The Dickinson press., 1895-12-14
THE wADswORTH TRIAL.
Continued From Last Week. The
Defense Opened Its Case Tuesday.

Stickney, the first witnesses for the
prosecution. This week the report
of the Wadsworth trial is resumed
and taken up to the timesoftASs ~
ing Of the s1lfetsslls--I SSsHSan.
SSsTsE 81 81.
ca9taalA( g1ss51l@
agtSeS1sotSa lsaied
ftsn4hssktskofs kofSs; tic Wads.
y0tfk1G6h0Wed no surprise and no in.
tereSt when the real cause was ascer.
tanned, save Mrs. Wadsworth said she
knew something was wrong from
their faces. The witness identified
Severson's clothing in court.
F. Alden Eaton was called by the
state.
He testified that in December last
he was acting coroner for the county
of Billings. He received word that
Ed Severson was dead, and he pro-
ceeded to the Wadsworth ranch to
make an Investigation. At the ranch
he found Messrs. Deitz, Ried and
Mikkleson, and swore them in as ju.
rors to hold the inquest. Mrs. Wads.
worth said to him that it was very
sad business that brought him there.
the death Of Severson. She also
spoke about Severs0n being kicked
by a horse. She said that it was
queer he should be killed by being
kicked by an old horse like that.
One would never think he would
have been killed by such an old
crippled horse. She also spoke about
there being some blood on his fore.
head. MI. Wadsworth was there but
he did not say anything. Tho wit.
ined the body, and came to the con-
clusion from the slight examination
they made, and after hearing the
testimony of MI. Wadsworth and the
boy Roehm, that Severson came to
his death from the kick of the horse.
A verdict of that kind was drawn
and signed by all the jurors and the
coroner. Then the coroner and ju.
rors proceeded to prepare the body
for interment, and as they proceeded
to take away the clothing from the
upper part of the body they noticed
a bullet hole in the left arm, and
another at the right side. Then
they all went into the house again,
and told the Wadsworths that Sew
erson had been shot. Mrs. Wads-
worth said "'Why. Mr.. Eaton!" Mr..
Wadsworth did not say a word. Mrs.
Wadsworth said they would like to
have q thorough investigation, but
MI. Wadsworth sat in his chair and
never said a word. For the half
hour that the witness and the jurors
stayed in the house, Mr.. Wadsworth
did not say a word.
In the cross examination, conduct.
ed by Mr.. Simpson, Mr.. Eaton ad.
mitted that Mrs. Wadsworth, when
informed of the shooting, said she
wanted a full investigation, and Mr..
| Wadsworth made a similar remark.
E. E. Mikkelson was called and
stated in detail the circumstances
surrounding the finding of the bull ct
holes in the body of Severson, and in
this and other particulars attending
the occurrences at the Wadsworth
ranch on the day of and the day fol.
lowing the homicide, his testimony
was similar to that given by other
witnesses. He c~orroborated the
other witnesses in many respects as
to the manner in which Mr.. Wads.
worth received the intelligence that
Severson had been shot instead OF
being kicked by a horse. The wit
ness stated upon his cross examina
ton that he and Severson had had q
conversation concerning Ro chm; thai
Severs0n had told him of a dispute
had by him with Roehm. and hat
stated that he (Severson) intended to
60 to work for Wadsworth again b,
the month";. and that Roehm coult
not stay there; witness told of anoth
or conversation he had with Wads
worth, in which the latter had ex
pressed himself as believing Sever
son a good man for him on the rancl,
and one he had confidence in; wit
ness also told of a talk he had wi tt
Roehm, in which the latter com
planned of the kind of horses he ha,
been given by Wadsworth to hau
coal with, but would not say Roehu
spoke as though unfriendly to Wads
worth.
Witness said also that Wadswortl
had been one of those to suggest tina
the body of Severson be re
moved from the corral, where
it was lying, to the summer sleepin,
room, whore the remains were lai
out: that Wadsworth had insisted
/, that this be done, as it would not d,
) to leave the body to lay out there a
night; in the matter Of the impress
] sion that the dead man had bee
} kicked, witness said he had aske,
Wadsworth how it eds death
could have happened, and that Wads
worth had answered that he mus
have been kicked by a horse, as ther
wasn't anything else around there t
e do 1t. Further, in this line, the wit
ness stated that when he looked a
e Severson's face he noticed blood Q
it, and a sort of black and blue mar
under it. The defense tried to brin
out an expression from him as
e whether this had been such a mar
d as to cause him to believe that f
l. had been kicked, but the prosecute
# successfully resisted this testimon,
= Mr.. Mikkelson corroborated til
is testimony of the other witnesses
to the entry of the jury and Wad
worth's actions in the house after
had been discovered that Sewers
n, had been shot; but he did not he
n Mrs. Wadsworth say she ''knew SON
thing was wrong"
rs Thos. Grozier testified that t
7 wind on the Monday following Il
IN date of the homicide was strong, al
lie. blowing from the house to the bar
&c so that the experimental shot til
was fred from the corral to see.
De the people in the house could hear
would not be likely to be heard thel
ed Wallace Ried testified to occ,
nd FENCES surrounding the homici
ew that the boy came to the Ried ran
and told them that Severson v
dead from the kick of y horse.
James w. Foley related the ia
ng az to his going to the Wadswol
ed ranch, and the inquiry held there
ep December "a. He stated that
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