krusen,a former husband of Mrs.
harriwsy. The trial at Elk Point, Dakota,
excited the most revolving details OF the
tragedy. The facts In the case as near ~ can
be CLEANED, are as follows: Isaac Batchelder
and wife, with a family Of twelve children have
lived on 3 farm atoat twenty miles north OF
this city. Batchelder was very eccentric, and
was something of a religious monomsnisc, bat
bis children did not, asInight be expected, fare
az well as they might. He IL now in The IN
sane asylum. Some seven years ago Hattie,
a daughter, at the age OFF,, married a nan OF
the neiShborbood named Tressler. In about
three years Tressler died. BY this maa' two
children were born. Near the same locality
there also lived a family bTthe name OF Kru-
oNbs III AN SO1koS VA VNShto cS~oA W @upt
married q very worthy young ledy named Jane
Fetrie, " lose family lived IN she beautiful
Sioux valley. AS the fates would have Il, In
less than tbree yssrs from their marriage Mrs.
Krusen died, Leaving one child, a bright l.ttle
boy. After'a time Krusen be came tired Of Wv
ing alone en- his farm, having 20 care for he
motherless 10Y, and sought and obtained the
hand Of Ma. Tressler In marriage. This un.o
was to rug sorrow 10 many hearts. Every-
thing " ) not as pleasant about the hiussn
cabin as might be. soon after the marriage
jealousy, the green-eyed mon ster, seems %
have found rs home there. Las winter, aoo,1
Feb. /, after selling she farm and disposing CT
all their stock and PSI sonsl effects, il was dc.
termined thai their happiness IN the future
would be enhanced by moving TO Ksnsae,
away from ell theiz relatives, who seem To
them. Everything In readiness, with the three.
children, they were about ~ star. by team,
when Mrs. KrIsen made known h1f wish that
one Orlin Lardway, % cousin, be allowed tc
accompany them. AArriwsy came from the
east some tins before, and had been working
Ia the neighborhood 8 portion OF the time for
Mrs. krusen's father. 1t Is said that Larriwsy
was very kind TO M-s. Krusen when there,
waiting upon her about the chores, and on
several occasions was there when Xfusen re-
turned from trading trips to town. To this
proposition, however, Krusen objected most
s~trenuously, bat finally changed his mind at
the earnest solicitations OF Mrs. Kr.ssen, Lar
riwsy going along, K-usen paying his expens-
es, as he had. little or No means of his own.
krusen had somewhere from $1,000 To 81, 2OU
on his person when he left. Tnie was, of
course, often seen by Larriway, as they were
passing through the country.
About the 18th OF May, Frank Krrsen re-
ceived a letter from Oscar that Mrs. krusen
had become dissatisfied with their method OF
travelling, and would return Immediately To
Dakota and yjslt with relatives until he
Skrusen) was. permanently settled. The
brother met Mrs. Krlsen the next day at the
train, and took her and her children 10 the
home Of ner father, Lsaac Batchelder. In the
Same letter IS Ar stated that, with larriwsy
and his boy, ne would row proceed 10 Honey
well. This is the last ever heard from Oscar
kruseD. In about two weeks from the return
OF Mrs. K1aseD, Laarriwsy appeared at the
home OF Estchelder. An intimacy at once
sprung up between Mrs. krusen and Iasri-
way, and in about two weeks after the latter's
return they appeared at a Justices residence
la Union county ard aeked TO be- married. The
justice, WHO Is a vary conscientious old GET
tieman, asked Mrs. Krusen X Oscar vas dead,
being surprised that he had net heard Of IL.
To this Mrs. krusen that she did
not know whether nc was dead or rot, but
that she VAS a widow, and that Oscar. would
never bother them should they be married.
But" Gays the tnstice, "even II this were
true, the general understanding Is that you
are cousins, and | know, II you do not, that
the law forblds the marrying OF blood -eli-
TONS lie thea read the law bearing on this
point to them, also the law bearing on bis own
action, 10 which Mrs. ktusen replied
that she did not care for the law.
When It was seen that their Internal
schqme could not be consummated be!ore this
justice they retired omewha crest-fa!len.
The next day they proceeded 10 Orange City,
Ia, but could not yet a license, as there was
no one to idepsify them as proper persons for
marriage. Then they returned, nothing
daunted, to Hawarden, Ia, where, after much
solicitation and some explanations, the com
FUNCTIONS OF one Bell. q minister, were allayed
and the couple were married under a tree near
the banks OF the Sioux river, not far from the
town. LarrfTay now rented a house IN Ha-
warden, bought about $50 worth OF furniture
and at once settled dow to quiet living, SEEM
ing 10 have funds to purchase ANYTHING they
might need. But their sky was not without a
cloud. A,storm was TO burst upon them.
| Correspondence had been going on with par
\ VIC III hGkont Abo I'LL mug o. ~ CJpy u pa
per called the Kansas Western World. pub
lished at Wskeeney, Kan, dated Aug. 80, 1885,
wac received by parties living here. The
statement read as follows: "a man had been
found buried In q rsvine near Eldorado.
Butler county, and every indication
points 10 a foul and firndish murder"
A shallow grave had been dug In the grass,
tue body rolled iii, the grave filled up and the
sods placed in position, and q fire built out Of
n trunk belonging to the murdered man upon
the grave. There was nothing upon the body
Of the man that would lead to ito Identifies
ton. The man was dressed In o white shirt,
brown ~overalls, and was without shoes or hat.
He was about six feet In height, and apparent
ly about 80 years u age. The body had been
buried nearly II not quite two months. A
spade bearing the initials On G. X. had been
found near the spot about six weeks previous,
by ZONE boys hunting, also q frying pan end
the charred blade Of u butcher knife. A blue
shirt and red aannel uudershirt were found
near by by other parties, but were supposed 10
have been thrown away by campers and NO
| particular attention was paid to the cream
stance. 1t was left for the dog OF an emigrant
by the name OF Henderson to make the
gnsstly discovery. The camp was near by,
and the dog was noticed whining and digging
at the spot, and finally unearthed the kneo OF
a human being. That there had been q mur-
| der mnst fOnl conmittfd there was No doubt