Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-08-01

A Jury Secured and the Case TOR
the State Opened by Attorney
Miller witnesses for the State
Offer Sestimoney.
Fargo, July 25.-After over week
spent in the examination of talesmen,
q jury has been selected in the Kent
murder case. Thlkfollowing are the
jurors who are to determine the fate
s' !: 9 Newman, H'et on Dnrsno'o-
Thomas Baker, Whea land, employe
of the Reidler-R Robinson Lumber CON-
pany.
a. G. Lewis, Fargo, grocer.
w. ]. Price, Fargo, plumber.
A. Plummer, Fargo, insurance.
j. MacSmith, Fargo, real estate.
w. G. Judd, Fargo, insurance.
l.. i. Newton, Fargo, railroad man.
w. II. Owen, Reed, farmer.
L. A. Barnes, Barnes, farmer.
w. +. Morris, Fargo, news dealer.
f. w. r. Fleming, Fargo, paper
hanger.
The opening for the state was made
by Attorney Miller, who said in sub
stance:
"The state will attempt to prove to
you that frequent quarrels were had
between Kent and his wife, and that
he had planned to have her killed by
a third party, and that he had story
prepared, prior to the commission of
the crime, for the accomplish to tell,
and that part of the plan was his
leaving Mandan prior to the killing.
"The state will also attempt to
prove that in the month of February
the defendant approached Swidensky
and asked him to kill his wife; that he
would arrange everything so that it
could be safely done. That he told
Swidensky that he had $4,000 in En-
gland, and that he agreed to pay $751;
600 for committing the crime. That
he arranged place of meeting with
Swidensky after he had left Mandan,
and that he would assume the name
of J. G. Pope. That at first Swidenslxy
shrank with horror from the plan.
That Kent gave as reason that he
had put away his first wife; that he
had taken 5000 from the bank, and
that his wife was getting suspicious,
and that he could stand it no longer.
That on March 8 Kent told Swidensky
to write his plan in book so he would
not forget, and Swidensky wrote it,
and that it was arranged that the
murder be committed on the night of
March Is.
eve shall show you that Kent left
Mandan and went to Steele and con-
fessed that he was an embezzler and
left a note and chattel mortgage for
$500 with him.
1--WE shall show you that on the
night Of March 13, Mrs. Kent was shot
and killed by Thomas Swidensky, in
accordance with the prearranged plan.
That the boy was sent to neighbours
to tell of the shooting, making the
claim that it was accidental. At the
inquest the prearranged story was told
by Swidensky in detail, and we will
show you how later the truthful story,
as we expect to prove, was told by the
accomplice.
eve shall show you Of the travels Of
| September, and that he told Detective
Hoy, whom he thought was working
in his interest, to try and get the note
book from swidensky, as it would be
strong evidence against him. This
note book the state contends was the
book in which Swidensky wrote the
plan Of Kent"
A motion was made by Attorney
Hildreth that all witnesses for the
state be excluded from the room dur
ing the course Of the trial, except when
testifying, which was granted by the
court.
A plan of the Kent house was sub
mitted in evidence without objection
on the part of the defense.
The first witness sworn was II. L.
Hankey of Mandan, who lived near
the Kent house, and testified to the
fact Of Swidnesky being employed by
Kent. He was aroused by Earl Kent
about midnight on the night Of March
II. and proceeded to the Kent house,
where he found Mrs. Kent lying on
the floor dead.