Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-06-29
WENDELL TRIAL is ON.
Ishpeming Case Being Heard at
Menominee on Change
of Venue.

OF venue.
Menominee Mich, June 23.-[Special.l
Little 5-year-old Eva Lafraniere dis
appeared from her home at Ishpeming,
Mich, June "a, 1895; ten weeks later
her bruised, bloodstained and party de-
composed body was found in the attic of
the Wendell home not far from the La
franiere house, and today, just one year
lacking a day from the little girls dis
appearance, Carl Wendell, aged 10, is
on trial charged with her murder, one of
the foulest deeds, if the allegations of the
prosecution be true. in Northern Michi-
gan's criminal history.
The case came to Menom;uee circuit
on a change of venue, it being alleged
that the people Of Marquette county, in
which the alleged crime was committed,
were prejudced. The trial was begun
before Judge Stone yesterday. A panel
of seventy men had been drawn and
fifty had been examined by the time the
following jury was secured last evening;
Jerry Madden Menominee; William Max
well, Holmes township; G. I. Wartime,
Nadeau; Barry Schooner, Menomineei
Charles Nelson. Mellen; Wolfgang Reindl,
drew Wallin, Stephenson; Charles Scog.
Holmes; Charles johnson, Meyer; e. J.
Webster, Meyer; G. B. Rank, Menominee.
Prominent Counsel Engaged.
The Wendells are poor, but they have
some well-to-do relatives and the best
legal talent available has been procured.
r.. 9. Flanagan, well-knoWn crimi-
nal lawyer of Norway; e. D. Osborn,
general solicitor for the Chicago &
Northwestern Railway company, now
| of Chicago, but formerly of 1shpeming,
and 7. J. Dundon of Ishpeming will de-
fend, and I'll. 0. Young, prosecuting at
torney for Marquette county, will be
assisted by Col. John Atkinson of De-
troit, said to be one of the best advocates
in Michigan.
TOday's Proceedings.
| The case was resumed this morning
at 9 o'clock. The jury is quartered at
| the National hotel in charge of Sheriff
Astrup and are under the strictest sur
vigilance. No newspapers are allowed
them except such as are emasculated of
every reference to the trial. Judge
Stone opened court promptly on time,
at which III. 0. Young, prosecuting at
torney for Marquette county, proceeded
to open the case of the people to the
jury. He infinitely detailed every fact
and circumstance from the time little
Eva entered the Wendell residence on
! the Oath day of June last until her putrid
body was found some ten weeks later.
Contrary to general expectation, Mr..
Young made no statement of the cause or
animus of the crime. It had been cur
tempt at one would be set up by the
prosecution, but no such statement was
made. Neither did the prosecution set
forth any theory as to the means by
which and the exact place where the
child came to her. death. The defense
| interpOSed an objection upon this pOr-
ton, or rather hiatus, of the presecu>
tons opening and asked for more ex-
! plicit statement, but it was not forthcOm-
ing. The case presented by the prosecu-
/ ton is entirely circumstantial and based
| principally upon alleged discriminatory
| statements made by the defendant to boy
| companions.
! Only two witnesses were sworn before
| the noon receSS-Architect Mennie, who
made the diagrams of the attic and sur
roundings, and Mrs. Jennie LaFrenier
mother of the murdered child. The lat
ter detailed the facts connected with the
little girls disappearance and the subse-
/ quent finding of the body. Witness told of
the finding of the childs shoes and hat in
an upper room near the fatal attic and
! the boys standing guard, seemingly,
over the only entrance to the garnet.
History of the Alleged Crime.
| According to the statement of the case
made by the prosecution, Little Eva La
franiere went over to the home of the
| Wendell family on June "a, 1895, and
saw and talked to Carl Wendell, who
L
child soon went away and Wendell went
into an adjoining woodshed. While he
was in there the child returned and
asked for some ice cream. Wendell adj
mits these facts, it is said, but main
| tains that the girl went away after ask
ing for the ice cream and that he never
| saw her afterWard.
The girl did not return home As
the next day went by the parents be-
/ came distracted The police had made
| quite thorough search Of the city with
out success and it was then thought that
| perhaps the child had wandered out to
the woods Searching parties were then
organized. Nearly all the miners in the
city were idle at the time because of
the strike, and more than a thousand of
them, divided into squads and under
the leadership of experienced men,
secured the woods for miles about. Then
a systematic house-to-house search of
the city, made by the police on kid
mapping theory, failed to unravel the mys-
terry.
At the end of about ten weeks fear
! full stencil peryaded a certain locality
near the Wendell residence and deter
mined effort was made to locate the odor
and make known its cause. The official
finally penetrated an unused attic in the
| Wendell house, which had been made
by building roof over another one and
few feet higher, and in this place was
found the body of the little girl. Her
dress was covered with clothed blood, her
skull was fractured in two places and
more horrid sight never presented itself
to human eyes.
1t was soon noised about that young
Wendell had been the last person who
saw the child alive, and from certain
remarks alleged to have been dropped
by him and also from the fact of the
child's body being found in the Wcn-
deli attic, the officials caused the arrest
of the boy and charged him with the
murder. The theory of the prosecution
is that the boy decoyed the child up into
the attic and either assaulted her or
made an attempt and afterward commit
ted murder.