The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-12-16
GONE TO THE JURY.
Carl Wilson Presents an Exception
ally Strong Defense-Was the
Witness Rowland In
Inundated.
Louis Eberhart Charged With FelOn
iOusly ApprOpriating S175.

with manslaughter in the first degree,
was all in before noon today, and the
arguments were made to the jury by
the attorneys this afternoon. During
trial of the case there was less than
/ the usual amount of pickering as to
the admissability of evidence, and
very little that had any bearing on
the case was objected to. One who
had listened to all the testimony on
both sides of the case could not fail to
be impressed with the strength of the
defense.
The main points brought out by the
state were the fact that the deceased
died suddenly at the dance in j. p.
Meyers granary, and that on thor
Ough post norton examination a
severe wound was found on the man,
as stated in the evidence already pub
lished. None of the parties present
saw anyone inflict any injuries upon
the deceased, save Thos. Rowland,
who now testIfieS that he saw the
prisoner kick Christian Thorstad just
before he fell. Rowland did not say
at Lake Crystal, but it is the testi-
shat he he said at that examination
and afterwards that he did not see
anything until his attention was
drawn TO Thorstad by hearing him
fall.
The defense, on the other hand, pre-
sented evidence tending to prove that
there was no motive for such a deed
as that charged, and that in fact it
was not done. The evidence shows
that Wilson and Thorstad were the
closest friends and had been for years,
and that Wilson took Thorstad's part
when Anderson wanted to fight him.
Several witnesses were looking at
Thorstad when he fell, and one was
talking to him, but no one saw anyone
kick or strike him. 1t was shown
that ThOrStad'S heart was wonderful
ly enlarged and was unhealthy and
that he was likely to drop dead after
any excitement.
From all the evidence, it appears
clear that Thorstad dropped dead from
heart disease, brought on by dancing
and drinking and the excitement of
trouble with Anderson. If the wound
was really as serious as stated, which
was not as bad as the first sensational
reports made it, it is possible that it
was made after he was dead.
Yesterday afternoon Ida Wilson
was put on the stand. She is a sister
of Carl Wilson, seventeen years old,
and was at the dance. She spoke of
the trouble between Thorstad and
Anderson, when the former knocked
the latter down. At the time that
Thorstad fell he was talking with
Betsy Ross. Witness saw no one kick,
strike or touch ThorStad before he
fell. The relations between Carl and
Thorstad were always pleasant and no
trouble occurred between them that
night or at any previous time. Thor
stad gasped a few times after he was
placed upon the bench Witness
thought that he was stunned by strik-
ing his head upon the floor.
The sworn statement of Betsy Ross
was then read, the attorneys on both
sides stating that they did not know
where she is. She stated that she was
six feet from him when Thorstad
fell. She had motioned to him to
come to her and he had come and they
were talking together. She placed
her hands upon his shoulders and told
him not to have any trouble there.
He went two or three steps back and
threw up his hands and fell over back
wards and his head struck the floor.
Witness was looking at him at the
time, and did not see Wilson kick him.
If he had kicked him she would have
seen it. After he had been picked up
and placed on the seat Anderson went
to him and called him an indecent
name, but he did not answer. Saw
Thorstad dance. He looked pale, but
Cd Of
near enough to ThOrStad to kick him,
when he fell. l am thirty-four years
old.
John Meyer was called and told how
he washed the body. He had made no
objections to taking off the pants, ex-
cept that it would be hard to put
them on again. There was a slight
discoloration on the scrotum, but not
much more so than elsewhere on the
body, where the blood had settled.
Felt of the testicles, but did not dis
cover anything the matter with them,
and one was like the other. Am a son
of ]. P. Meyer, but was not at the
dance.
Eric Nelson testified to being pres
ent at ,le washing and to seeing Riley
and MaSper examine the Scrotum, but
said that Meyer did it much more
carefully.
j. NJ Mead. of Lake Crystal, was
called and said that he is 50 years of
age, and has lived in Blue Earth coun-
ty for So years. He was justice of the
peace for 20 years and the examina-
tion of Tudor Anderson was conduct
ed before him. ThOS. Rowland was
there sworn as a witness, and, if wit
ness remembered rightly he testified
that he did not see ThorStad fall, as
his back was toward him, and he stat
ed that he was testifying all he knew
in the matter. After Rowland was ar
rested, witness talked with him and
he said that at the examination he
had testified all that he knew. He
also stated that he did not see anyth-
ing that caused Thorstad to fall. OF
these statements, the witness was
very positive.
A recess was taken until 900 o'clock
this morning
A. j. Stackpole was the first witness
put on this morning. He was pres
emit at Anderson's examination at
Lake Crystal Thos. Rowland testi-