St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-12
Both He and His Youthful
Victim Loved the Same
Woman.
But for the Fatal Encounter
Lee Would Have Married
Her.
Moe, Who Will Swing With
Lee, Tells a Similar
Story.


Special to the Globe.
ALEXANDRIA, Mlnn., Feb. 1.-THE
mystery surrounding the murder of
Charles Cherline at Brandon last June
was cleared UP to- day, when John Lee
and Martin Moe, who are to be executed
for the crime next Friday, made what
they are pleased to term their dying
statements, that of Lee revealing the
motive for the murder. Moe is more
talkative than Lee, and to areporter for
GLOBE made the following statement:
We worked for Joseph Wagner at
Mlillervllle, and frequently went to
Brandon, where Lees futher lives. We
went down Oh Saturday before the
shooting. and intended to go back the
next day. Lees brother told us that he
had keg of beer, and wanted us to stay
over Sunday and help him drink it. We
stayed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday,
drinking whisky, beer and alcohol. We
had never made up our minds to kill
anybody, nor even talked of it together.
They say l went around the streets and
made threats, but l do not rtcOllect
having done so. Tuesday morning we
started to 60 to my Cousins, about one.
mile out of town, and we came back at
8 or 10 o'clock in the forenoon. We were
about the saloons all day. In the after
noon went to Olson's hardware store
to buy shotgun. | had promised the
boys to bring gun back to the farm.
While l was there, Lee came in and
said:
ssA SHOTGUN IS NO GOOD:
we don't have any time to hunt" Ol-
son told us the price of revolverS was
$3.50. and we told him we would take
one each if he would wait for his pay,
as we had no money. We wanted TO
practice and to shoot gophers. Some
time after this saw two men. residents
of Millerville, and asked them for ride
home. Lee said he was not ready to go
yet, and asked me to wait for him. We
were with Cheriine Saturday night, but
had no quarrel with him. The story
about CherIine having ordered us out of
the house is a lie. Lee was paying at
ssention to girl in Brandon. but never
knew Cherline went. with her until Lee
told me since we have been here. The
first remember of hearing that there
was any hard feeling between Lee and
Cherline was since have been
here in jail. Jack KnaptOn. the
village marshal, took my revolver
away from me IN the afternoon
.
it, | understood Lee to say to KNAPP
ton: you can't find my revolver.
have thrown it away" | believed Lee
had done SO, and did not know when we
went out that night that he had his gun
on his person. do not think that Lee
ever told me of any trouble with Cher
line. | do not remember anything that
happened after about o'clock in the
afternoon. The witnesses said Lee had
shot Chas. Cherline at IL o'clock in the
evening. did not know that
LEE INTENDED TO SHOOT,
nor that he had anything to shoot
with.
Lee heard the statement made by
Moe, and when the latter had concluded
Lee said:
II went to Brandon on that Saturday
to see the girl Moe has told you of.
There had beeman open quarrel between
Cherline and me about her. / began to
20 with her first, and Cherline said he
was going to'cut me out. and that |
should never marry her while he
lived. I said he should not marry
her either. Every time | saw
him in town he would abuse me and
say that he would like to have good
square fight with me. did not have a
quarrel with him about his sister. for l
did not care enough about her. ] met
him on the street Tuesday afternoon. l
had the revolver in my pocket. Cher
line said: ''YOu -- haven't
YOU gone home yet? I'll make you go
home pretty soon." L told him he could
not make me 60 home. Moe was not
with me, and did not tell him of this
quarrel. Saturday night Moe. Cherline
and l were in SWensOn'S saloon. Cher
line and | went out and found two girls
and walked little way with them and
got them some beer, but nothing was
said
ABOUT THE OTHER GIRL.
When [ went home was drunk and
fell by the stable. Cherline came up
and gave me couple of kicks and told
me to get up. My brother came out and
sent him away and took me into the
house. Cherline had said hard things
about the girl, and said he could do any
thing he wanted to with her when he
had her out. [ intended to marry her,
and have too much respect for her to
diyulge her name. After the quarrel on
f the street in the afternoon | had no
further talk with Cherine. People tell
me that / went up to him on the street
and said: Do you intend to drive me
ont of town? You can't do it, and that
| shot him. l have no recollection of
anything of this kind. | do not remem-
10. loo win o. tho saloon with Moe >,