Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-10-27


Holzer on Thursday, Friday and Sat-
urday. At the time the machine was
burned, think in July, l went to
Holzer's to see if he would swear TO
Fank's having come to him for poison
to poison my horses. Holzer had told
me about it before. He wouldn't
swear to it but said '.Let him 90,
damn, him, I'll shoot him. -
Cross EXAMINATION: | never had
any trouble with Holzer. never was
accused of being intimate with his
wife or of making trouble between him
and his wife that know of. | think
my memory is good part of the time.
ALBERT KAMM: | am son of VIM.
Kamm. was at John Fank's the dav
of the shooting. | feard two shots
up toward the school house. They
were pretty close together.
n. j. BENNETT, l live in Platteville
Holzer told me about two weeks be-
fore the shooting that he had to keep
his granries locked or they would
steal everything he had. That he be-
lieved Turtle was at the bottom of it,;
called them Spaniards; said if he
caught any of them stealing his stuff
he would shoot them.
Laughton. Mundon, Kirkpatrick,
Ike Hull and myself found the body
of John Fank. We met in the corn
field where an ear of corn had been
shot off and where the corn leaves
showed shot marks. From the marks we
judged this shot had been fired across
the path or mark of the old road to-
ward the southwest-more west than
south. l said to the boys that little
bunch of fox-tail which was about
thirty feet north of the first shot
mark was the place from where the
shot was fired. There was no eviden-
ce of shot on the north side of the
path.
We found the body about Z o'clock
in the morning of Friday, Sept. 8.
We dug down about inches till we
found the body. came to foot first.
Did not uncover body then. 1t was
taken out in the afternoon. | was pres
ent. 1t lay on the right side face to
the west. head north.
Later in the day Mr. McGonigal
and | discovered track leading from
where the shot had been fired south
to the pasture fence. 1t was
very indistinct but about half way
was very distinct barefoot track
pointing north Supposed to be the
footprint of Fank made by Holzer let
ting the body stand on the ground
while he rested when taking it from
where it was shot to the grave)
Mr.. Bennett then related CONVEX
sation he had with Holzer in Lancas-
ter in the jail and in which Holzer adj
mitted the killing. 1t was similar to
Holzer's statement given hereafter
but not so complete.
The witness further testified that
he once saw Fank apparently hiding
behind some object. And at another
time he asked Fank why he told Hol-
ger such stories about men going to
his house and Fank replied ''Oh, just
to make the - a - mad
On cross examination he said the
old road showed no sign of travel and
neither did the fox tail show any
marks of any one having been round
it.
JAMES MCGoNIGAL: / was first cal
led in this case the Saturday after the
killing; went down there on Sunday.
Found the clothes Holzer had on bur
led back of the barn in the woods.
Holzer afterward admitted that he
buried the clothes and that the hat
and overalls belonged to man named
Moore. Found his shotgun in the
house loaded and found a spade at
his place that Just fitted spade marks
on side of grave.
Mr.. McGonigal confirmed Mr.. Ben
nett's account Of tracing the track
through the cornfeld but contradict
ed him as to the position Of the grave
claiming it to extend east and west
instead of north and south, He also
said there was no recognizable path
along the old road 50 frequently men
toned.
Mr. McGonigal related talks with
Holzer in which the latter admitted
the killing and once stated that he
hadn't killed a man that il was only a