The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-12-30
FOR MURDER.
Frank Geifer now on Trial for MUIR
dering and RObbing Leonard
ROway.
An Account of the HelnOuS Crime for
Which the Young Man Is Be-
ing Tried.

and half was taken up in getting
four jurors, and the regular panel be-
ing then exhausted, a special venire
for fifty Jurors was issued, returnable
at nine o'clock this morning, to which
time court took recess. Seven jur-
ors were obtained on the regular panel
in the Martha Kuester case.
w. B. Torrey, W. r. Geddes, and
Thos. Bohan were appointed "triers, J"
to pass upon the qualifications of the
jurors to sit upon the case, where
challenges for actual bias were made.
Assistant Attorney General Childs
arrived this morning to assist County
Attorney Byron Hughes in the pro-
secution. Giefer is defended by LOrin
Cray and w. e. Young.
Sheriff Glynn went to Mapleton and
secured 26 jurors for the special
venire, and Deputy Bowen went to
Lake Crystal and got 20 -Four were
secured in Mankato. It is thought by
the court that Mankatoites are too
well posted upon the case to be unob-
jectionable jurors, and that proper
Jury could be sooner secured among
those from distance.
This morning all of the petit jurors
not on the panel were excused for the
term.
When court convened the room was
flied with the special jurors. The ad-
vantage of going into the country for
these was shown by the fact that the
jury was completed this forenoon, and
that only 10 out of the so were sworn
in getting the remaining eight jurors.
The jury. completed, is as follows:
Herman Temple, John B. Detgar, A.
E. Osgood, Edward G. Douglas, Peter
a. Hanson, w. W. Taylor, Robt.
Sutherland, Thos. e. Evans, Louis
label, Chas. N. Fuller. Cooper Schim-
nele and David Herbert.
Ali of the remaining special jurors
were excused and discharged.
4 recess was then, at 1880 o'clock,
taken until 80 O'Clock. Judge Seve-
rance cautioned the jurors from talk
ing to others or among themselves
about the case, or from hearing others
talk about 1t. 1t is one of the most
important cases. Human beings are
all iDflrm and are more or less self
opinated. If.any member should eX-
press an opinion upon the case he
might have a pride in standing by it,
Notwithstanding the evidence.
The case will probably occupy the
remainder Of the week, as there are a
large number of witnesses to be eX-
amined.
County Attorney Hughes opened
the case for the State this afternoon.
Fred Harmon and ChaS. Adamson
were the first two witnesses called,
They testified to finding Roway in
his shanty on the morning of Aug.
18th, and described his bloody appear
ance and weakness. AdamSon heard
him point to Giefer and say that he
was the man who assaulted and rob-
bed him.
The crime for which Giefer is being
tried was committed Aug. 18th. The
previous evening, Wednesday, Giefer
went to the shanty occupied by Leon
ard Roway, west of Willard & Pol
chow's brick yard, and together they
went to Madigan's saloon and drank
several glasses of beer, but not enough
to make either of them drunk. Chef
er attempted to borrow money of
Roway, who had just been paid about
$50. Roway repeatedly refused to lend
him money and fearing to show his
money, told Madigan that he would
pay him for the drinks next day.
When Roway started to go home Chef
er asked him which way he was going,
but it is not known whether or not
Roway told him. At any rate, Geifer
went out ahead ofRoway, went rapidly
to the brick yard and there way laid
Roway and brutally assaulted him
with hammer, inflicting terrible in
juries from which he died few days
later. He stole up upon the old man
from behind and dealt him an awful
blow, telling him to the ground and
breaking him skull, and then rained
blows upon his head until he was APP
pearantly dead. Then Giefer robbed
the unconscious man, taking all the
money that he had except 25 cents.
Evidently thinking that the old man
was dead and that dead men could
tell no tales, Giefer went to his lodg-
ing house, the Minneopa House, and
the next morning went to work at the
brick yard. But Roway revived suf-
ficiently to pull himself into his shan.
ty, where he was found in the morn
ing by fellow workmen. He was able
to recognize and accuse Giefer of the
crime, when the latter went to the
shanty to take a look at his victim
Giefer then fled, walking TO Lake