The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1893-02-11
A COLD BL0OOED MURDERER
The Trial Of N. r. Thompson at
DeSmet Today.
cooi'y Planned 10 Xiii Three People
and Then himself :. SIOUX Falls
Printers Will Ask Pardon
for Richard Hebh.

HuRoN. s. D., Feb. 9.-The trial of
N. R. Thompson for the murder of Mrs.
Blighten ct Arlington, on the 4th of
July last, began at DeSmet Wednesday
before Judge Andrews. Over 100 men
have been summoned from which to
draw II jury, and the case promises to
be one of unusual interest. Thompson
has been in Jail here since the day fol.
lowing his crime, and while he has
had very little to say concerning his
awful crime, he exhibits anxiety as to
his own fate.
Thompson was living with his second
wife with whom he had frequent quar-
rels. Tired of his abuse she caused his
arrest and for a time he was confined
in Jail in this city. At the June term
OF the Kingsbury county court the In
dictment against him was quashed.
Meantime his wife succeeded in getting
a divorce and was given share Of the
property. This exasperated Thomp-
son more than the loss
OF his wife. and he de-,
termined to either compel her to again
live with him OF end her days. Mrs.
Thompson, after separating from her
husband. made her home with Mrs.
Blighten in Arlington. On the morn
ing of the murderous assault the peo.
pie OF Arlington We're engaged in
Fourth of July celebration, the parade
had lust passed the Blighten residence
when Thompson appeared at the door
and asked for an interview with his
wife, and this is his story as told to
to Your correspondent the tlnv after be-
ing placed in Jail here:
The woman tried to kill is my
second wife; we have lived together
twelve years. had three children by
my first wife--two girls and one boy
they IRE all living; one girl is married,
the other is telegraph operator in
Chicago. The youngest child is a boy
u years old. My last woman and
frequently had trouble about the chill
dren, especially about the boy. She
wanted me to bind him out, and l did
not want to do it. Did send him away
once, but he came home and was sick
for q long time. My wife wasn't
good to him. always treated
her we'll, but she has had
me arrested twice for abusing
her. In neither case did she succeed in
getting me convicted, although was
in this Jail for several weeks. was
let out on the 18th of June, and when
the case was called in court was ac-
quilted. She got divorce by misrep-
resenting me- The division of property
was all wrong. We had a good house
and nice farm near Arlington, and
could not give it up. worried over it
and could not sleep, so / decided to
make her come home and live with me
Dr. end her days. first thought I'd
shoot her, the woman with her and q
lawyer who helped get her divorce, and
then kill myself. i started to Lake
Preston to get revolver, but changed
my mind. ] thought they might get
pnto what ] wanted and wouldn't let
me have it, so / went home and got a
butcher knife. made it good and
sharp, for wanted to do a nice Job.
When j got ready I went to Mrs.
l3lighten's-I guess that's her. name :
where my wife was. The old woman
was harboring her and keeping
her away from me: she DESERVED all she
got. had q short talk with my wife;
told her she was a good girl and Iasked
her to go home with me and there
would be no more trouble. She said
she wouldn't go and didn't want any
thing to do with me. ] said, take
that! and struck her with knife
aimed little too high to strike her
bowels and the knife hit her corset;
She jumped and struck her again. i
think ] hit her four or Ave times, but
the corset was in the way and ]
couldn't get the knife into her. The
other woman ran up and gave her a
lick across the body that I guess let
her insides ont; think it will finish her
was ready to run the knife into my
self when some men caught me-
didn't do the job as expected to be-
cause missed killing my wife first.
I'd have fixed Ill of 'em if they hadn't
got me. ! wanted to stop the trouble
md didn't know how else
to do it. got half a
aollar's worth Of opium and took it all
before did the cutting, but it didn't
aave any effect. wanted it to kill me.
had 10 cents worth of morphine when
Ihe men took me. ! believe my mind
is affected. my sleep is broken--it has
been SO for p long time My first wife
went crazy. guess I'm nearly crazy
l will kill myself when get u chance.
don't want to go to an asylum
Not long after Thompson's arrest,
his son also was taken into custody as
an accomplice, and was in Jail here
several weeks. He was admitted, To
bail. The boy is said to have assisted
his father in sharpening the knife with
which the cutting was done, knowing
for what purpose the knife was to be
used. A few days following the trag-
edy, Mrs. Brighten died of the wounds
inflicted by Thompson, but his wife re-
covered, although she fingered in a
critical condition. Thompson is proba-
bly, go years of age and is of Scotch
Irish descent.
RICHARD HEee's CASE.