The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1897-05-08
THE KENsLER MURDER CASE
Mrs. Kensler Swears That Freel
Shot Her Husband.
They Then Buried the Body and Turne,
On tho Water--FreePS Statement,
The Case Submitted to the Jury We'd
nesday Evening.
FREEL FOUND GUILTY OF MURDER
IN THE FIRST DEGREE.


At 10 o'clock Thursday morning
April 29th, Alfred Freel and Josie
Kensler were brought into the dis.
trict court at Mountain Home to
plead in the case against them on
the charge of willful murder of John
Kensler last October. Both entered
plea of not guilty. The State is
represented by District Attorney
Rogers and N. Nj. Ruick, and Vic
Bierhower and E. Nj. Wolfe are at
torneys for Freel. Us. Waters rep.
resents Mrs. kensler.
There were forty witnesses sub
poened for the prosecution and ten
for the defense.
After the witnesses had been
sworn, the prosecuting attorney
made his statement of the case.
He said in part: The state expects
to prove that on the afternoon of
Oct. II. 1896, John Kensler was
seen in Glenn's Ferry in company
with the defendant, Alfred Freel.
Mr.. Kensler was drinking some
what. He left in company with
the defendant for the kensler rancl.,
arriving there in the evening, just
before dark. Mrs. Kensler, the two
children and the defendant, Freel,
were all in the house together. The
two children were put to bed about
7 o'clock. During the night a gun
was fired in the house. John Kens-
Ter has never been seen alive since
that time.
NJ. &. Lawrence, father of Mrs.
Kensler, was among the first wit
nesses who were put on the stand.
He testified that he assisted Charles
e. Corker in searching the premises
uf John kensler for Indications OF
crime having been committed.
Found a bullet hole in the head
board of the bed and also in the
cloth Innings on the walls. Suisse
quently Mr.. Lawrence was shown
the bloody print of woman's bare
foot upon the floor in front of the
bed. Witness also discovered a
sack filled with bloody canvas bur
led near the creek.
The trial was resumed Monday
r. A. Easley, who was deputy sheriff
at the time of the tragedy, was the
first important witness. Mr.. Easley
testified as follows:
after the body was found, Freel
called me to his cell in the Jail and
made this statement to me. He
said: Bob, come here, | want to
talk with you. Mrs. kensler lays all
the blame on me, and / had moth
ing more to do with it than | was
forced to- He then related to me
that he and kensler were at the
Ferry October 18th and drinking
some and drove thence home to the
barn yard. when / put the horses
up,' said he, supper was ready ;
John told me to leave the harness
on as he was going back to town.
Went in the house. John and Mrs.
kensler had some words; she say
ing in a joke she would not sign
the papers. He then got mad and
slapped her. She said: john, you'll
be sorry for this; you'll slap me no
more Freel then said it not being
his fight he embarrassed and wen,
to bed. At 10 o'clock, he stated
Mrs. kensler woke him up, saying
the old devil hit me again, I'm
going to kill him. and asked him
to help her; that he refused, and
she said, if you don't III get some
one else, and he then went back to
sleep. At II o'clock she woke him
up. There was another man pres
ent. She said, Help me get away
with old John The man drew a
gun ON him and compelled him to
get up. Got up and went into the
house, and saw Kensler on canvas
sheet on the floor dead. Mrs. kens-
Ter compelled him with a gun to
help the man carry the body out,
helped to bury him in the ditch /;
was forced to do so. Freel said the
mans face was BACKED.
S. B. Blackwell testified: knew
Kensler 20 years and Mrs. Kensler
ii years. After the body was found
] was in the Jail at Mountain Home
tn see prisoner there, and Freel
made a statement to me. | have
known Freel about s years. This
is his statement:
Witness related the statement,
which amounts to statement made
to Officer Easley, only that Freel
said when he tried to help carry the
body out, he sickened. The man
with the gun, he said, ordered him
to dig grave, and he tried to do
this, but weakened, and then Mrs
Kensler took the shovel and finished
the Job. After covering the body
up, Mrs. kensler and this man drew
the gun on him and said if he ever
told any one they'd kill him. The
man then went away. Freel then
asked me if the law could break
his neck for this. l said if he did
not kill John he was all right.
ups EENSIrR TESTIFIES.