The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1895-10-04
GOES TO YANKTON
FitrOeff FidrOff Fares no Better at His
Second Trial Saturday and Will
Go to YanktOn.
he is Not Really Insane but is Considered
by the Insane Commission to be
Dangerous.
HE KILLED HIS MAN
Two Men Fight a Duel to the Death on
a Farm in Miner County, One
Victim Dead.
HE KILLED HIS MAN
TRIED FOR INSANITY.
Fitreotf Fidror Gets Another Hearing as
to His Insanity.


Some two weeks ago Fitreoff Fidroff,
Russian farmer, living down in Pros
per township was arrested on complaint
of his daughter Ida, alleging that he
was insane and dangerous. At that
time Fidroff was examined by the
board of insane commissioners and thew
arrived at the conclusion after hearing
the evidence, that he was fit subject
for the 4ankton insane asylum. Some
of Fidroff's friends in his neighborhood
thought he was anything but insane
and enlisted the sympathy of w. H.
Helwig who secured rehearing OF
of Fidroif's case and it occurred Satur-
day afternoon in the clerk OF courts
office before Judge Johnston and DR..
r. c. Warne, Attorney Mohr not be-
ing present.
At two o'clock about all the people
down in that neighborhood had gather
ed at the court room to hear the evil
dence. The prisoner was brought in by
Sheriff Cook and seated by his attor-
ney, Mr.. Helwig, smiling recognition
OF his neighbors who were standing
around. Ole Hendrickson, a brother
in-law Of the prisoner, was the first
witness called and gave his reasons for
believing Fidroff to be crazy. He re-
ferred to time when he was at Fid-
rotf's house when he poured pan of
milk on the floor and sprinkled ashes
in it, and did not think man in pos
session of his mind would do anything
like that Another instance was where
F'idrotf whipped his wife with picket
rope, both of these incidents in his in
sane career occurring about seven years
ago.
Ida Fidroff was the one who made
the complaint and she stated that she
and the rest of the family were actually
afraid of their father, that several
times he had threatened to kill them
and they were very much afraid he
would carry his threat into execution.
She stated that two weeks ago her
father came home and not finding din
ner on the table seemed to get mad
over nothing and because she made
some remark threw her out doors and
also pitched the machine on which she
was sewing after her. She stated fur
ther that he always placed an sax and
pitchfork by the outside door every
night, claiming he might gnd use for
them before morning Another pecul-
lar action was the fact that he had
changed his name, marrying her mother
under the name of Peterson and then
changing it to F'idroff.
h1rs
smile, took the stand and gave about
the same testimony, adding that within
the last three weeks her husband had
been getting worse, which she could tell
from the appearance of his eyes.
While she did not believe him to be
actually insane, as the term implies,
she thought he was dangerous and was
constantly in fear of her life. She did
not care particularly about sending him
to the asylum if something else could
be done SO there would be no danger.
His fits Of insanity were more notice
able at times when he became angry,
when he would swear and curse and
threaten their lives. 1t was such ac-
tions as these that kept them in fear
also related an incident when Fidroff
w. " w AiSi IL Jill q SuSoAA obo oiiO was
laid up for a long time. Mr.. Bureson
thought the way Fidroff acted in vari-
Gus things that he certainly must be
crazy, and told of a corn transaction he
had with him. The witness went over
to collect some money for the corn and
Fidrotf got excited over the affair and
and attempted to use hatchet rather
threateningly. This ended that side
OF the case. Mr.. Helwig then put the
defendant, Fidroff, on the stand and he
made very poor witness for himself,
showing too much of his eXcitable ma
ture. He is short, thin and cadaver-
GUS looking man and does not lay much
claim to intellectually and when he
attempted to tell his story in very bad
broken English the reporter had to
give up the idea of catching even
thread of the conversation. Knute
Strand, Mrs. Strand, Hans Refer
son, Nels Nelson, Chas. Wilson.
Ole Olson and r. D. Prescott
were examined and testified that
they did not believe him to be crazy
and never saw anything in his actions
that would lead them to believe him to
be insane. MIR. Helwig made short
plea to have Fidroff discharged from
custody on the ground that it had not
been shown that he was insane and
thought that a better way would have