The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-05-26
MURDER NEAR ECHO.
Joe OFT Killed His Wife In Cold
Blood.


Yellow Medicine county, murdered bis
wife in cold-blood, on Wednesday
evening of last week. The crime was
committed shortly after six o'clock in
the evening. 1t was done by the aid of
"billie," which OFT owned ever since
he was boot black in the larger cities.
Otis story of the homicide is to the
effect that his wife had attended a
wedding shortly before, and was going
back to the wedding house, and re-
quested him to go along with her.
Words followed between the two, and
then, OFT says: Il struck her several
times with my fist, but I saw I could
not give her enough that way and |
went and got the "billie." | struck her
several times with this and told her
that l had been divorced from her
once and now I would give her di-
vorce that would last. She said, %, Joe
don't kill me. Don't strike me any
more and Iwont say any more about it.
But I told her it was too late and that
this time I would finish her. Then l
caught her by the hair and dragged
her out of the bed room and I'll bet l
struck her fifteen times with the
"billie."
An Echo Enterprise representative,
who secured the above statement,
sta ed that OFT expressed no sorrow
over having killed his wife, an hour
after the homicide occurred, saying:
81 might as we'll be dead as living the
cat and dog life l have been living"
The representative, after innocently
repeating a useless published conver-
sation, gets down to business by giving
the following description of the scere
in the house: The door between the
kitchen and sitting room was shut but
on the kitchen side of the door was
horrible pool of blood about three foot
across. OFT opened the door. Mrs. OFT
was lying on the carpet, weltering in
another pool of her own blood, while
numerous spots of clotted blood. and
what seemed to be brains were lying
about her. She was not dead but was
breathing heavily and moving about
some as if in pain. The murderer held
the light close to her head and we saw
that her eyes and face we're pounded to
jelly and that her forehead ani side of
the head we're literally covered with
deep gashes from which slowly oozed
her life blood. She had then been lying
there about two hours and she lived
about half an hour after, dying at
about nine o'clock.
OFT was placed under arrest about
$50 o'clock on the night of the MUIR
der and is now in the county Jail at
Granite Falls.
Mrs. Durbahn of Sleepy Eye, sis
ter of the deceased, in response to a
telegram. announcing the killing OF
her sister, passed through here last
Thursday to claim the remains. She
was accompanied by her husband. On
Friday she returned with the body,
and &. E. Lamberton transferred the
same from the St. Louis to the North
western depot, arriving at the latter
place in time to take the 1885 train
for Sleepy Eye.
On Friday George W. Somerville of
Someryille & Olsen, Sleepy Eye,
passed through here for Echo to de-
fend OFT in the preliminary examina-
ton and at the trial, which will be
held later
The Sleepy Eye Herald of last
Friday has the following: On hearing
of the crime, Henry F. Durhrmann of
Leavenworth, a brother of the MUIR
dered woman and A. Durbahn of
Lamberton. a brother-in-law went to
Echo and on todays train from Red
wood Falls brought the body here for
interment. The funeral took place at
the German Methodist church this
afternoon. The deceased leaves six
children, the oldest about eighteen and
the youngest boy of three years.
Mis-. Otis maiden name was Louise
the oldest daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
Dohrman of this place. She waa mar
ried to Joseph OFT about twenty years
ago and from the first their acquain-
tances perceived that her marriage
was terrible mistake. OFT was man
of uncomfortable temper and frequent
ly flew into rage at no seeming
provocation and numerically beat