The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-05-12
Deliberated For Over Three Hours
And Reached a Verdict On
The Fifth Ballot.
Metaq Showed Wonderful Nerve as
The Clerk Pronounced
His Fate.
JUDGE Webber Sentences Him to
Hard Labor at Saltwater
For Life.
Synopsis of the EvldenCe-kt-
torneys Eloquent and
Pathetic.

OuStaV MoIdS, luUlclou 1OI uuIueI
in the first degree, in connection with
having shot and killed Frederick
Kuehn. on Sunday afternoon, Aug.
29th, 1897, was found guilty of murder
in the second degree, and sentenced
to hard labor at Saltwater for life, by
Judge Webber.
The jury that saved Metag's neck
from the moose deliberated over their
verdict little more than three hours,
the body returning the verdict at
about $50 o'clock last Saturday night.
When the fact of the agreement was
announced large crowd Of citizens
followed the judge and attorneys to
the court room. Metag was in bed
and sleeping when the sheriff an
nounced that the jury had agreed. He
arose, and after five minutes walked
into the court room. He was more
pallid than ever, if that was possible,
and he blinked rapidly as he walked
up to Attorney Somerville, neither
passing word of salutation. As the
clerk read the verdict, mot guilty of
the crime charged in the indictment" !"
Metag's face frightened up, but when
the words "but guilty of murder in
the second degree" fell from the
clerks lips, Metag resumed the old
color. He never twitched, never said
word, apparently taking his medi-
cine philosophically, and with that
hope that springs eternal from the
human breast, that in years to come
he would regain his liberty.
The attorneys for the State we're
satisfied with the verdict; the defense
was not altogether, although the at
torneys knew that they we're fighting
against fearful odds.
1t would be miss not to say a word
in favor of Mr.. Clague's work for the
State. 1t was he that looked up all
the evidence, codifed it and had every
nail of the line where he could handle
it. And assisted by Mr.. Childs at the
trial there was peoples counsel that
the people have right to feel proud
of. Nor was the defense lacking in
Messrs. Somerville and Stuart, with
the elder eagle eye of Your Uncle Joe
Chadderdon watching both. MIR
Somerville's superb closing argument
exceeded all of his previous efforts
The scenes of Quo Vadis, the teach
ings of the bible, the lines of the con-
stitution of this free people, we're at
his tongues end. Facts incriminat-
ing Metag we're twisted about in his
favor, and the maIigning of the dead,
was held out as evidence that free
dom should be given to the living.
Nor was his petticoat plea a bit infer
ior to the best. Pointing to Mrs. Me-
tag, sitting on side of her husband,
with a bright-eyed girl on her lap.
and a slightly older son on her right,
the Sleepy Eye disciple of Monies
quieu, asked whether the jury was
going to tear those arms apart, make
the woman worse than widow, the
! children worse than orphans, or wheth-
er they we're going to give them the
happiness that was in their power:
whether the relic of barbarism, hang
ing, this crime against the law of God,
was going to supersede the law of the
bible; whether the wife and children
of Metag were going to carry flowers
to the grave of the husband and faith
er in commemoration of another judi
cial murder, or whether he was going
back to them with innocent hands.
And tears trickled down the cheeks
of some Of the jurors during this pet
ticoat plea. Mrs. Metag wept, as did
the boy by her side. The delegation
of women looked on in pity or curl
| osity, we're carried away by the ire