The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-02-12
The State Closes.

CohFCuOu pIOupUly dU ulue
O'Clock this morning. After the roll
OF the jury had been called, County
Attorney Hughes commenced shis
closing argument for the state. 1t
was the first address that he has been
called upon TO make since assuming
his office, and much expectation hung
upon his remarks. He acquitted him
self most creditably, making a clear
presentation of the case, both as re-
CARDS the facts and the law.
The court room was crowded long
before the time for calling the case,
by the largest number of spectators
that has yet come together during
the trial. Interest in the case seemed
to reach climax in the arguments,
and both sides were listened to with
the closest attention.
Mr.. Hughes opened by speaking of
the painfulness of the duty which de-
volved upon him. He spoke of the
pleasant home of the Bornts, who
the infatuation of Gertie Smith for
Crook, their being engaged, and their
trip to Fairmont. Miss Smith clings
to her lover who was the slayer of her
uncle, as some women will to the
worst of criminals. The girls mother
and uncle were opposed to the match.
In
mothers house, but on the street
crossings and at stores. Instead of
going to Fairmont together, they
went to Winnebago City and met
clandestinely. They stayed at the
hotel there the second night. AS to
the propriety of this, the girls uncle,
Henry Bornt, had his views. Bornt
stood between Crook and the girl, and
this angered Crook and formed the
motive for the shooting. Some of the
young bloods of OAmboy'nmay have
urged Crook to go out to Bornt's and
give him threshing, and they would
pay his fine. But Crook was too big a
coward to do this. He passed by
Bornt's house frequently on his way
between McLean's and Amboy, but
did not stop to see Bornt. Crooks
chums are not going to tell any more
about the matter than they have to,
and are going to do what they can to
keep back the facts. The state has
had to work to get the information
that it has gotten.
Crook told John Decker that he
wanted to be taken out to Bornt's,
and didn't know whether he would
come back dead or alive. He spent
all day trying to get somebody to
drive him out to Bornt's, and wanted
a chum with him to help him get
away as quickly as possible to his
friends in Amboy, where the civil
authorities were his friends or rela-
tives. He had walked to McLean's,
further than Bornt's and on the same
road, time and time again. but he
knew what he was about this time.
He got Cornells revolver, tried it and
found that it would not answer his
purpose. He got itl clandestinely and
put it back in Cornell's coat pocket
clandestinely. He then took Frank
Lattin's revolver without Lattin's
knowledge. If he was going shooting
gophers, as he said, why did he get
two revolvers? After finding that
Lattin's revolver is big enough, he is
ready to 60 to Bornt's. Crook got the
revolver for but one purpose, and that
was to shoot Henry G. Bornt. Miss
Smith is afraid to testify that she
cried after Crook had shown her his
revolvers.
Crook is driven out to the farm by
Jesse Decker, who turns the team
around and comes back and waits for
Crook. The latter did not tell
Decker what he was going to do, be-
cause nobody that he had told would
take him out. Crook goes into the
barn and enters into conversation
with Henry Bornt in cool blood. Old
Mr.. Bornt was there and could hear
what was said, for he could hear
Henry milking, and Henry was
deaf and had to be talked to loudly
by Crook. The old man told his
story over ana over again without
varying aahair's breadth, and candor
was on his face when he told it. The
barn was lighted up with an entire
row of windows. Crook came there
intending to murder Bornt. The de-
Tense did not put on a word of what
Bornt had been enquiring of the janl-
tor. He had right to ask in regard to
the actions of his niece. What was this
that he asked? 1t was whether
his niece and Crook had been to
church together the previous Sunday
night. Was that worthy of death?
Yet for this, Crook decided to kill
him, and did kill him.
Crook fired three shots at Bornt.
: The course of the bullet shows that
Bornt was sitting milking the COW
when the pistol was snapped at him.
f+or +ho frct shot old Mr. ROrnt