St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-17
The Horton Drowning Case
Vainly Seeks Solu-
ton.
New Witnesses Who Saw Hor-
ton First After the Trag-
edy.
Friends at His Former Home
Refuse to Accept the
Crime.
Criminal Lawyer Erwin Re-
tanned to Conduct the
Defense.

The mystery surrounding the drown
ing of Mrs. Horton and her little daugh-
ter is still undispelled. AS stated In
yesterdays GLOBE, her body was found
Friday night near Newport, by Ernest
Smith, fifteen-year old lad. 1t was
drifting to and fro in an eddy Oh the
Washington county side of the channel.
1t was placed in warehouse in New
port and brought to st. Paul yesterday
morning by O'Ralloran &c Murphy.
Coroner Quinn decided to postpone the
inquest until Tuesday, so as to hold
that on the body of the little girl at the
same time if it should be found. He
had the Jury impaneled, however, and
they viewed the body at the
morgue. The boat was found bottom
up Oh one of the government
dikes near South st. Paul.
To test its ability Coroner Quinn and
Capt. Walsh both stood on its gunWale
together. Under this weight, greater
than the combined weight of Horton
and his wife and child, the gunwale was
still some distance from the water.
The brothers of Mrs. Horizons, H. S.
Hanson, Of Galesyille. Wis. and
l.. S. Hanson, of Trempeleau. ar
rived in st. Paul yesterday
with a cousin, S. H. Feiring, of Gales
vile. The are loud in their denuncia-
ton of Horton, and say that, in their
opinion, there is no doubt of foul play.
They went to O'Halloran Il MurDhy'S
morgue in the morning to make ar
rangements for having Mrs. Horizons
body sent to Trempeleau. They
seemed very unwilling to stand the ex-
pense of transportation and burial. and
applied both to the country officers and
to Horton to take it off their hands.
OF the wedding of Horton and his
wife in 1879, they say that their sister
was employed as servant i'll the family
in which Horton boarded while at
school in La Crosse. Horton was
twenty-five years of age and Miss Han
son thirty. They had only known each
other two weeks when they went to Miss
Hanson's home in Trempeleau and
were married.
Mr.. Turner and his son, who live on
Belvidere street, were fishing i'll the
river on the night of the tragedy at a
point near the Annapolis street station.
At about o'clock they heard voices in
conversation ana saw boat containing
three persons pass by near the opposite
bank. 1t had only gone short distance
when a cry was heard and splash.
Mr.. Turner thought it came from boys
in swimming. but in few minutes
they heard Horton asking for boat
Horton was standing in water which
scarcely reached his waist. Mr.. Turner
told him that there was no boat near,
but that people on the other side had
| one and would soon came to his assist
ance. Horton said nothing about his
wife and child.
AS yet nothing has been found which
could possibly convict Horton, though
many things in connection with the case
require explanation. In South ST. Paul
it is very generally the opinion that the
drowning was entirely accidental. Had
the child, of which Horton seems to
have been fond. not been drowned, the
case against Horton would be much
stronger.
Chapter CSC, Royal Arcanum, of which
Horton was a member, will hold a meet
ing at the Germania Life building,
Northern Pacific land commissioner
office, Monday evening. at 2 o'clock.