Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-11-24
fl MURDER HERRING
Being Investigated In Justice MG6onigaI's
Court. Adjourned To Monday,
November 28th.

The hearing in the Wagner murder
case came up before Justice McGoni-
gal last Friday Attorney Howe is
the states attorney. City Marshal
Jacob Miller sits at his elbow as an
advisor. Mr.. Miller has been most
active in looking up evidence, pro-
curing witnesses, etc.
There are three defendants, Marga-
ret Wagner, an active woman of 60 or
65 years with intelligent face and the
appearance of strong viii and forceful
character, Mary Wagner, daughter of
Margaret Wagner, a bright, energetic
woman about thirty years old, and
Louise Wagner, little younger than
her sister Mary. The latter has sad
and respondent look and seems less
able than the others to bear the strain
under which she is placed. The at
torneys for the defense are Palmer q
Whitman of Boscobel and Lowry &
Clementson of Lancaster.
Following is the testimony. 1t is of
necessity somewhat abridged. 1t has
been the aim, however, to give all inn
portant facts.
BY agreement Mr.. Lon Farnham of
Fennimore, witness for the defense,
was called first after which the state
presented its case.
LON FARNHAM: | am druggist in
Fennimore. l keep for sale in my
store nursing bottles. Two or three
weeks previous TO the time (about
Nov. y that talked to you (Attor-
neys Howe and Palmer) | sold a nurs-
ing bottle to stranger. | had never
seen him before. 1t was a crook-neck
nursing bottle with long rubber tube.
When he asked for bottle l asked if
he knew what kind he wanted. He
said he was little green at the bust
and would leave the matter to me. |
suggested that if the nurse had time
to take good care of it to use short
necked bottle with valve nipple. If
not to take bottle with long tube so
the child could use it at any time
without bottle being held to its
mouth. He took the bottle with the
long rubber tube, took sn extra tube
as he thought the rubber was not very
good and wouldn't last long. The
man was about my size, perhaps ten
pounds heavier, had a black mus
tasche, was well dressed. was fluent
talker. am 5 feet, 4 inches tall and
weigh 135 pounds. This man had
the appearance of business man.
AMOS DEvoE: l am constable in
Boscobel, have been constable there
for % years. | know the defendants
in this case. l presume have known
them most of the time since | lived in
Boscobel. Don't think | ever spoke
to any of them until three or four
years ago. know that Louise Wag-
ner was taken to place to give birth
to child. saw the child after
wards. / took her from Boscobel to
Mr.. Belcher's in Crawford county
across the Wisconsin river, distance
of about q miles. 1t was Monday
morning about Oct. 10; Mary went
with us ! first saw Louise that night
about one o'clock. Her mother came
after me about midnight, | objected
to make the trip She came back
second time and begged me to go,
said she did not want the child born
at home, was afraid her husband
would raise terrible row about it
and throw them all out of the house
or something. went. When drove
up to Wagner's the three women came
out. Louise was suffering a good
deal. l objected to 60 alone with her
in that condition. So Mary went with
us. We were about one-half hour on
the road. | hurried along as fast as |
could. Went again to Belcher's, |
think on Thursday night, took Mrs.
Wagner with me. Don't remember
whether saw the baby or not. Went
again Sunday night, the 10th, with
Mary to get the baby. We brought
it back to the Wagner residence. Child
was alive when we got there. 1t
cried. got out of the buggy, took
the child out of Mary's arms while she
got out, and handed it back to her.
She asked me if I wouldn't open the
gate for her-the gate by the barn.
said YES" and turned around when
she said, ''Never mind, there comes
MOTHER / saw a woman coming to
the gate and said, ''All right, got in
to the buggy and drove away. We
went to the south gate by the barn
because Mary was afraid her father
or one of the boys might see us if we
got out at the front gate where the
street lamp shone. This was some
where between ten and eleven o'clock.
l have not seen the baby since. We
left Louise over to Belcher's. / went
over with Mary the next Thursday
night and brought her home.
ross-Examination: | first knew
of Louise's condition some time in the
summer. Marshal Miller told me
about it, think he said her father had
told her to get out. Some time early
in the sammer Louise sent me note.
She wanted me to go and see the faith
er of the child. l went to the house
and saw the three women. They