St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-17
TOOK In The RIVER.
Judge, Jury, Counsel and De-
PENDANT View Scene Of Al
legged Tragedy.
Horizons First Trip for
Months From Vicinity Of
the County Jail.
Testimony Adduced Showing
the Dangerous Character
of Miller'S Skiff,
In Which the Inflated Trip
on the Mississippi Was
Taken.

ant and counsel in the Horton murder
trial yesterday visited the scene Of the
alleged crime. The learned judge was
very exact in his orders as to how and
under what circumstances the jurors
in whose power hangs the falt of Walter
f. Horton should make the visit. No
person not even counsel was permitted
to talk to the jury, suggestions could
ouly be made to the court by counsel
who i'll turn pointed out the various
points of interest to the twelve good
men. The reporters were barred by the
Judge from riding on any of the carriages
conveying the party to the scene of the
alleged tragedy enacted last August.
The start was made at twenty minutes
to II o'clock, and the space in front of
the court house on Wabasha street was
packed with dense mob eager to catch
glimpse of Horton. In the first car
riage was Judge Kelly, accompanied by
Attorneys Mum and Erwin. Sheriff
Bean riding on the box seat. The sec
ond carriage contained the deputy
sheriffs and the prisoner, who for the
first time in months was to enjoy an
outing. The jurors followed in three
carriages, and the rear of the procession
was formed by the carriages containing
the representatives Of the press.
The procession proceeded up Waba-
| Sha street, then turned down Sixth and
stopped at the Bodega, in order that
| Juror Rice, whose store is next to that
resort, might get his OverShoeS; across
| Robert street bridge, down Fairfield
| avenue, thence via State and Kentucky
| streets the carriages went until the
| lower West side WAS reached. The
| river bank was covered, and the first
| stop was made at the wing dam, which
has been so frequently mentioned dur
| ing the trial. This spot was closely eX-
amined by the jurors, and then the
small creek which runs from the
| slaughter house was inspected. This is
| almost 600 feet from where the
boat upset. Horton, whose hands
were free from letters, walked
between his guards and for the first
time since the night of the drowning,
stood on the river bank and gaZed
| steadily upon the spot where the woman
| whom he had sworn to love and cherish
met her death, and where it is alleged
| their child also persisted. Though ne
wore a heavy coonskin coat he trembled
| visibly. and perhaps realized wildly
| that the state was leaving no stone un-
| turned in order to prove him guilty of
| one of the most terrible crimes in the
| criminal code. The scene was most
| solemn one, and all eyes were turned
| upon Horton, who, innocent or guilty,
| was undergoing terrible ordeal. No one
| could realize the keen mental agony he
| was suffering, for did not his very life
i depend upon the verdict of twelve of
| the men around him, who. as the law
nrIlN CHI In dom
| send him forth once again into Gods
bright world a free man, or condemn
| him to shameful and terrible death.
| The ground having been gone over
| carefully, the party re-entered their car
| riageS and were driven back to the city,
| the court house being reached at 1910.
! Judge Kelly announced that recess
| would be taken until o'clock, and the
| jury, judge and counsel went in different
| directions for lunch, Horton being taken
back into the county Jail.
| Scramble for Seats.
| The same scene which has been ell
| acted every day before court opened
| was repeated in the afternoon, and de-
| spite the efforts of the court officials the
| struggle for seats was as keen as ever.
| Gray haired women We'd with girls still
| in their teens for the possession of good
u
| court room was crowded in every cor
| ner, disappointed throng craning
| their necks in the corridor in the hope
| of securing glance at the scene with
| in. The jury were promptly on hand,
| and few minutes before Horton was
| brought in. looking less pale than he had
| for some days. The tripin the open air
seemed to have nerved him, and he
followed with great interest the evil
| dence OF the witnesses called on his be-
half. He held frequent consultations
with Mr.. Martin. one of his attorneys.
The witnesses called by MIR. Erwin were
| experts as to the formation of the river
| bed, and the dangerous qualities of the
| boat used by Horton. The first witness
| on the stand for the defense was Capt.
| John Jeremy, of the steamer Ruby. He
| gave his evidence In a straightforward
| manner, and, though submitted to
| sharp croSS-eXaminatiOn by Mr.. Mum,
| who sought to break down his testi-
mony, came out of the ordeal in a salts
| factory manner. Some of his replies
elected laughter from the spectators,
which was instantly suppressed under
the stern admonitions of the court, who
! threatened to have the room cleared.
Horton No Rover.
| Capt. Jeremy testified as follows:
| 81 reside at West st. Paul, and have fol-
| lowed steamboatng for the last twenty-five
| years between La Crosse and st. Paul. On
| the day Mrs. Horton was drowned l was on
| my boat until 3 in the afternoon. Then
| went snipe shooting near my boat, which
| lay between Sibley and Wacouta. There is a
! mud-Dar there, and we remained until dusk
| l noticed the defendant rowing the boat
| down stream with two people in ii. The man
| lifted the blades of the oars high out of the
water and then dipped them Deep
That is not not the regular reg way to
boat almost every day for a week; it was at
tached to fiat boat owned by Mr.. Miller. 1
| noticed the man rowing; he was sitting in
the middle of the boat the woman was in
| the stern of the boat and think arc her
| woman was in the bow. The bottom of the
boat should judge was about two-thirds in
| the water"
Did that convey any idea to you at that
| time
Il did not notice particularly, but thought
that it was not a good way to steady the
| boat"
Are you familiar with the current be-
| tween the damS?'
1t is the swiftest current know of be-
| tween St Paul and Hastings 1t runs about
three and half miles per hour
| Gould woman stand i'll that current?'
| Il think not
Witness described the river and its
formation where the drowning oc-
| Cured:
on the east side of the river there are
| boulders aud sand, and in the center there
are quicksands, and on the west side gravel
! bars. The boulders extend for about a quar-
! ter of a mile, and in the center and west side
| it is full of sfush lime ana mud. There is a
| reef which runs clear across the river 1t is
| formed by drifting sand. which is constantly
| moving. One month it will lie in different
| spot to another. 1t takes about a week TO
| form reef four to six inches high and about
200 feet long, but it depends OH how much
water there is. The bottom of the river is
| like pair of stairs formed of reefs of sand
| some high, some low.
What would be the result of a body OF a
child dressed and weighing about sixty
| pounds being carried over these reefs?''
| The dress would dig in the sand and the
body would eventually lie buried in the sand
| reef Logs are sometimes buried in the sand
| al the bottom of the river
A Dangerous SkffF.
Mr.. Erwin asked the witness a num-
Der of questions, endeavoring to show
| that the brush and sand bars which