St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-14

Evidence Not Sufficient to
Support Any Theory.
Coroner Whitcomb and jury of six
| representative business men listened
for three and half hours yesterday to
| evidence in the mystery surrounding
the murder of Martin 2. Erickson. The
| jury, after hearing the evidence, re-
| turned verdict that Erickson came to
his'death from pistol ball fired from a
pistol held in the hands of person to
| the jury unknown.
Erickson, it will be remembered. was
| shot and Instantly killed in his place of
| business, at $40 Decatur street. at 8
| O'Clock on the evening of Feb. l. The
| police and detectives at first advanced
the theory that robbery was the motive
| for the crime. This theory. however, it
was thought, would in manner reflect
on the department., and was soon
dropped. The next theory was that the
| murder had been committed Tor re-
| venge. but after considerable talk. in
| which Chief McGinn and Capt.
| Boerner both claimed that it
would be only few hours until
the murderer was captured, this theory
was abandoned. On Feb. s Edward
| Erickson, brother of the murdered
man. was brought to the Office of Chief
of Detectives McGinn, and for several
| hours was questioned and cross-queS-
toned by the celebrated thief-taker as
to the relations between the two broth
ers. During the ''SWeat box" inveStiga-
ton, as McGinn called it, Edward
| Erickson was Informed by the So-called
head of the detective department that
he ought to be locked up, but that he
| (MeGinn) had not decided whether he
would put him in Jail or not. The
scenes and incidents connected with the
murder were gone over by McGinn, and
the answers of Ericsson taken down in
shorthand, evidently with the purpose
of seeing if the witness would give the
same testimony at the inquest.
The police and detectives now adj
vance the theory that the murder was
the result of a conspiracy, and that the
fatal shot was fired by a left-handed
man. but just who is the left-handed
individual that is suspected the sleuths
VIII uOG say. NODC VI Tic uctSCilNSS
were at the inquest yesterday; but Capt.
Boerner, who had copy of the
statements made by Erickson at the
"sweat box" Investigation. was deeply
interested i'll the proceedings. The only
new evidence which has not been pub
lished was that brought out by the ties =
timony of DR.. Finnell, who made he
autopsy. The coat worn by Erickson at
the time he was murdered was shown
the doctor, and Oh the right hand side
of the collar of the garment was the
mark made by a bullet which had evil
IDENTIFY been fired at close range, as the
cloth was all discolored. The doctor
said this bullet hole could not have been
made by the same bullet which made a
flesh wound on Ericksen's neck, as it
was on the opposite side from the
wound. From thisit would appear that
three shots were fired by the murderer
instead of two, as those in the vicinity
at the time stated. The first witness
called was
ANNIE L. JOHNSON.
the young woman to whom Erickson
was to have been married in a short
time. Her testimony was that she had
known the murdered man about three
years, and last saw him alive the Tues
day evening before the murder. He
had never told her there was any objec-
ton by his relatives to his marrying
her. Once in the summer or 1888 Erick.
son had told her of dispute he had
| with
about meat bill. She knew he did not
visit his brother Edward Erickson's
house and had not attended his we'd
ding, but he did not give any reason for
1t. The last time she saw him he was
in good spirits. She did not know of
any one outside of his relatives who
objected to their marriage. A man
with whom she at one time kept com.
pany asked her if she intended to marry
Erickson; but that was in the summer
and at the time she did not know
whether she would or not, and so told
him.
The last time she saw Erickson alive
was at BeckStrom'S house on the Tues
day evening preceding the murder
BeckStrom and Erickson at the time
seemed good friends. She was of tine
opinion That Beckstrom knew she was
engaged to Erickson. A number of hel
friends had asked her if she were mar.
ried to Erickson, but no man had cues
toned her except Beckstrom, who
asked the question the Tuesday night
She didn't pay any attention to is talk
because he was rather tipsy. She did
not know whether Erickson had his life
insured or not. Before Christmas he
showed her a large revolver. He haG
been presented the revolver. but seldom
carried it, and she did not kno w where
he kept it. She and Erickson took g
trip to Minneapolis, and looked at some
rings, and it was after returning from
Minneapolis that several of her friends
had asked her if she were married. Sh,
had never talked to Beckstrom about
her marriage except the one time, tw,
days before the murder, as alread,
stated.
DIR. FINNELL TESTIFIED
to flesh wound on the right side of tn
neck. the bullet having passed through
the flesly part of the neck, making
wound half an inch in depth. The othe
wound. and the one that caused death
entered the body at the lower part O
the breast bone, passed through the
liver, cut the big artery and struck til
, backbone. There was an abrasion Of
, the right side of the nose, as if the dea
man had been struck with some instru
ment. If the dead man was on hi
hands and knees on the floor, the sho
that struck him in the neck could no
have been fired by person VINO stoo
. Oh his left side with the pistol in hi
! right hand. The oyercoat, shirt an
collar worn by Erickson were shown TIL
doctor, and bullet hole in the
2 right-hand side of the oyercoa
collar pointed out to him. Thu
|. bullet hole the doctor said could nc
1. l.