The Dickinson press., 1895-12-07
THE TRIAL.
Direct Testimony Of Fred e. Roehnl,
the Principal Witness for the
Prosecution.

The defence in the Wadsworth
trial made a hard fight to prevent the
testimony of Fred c. Roehm. The
court allowed the boy to testify, and
the following is Il reproduction of his
direct testimony given in the Even.
ing Bismarck Tribune on November
80:
He said that he first became nc.
quainted with the defendant about
October, 1894. He met him in his
fathers store in Dickinson, and
agreed to 60 to work for him for SIS
a month during the winter, but he
was to have more wages in the fol.
lowing spring. Witness had worked
in Fargo at the Columbia hotel and
for the Western Union telegraph
company. Had also gone to school
at Fargo. Was born in Germany hut
lived in Fargo six years. His testi.
mony from this point was substan.
italy as follows: / knew Ed Severson
after l went to the Wadsworths; he
was not working for the Wadsworths
when l went there except in assist.
ing them with work that I could not
do; he used to 60 hunting sometimes;
l remember the day that Ed Severson
was killed; it was the 2lst of Decem.
Der last on a Friday; l had u CONVEX.
sation with Mr.. Wadsworth on the
day before that; it was in the even.
ing after l came in from cutting CO.
OAR; the conversation occurred in the
barn; there are two barns at the
place; it was the one nearest the
house. l was feeding the horses
when Wadsworth came in; he asked
me IT l wanted to kill Ed; 1 told him
no, what did l want to kill Ed for;
he said he would give me 800 if l
would do ii; 1 said No sir, l would
not kill him; we had some more cor.
versation but l don't remember what
it was; about half an hour after that
l had another conversation with Mr..
Wadsworth; he took me into the hay
NOW and asked me again if I wanted
to kill Ed; he offered me 800 again
If l would do it and l said no l would
not kill him, and then he offered me
$500; l asked him when he would
pay me and he told me he would pay
me the next spring some time when
he sold his horses; he told me l
could buy horses and u wagon with
the money, and he would set me up
in a ranch and help me out in every
thing; finally I agreed to do it; then
we ate supper together; after the
first conversation with Wadsworth I
told Ed that Wadsworth wanted me
to kill him, and Ed laughed; he did
not say anything; after the last con-
%versation l asked Wadsworth when l
should kill Ed and he said the next
morning; | asked him what with and
ne said Eds gun; l was to kill him
down at the lower barn in the morn.
ing when he went to feed his horse;
it was dark that night the goth when
we ate supper; we all ate supper to.
gether-Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth,
Ed and myself; I slept with Ed that
night and got up before Ed did the
next morning at 6 o'clock; l built
the fire after ! got up; when 1 got up
SeYerson was still in bed; after 1 had
built the fire Mr.. Wadsworth came
out, and / went into the shed and got
Eds gun; I went into the shed first
and Mr.. Wadsworth followed me; he
told me to get the gun; the gun was
hanging on the wall; he asked me if
there was a shell in it, and 1 said
there was; it was a rifle; l took the
gun and started down to the lower
barn. and he came with me; MI.
WadswOrth told me to brace up, as I
was nervous, and I did; it is probably
about 200 feet from the house to the
lower barn: we went through the
corral gates to get to the barn; he
went in through the door, and l fas-
tened the door on the outside and
climbed over the door; l put the gun
up to my shoulder and could not aim
with it, and Mr.. Wadsworth told me
to rest it on the horn of a saddle that
hung at the left of the door as you
enter the stable: 1 placed the muzzle
of the gun over the horn of the sad.
die. and Mr., Wadsworth said that
was all right: he told me that when
he touched me I was to fire and
kill Ed; Mr.. Wadsworth was stand.
ing behind me at the time he told me
to fire when he touched me; after a
little bit we heard Ed come in to the
first corral door, and Wadsworth told
me to get ready and / got ready; 1
could see Ed through the cracks of
the stable walls; when Ed came
Wadsworth punched me and / pulled
the trigger. and the gun went off and
Ed said ugh! UGH" twice and fell
on the ground; l began to cry and he
asked me what I was crying for, and
he told me to take the shell out of
the gun and throw it oyer the fence,
which I did; he fell right where he
was shot; after that we carried him
out of the stable door where he fell
into the corral, perhaps about twenty
feet; Mr.. Wadsworth got hold of his
collar with his left hand and I got
between Eds legs and carried him
that way into the corral; we placed
his hat the way it was when he fell,
and put one of his mits under him;
before we carried him out we turned
him round 80 that Mr.. Wadswoit!h
went first with Eds head, We left
him lying on his face the way he fell
in the stable; on the way up to the
house MI. Waasworth said I made a
good shot and must have shot him
through the heart, he died 50 sudden;
when we got up to the house Mrs.
Wadsworth was there; she looked as
though she had been crying: this
was the first time l had seen her that
morning; I put the gun in the shed
where l had taken it from earlier; at
breakfast I was there and Mr.. and
Mrs. Wadsworth; there was no con.
v%ersation during the breakfast after
breakfast I went out and got an arm.
full of wood, and Mrs. Wadsworth
told me to get some coats and robes
and cover Ed up; up to that time
there had been nothing said in the
house. SO far as I knew, that Ed had
been killed; I went out and got some
coats and covered Ed up: Mrs. Wads.
worth went down with me into the