The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-09
NORDSTROM ONTRIAL.
Evidence Given Against Ma.
sons Accused Murderer.
WEAVING A CHAIN OF FACTS.
The story OF the Fugitive's wanderings
The Defense IN A1ibi-Judge Lich.
tenbsrg sfck-Ths Blotter.

night of November q, il on trial in Judge
Humes department OF the superior court
Twelve Of the twenty-five witnesses for the
prosecution were examined yesterday, the tax
Ing OF testimony commencing early in the
morning and continuing until O'Clock last
night. The courtroom was filed with Spec
fasors all day and evening, the case attracting
greater interest than any criminal case for
long time, not excepting those OF Ssddler and
Friedrich.
Eordstrom, the accused, was the most inter.
e1ted of all He watched the witnesses and
listened to their stories and answers very
eIosely all day, not taking his eye of them once.
His swedish nationality 10 plain in his appear.
auce, his hair and mustache being light In color
and his eyes being deep set, though not intelli-
gent His hair refuses TO be parted and on the
top Of his head stands up In all directions
No witnesses have been subp9naed for the
defense and 1t Is supposed that he will plead an
alibi but ii Ia considered very doubtful whether
be will be able 70 break through the web that the
prosecuting attorney is weaving around him.
There is almost awagon load OF exhibi.a
Besides large drawings of the locality OF the
houses IL the neighborhood of the Mason house
snd diagram OF the Mason house itself there
ore several pairs of boots, pair of socks, rife
and eight cartridges, hat and a cap, piece of
paper, the clothes OF William Mason aud the
window through which the deadly bullet came
The prosecution is trying to prove that after
Eordstrom worked for the Masons
and quit, believing that they owed
him something, he made threats against them
and finally worked himself up to such pitch
ofreseatment that he bought rifle, and, after
killing Mason's bulldog in the woods, stole up
70 the window of their cabin in the evening and
sho. William Mason, one of the sons, in cold
blood, aud escaped in the dark All that they
knew to start ON was the fact that while sitting
tsupper Mason was shot by bullet that came
through the window, his companions at the
supper table being Charles Gallagher, Robert
Eckman and bis brothers, Joseph aud Thomas.
Dr.. Horton testified AZ the coroner who ex-
amined Mason the day after the murder. lie
saId that the bullet, which was 45-caliber
went into the left arm just below the shoulder,
broke rib on each side, struck the bone in the
right arm and lodged just under the skin, where
he cut it out The bali was introduced in evil
dence and identified.
Thomas Mason, the father of the murdered
boy, testified to Nordstrom having worked for
him on the ranch. Nordstrom came to him for
his pay about November or s and he paid him
go and gave him an order to John, his son. who
had made the contract with Nordstrom. He was
TO take this order to the son and bring it back
Endorsed with The amount due and the witness
was to pay Nordstrom. Nordstrom took the
money and the order but did not return to get
any more pay. The defendant had been digging
ditch for him. His son Willie was u years old.
Mr. Mason was in Seattle at the time of the
shooting.
Charles Gallagher, q school teacher, testified to
having followed up the tracks from the window
where the shooting occurred. He said that the
track was that OF q well-worn rubber boot and
WAS plainly seen near the window. Three nails
had been driven into the heels OF each boot and
these naiis showed in the tracks. He told of the
shooting; how Willie Mason fell over dead, and
OF all the subsequent events, including the
tracking down Of Nordstrom.
Robert Eckman on the stand said he had
known Eerdstrom for eighteen months. He
was at sprague's three weeks before
the shooting, and Nordstrom came and
asked for Mason, and swore in the
Swedish language and cursed the hasons
great DEAL Eordstrom came into the kitchen
where Edward Johnson and Willie Mason were.
Willie Mason told him to come back the next
day and he could see the old man about getting
his money. Nerdstrom was very angry. He
had no shotgun ct that time On the night OF
the shooting the witness saw the fash of the RI
DO on the outside. Nobody went on that side
OF the house usually. Mr.. Mason had two dogs,
aud one o: them-the baildog-disappeare
four days before the shooting, and they found
him dead near the trail afterwards.
James Mcdonald said that he lived about q
mile and o half from Mason's. He got to the
house the morning after the shooting at about
$3.50, In company with Thomas Hoskins He
saw the body, the bloody chair, the broken
window and the whole premises, except where
the muid erer stood. He stayed there until the
sheriff and the deputy sheriff arrived and the
sheriff measured the tracks, and they all started
out together TO trace them up. They traced
thom untit they got to the grass, and then he
was going home when he happened to think
that no would 70 and see II they could follow
tee tracks up TO Lindsey's house. They found
the tracks sgain on an old trail leading TO q de.
VtAaA ThAf 49, 1la L.. rls
far apart, as II ths man had been running. AZ
one place they found whore the man had taken
OF bic rubber boots and gone to the Lindsey
cabin in his stocking feet. The place where he
had taken Of bis boots was at the the bottom OF
the lane aud all the way up the lane to the
eah!n they found tracks, showing the coarse
knit OF the socks. kordstrom's cabin was q lit
70 over Q quarter of q mile from Masons. The
bot tina. made the tracks was we'll worn rub
Der boot, and It's prints could be seen very
plainly in the stiff mud. He could not find any
cseks OF the same appearance coming away
tom Lndsey's cabin.
Thomas Hoskins, who resides near Masons
house, told much the same story Is the proceed
lug witness.
John Rechienwsld testified that he found q
hat in Lindssy's cabin. Ii was . black SLOUGH
bat. and 1t had sheet out OF a note book in IL.
he could not positively identify the hat The
note in the hat was q sheet out of q note-book
on which note was written In Swedish
Jack" Mcdonald, deputy sheriff, testified
That he Was the officer who arrested Nordstrom.
he Identified the leather boots as the ones taken
OF Nordstrora in Jail. The socks worn by the
prisoner were also produced sud identified.
The witness also identified the cap which he
found on Nordstrom at tho time he was arrested.
He said:
was at the scene OF the shooting the next
mclnins, and found track near the window
IA h. - II fNl1. .xaA$ b. x.ks
until ! got TO the grass. when lost them at
sne TINE. went over TO spragues and got
horses and started around 10 RechtenwAids :.
W me way found fresh track OF man Win
leather boots OF. A little way further We found
Asson g dead dog. After passing kechtenwaIds
SCOUT 200 feet wo struck the same track again,
ana went around toward Gilman. The track
went hight through mud, the wsarer not sppsr'
sshay caring for the mud. ! hnaiiy lost the
saes, eni the next day found the same track
~ he corner OF Rowleys cabin, near 0iIman
Nesr the cabin were two men, one with snot-
gun. Invent mp to the cabin, for saw smoke
eonlng out of the chimney. IN the cabin were
some old windows sud a paper hsg with some
s.aekers in X: ! asked the men OUTSIDE II they
had seen anybody, aud they said "no." A half
ll4Ieiarther down the track saw q man Win
san IN his LETT hand. ! noticed that ne wore
ssked him how far il was up 10 go. he said
~ ech know. Then asked him IL his name
vac NerdsIroEa and lie said yes, ana jumped
~ shd took his gun away and arrested him he
.saee move as u to resist, but threw his gun
ngSN and took him 10 Gilman aud guarded him:
sc told me, IN answer 20 questions, that he had
~ sso,en ,Ae cap from man in Gilman, thar ne
aaa stared two nights in the lsnay cabin, be-
, eaass nc had no money u pay for bed in Gill
@Aa Bat found over S. on him
MT Mcdonald identified the rifle a. the one
uken from Nordstroin.
MIS- kechtenwsld testified that Nordstron al
Ways wore black slouca hat when he passed
nes HOUSE. She had seen him pass her house
d. hat q rfr,U Nj