The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-26
CASE AGAINST FRANK WILSON APP
PEARS TO BE RATHER
WEAK.
AN ACQUlTTAL is EXPECTED.
THE CRIMINAL LIBEL TRIAL OF
w. e. HASKELL DRAGGING
ALONG.
R. HAUGAN'S NEW 30
BOND.
Board of Education Discusses
Change of COMMENCEMENT
News of minneapolis.

The case of Frank Wilson, charged
with the murder of Remie Ducharme,
is now in the hands of the Judge, who
will deliver his charge to the jury this
morning. The case of the state seems
weak, and it is believed the jury will
either acquit Wilson or find him only
guilty of murder in the second de-
gree. Wilson himself was on the stand
yesterday morning and testified that
he had been in Jepsons saloon at Hop
kinS July "a in the afternoon. When
asked If he was there with the Grip
pie, he said he was not, that the Grip
pie happened to be there at the same
time he was. Wilson was joined by
McKelvey, and the two went from
there to a butcher shop. He denied
that the cripple went along. He might
have followed them, but he did not
walk beside them. Wilson claimed he
knew nothing of McKelveys having
sent the cripple into Mrs. Bassett's to
borrow frying pan, as testified to by
McKelvey yesterday. In Jepson's sa-
loon there is supposed to have been a
quarrel between Wilson and the Grip
pleer~ some one else, but Wilson de-
MED any quarrel with the cripple.
After leaving the butcher shop the
three finally got down near the rail
road tracks, where McKelvey was to
cook the supplies Wilson mad bought.
Soon after the cripple wanted to Dor
row a quarter to go back to Mime
apolis and though asked to take sup
per with them, went down the track
and that was the last seen of him.
Wilson said he had never seen the
cripple before that day.
Mr.. Flyn, a gunsmith, the next wit
ness for the defense, could not be
found, and the defense rested. The
state asked to be allowed to recall Nc
Kelvey for further cross-examination
The defense objected on the ground
that cross examination was then out
of order, but the court allowed the
witness to go on the stand.
McKelvey denied that after the ar
rest of Wilson, when he had been ap-
preached by Deputy Marshal Bates he
had said Wilson had gone down the
tracks with the cripple earlier in the
evening. He denied the question in
various forms, growing more positive
each time Deputy Marshal Bates took
the stand in rebuttal and positively
affirmed that McKelvey had made such
a statement to him, having said that
the man arrested and the cripple had
gone down the track toward the west
together. The cripple was wanted as
witness of the assault of Wilson
on Ole Jensen
Marshal Cooper stated that he had
asked McKelvey where the cripple had
gone and McKelvey had replied:
Down the tracks," meaning toward
the west
John Klopps. of Hopkins, was pres
ont T1rba al
ter and McKelvey up to the lookup
after the arrest of Wilson. He testi-
fed that he had heard McKelvey tell
Cooper that Wilson had gone down the
track with the cripple
Daniel Burns and John Burns both
testified to hearing the statement on
the part of McKeivey. Both McKelvey
statements.
After a brief recess, Mr.. Purdy be-
gan the closing argument for the state
briefly outlining the history of the
supposed crime and spending some
time on a definition of circumstantial
evidence. Mr. Purdy occupied nearly
the entire afternoon with his argu-
ment, piecing the testimony of the
various witnesses together in a way
which made an evident impression
upon the jury, and making a very
strong case of the apparently weak
evidence offered by certain witnesses.
The stories of McKelvey ard Wilson
that the cripple had gone to Mime
apolis declining to eat supper with
them was ridiculed as being made of
whole cloth, and the testimoney to i'm
peach their testimony dwelt upon at
length, this being the vulnerable point
of the case for the defense.
1t was nearly o'clock when Mr.
Purdy concluded his address and At
torney LOOMS lost no time in present.
ing the case for the prisoner. He did
not occupy the floor for so long a time
as did Mr. Purdy, but his plea for the
prisoner was very clear and concise
and no point was omitted which would
be calculated to aid his client. He ap-
pealed to the jury to do justice to an
innocent man. He contended that the
evidence offered by the state was
ridiculOusly inadequate to uphold the
charge of murder. 1t was not proved
that Ducharme had died on the oath of
July, and, admitting that he had been
killed on that day, there was not
particle of evidence to show that he
had come to his death at the hands
of the defendant. He took occasion to
score the methods adopted by the state
in securing evidence and he was en-
phatic in his denunciation of the man
ner in which the state had secured
the ADMISSION OIL evidence showing tnaC
letters had passed between himself
and Witness McKelvey. He called the
attention of the jury to the remark
able similarity of the stories told on
the witness stand by the defendant
and McKelvey, and he declared that
the two men had not seen each other
or communicated with each other since
the day they parted at Hopkins when
Wilson had been arrested.
he p0no111dad and Tn6oa
Smith said he would reserve his charge
to the jury until this morning, and ac-
cordingly dismissed the jurors for the
night
TESTIMONY WAS TIRESOME.