The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-31
AS TOLD BY ATWATER
MAN WHO SHOT AND KILLED
HARVEY SETS UP SELF
DEFENSE
SAYS THAT BULLETS WHIzzED
Past His Head Before He Attempted
to Save His Life-FrOm Other
Sources 1t Is Learned That He
Borrowed "a Rifle, Saying That He
Had Use for It-Made u Sieve of
the Barn.

FERGUS FALLS, Mimi, Dec. 80
doc" Atwater. who shot and killed
Jonas Harvey, near Park Rapids, this
week. was brought to this city and will
remain in jail here until the tine of his
trial, which will not take place until next
July. Atwater refuses 20 make any state
mont regarding the actual murder, but
talks freely about the everts which led
up to it. He is likely to admit that he
killed Harvey, but will claim that he did
it in self-defense. The murderer Is a
CClored man about five feet in height and
chunkily built He came originally from
North Carolina, but has made his home
in Bluffton, in the eastern part of this
county, for nearly seven years past. 1t
Is said his neighbors regarded him as a
| little peculiar, but ne seems to be well
posted on the homestead and other laws
He states that he sold his Button
property last July and started at once
for Hubbard county, where he proposed
to take claim. He selected one which
he claims Harvey had taken. but never
lived upon, and proposed to hold 1t
against all Corners. His reason for tax
ing this particular land was that it was
well watered and he proposed to go into
stock farming. On learning of his ar
rival, Harvey came TO the place and orr
dered him off, but he refused to go, and
prepared to contest the latters right to
the claim He induced a neighbor to pre-
pare a statement of the facts and trans
mitted it to Land Commissioner Her.
mann, at Washington, and the latter sent
word that the case would be invest gated
in due course of time. While matters
were thus unsettled, AtMater claims that
Harvey instituted a series Of petty perse-
cuuons, causing his arrest for Illegal entry
and for taking hay from the land. The
warrants were issued by Justice Hoefs,
who was with Harvey in the cabin at the
time the shooting occurred, but the cases
never came to trial. Continuing his
story, the prisoner says that he was told
by neighbors on Dec. 26 that Harvey was
getting up a gang to forcibly eject him
from the claim, and that he might ex-
pect a visit from pantry of at lea st nine
men.
Il thought they were trying to scare
me, and paid no attention to it, con-
tinued Atwater, but that night [ saw
three lanterns approaching my shanty. I
asked what was wanted, and the only
reply was: Shoot him. and at the
same instant the bullets began to wfiz by
my head. They struck the shanty behind
me like hailstones. l had an ak in one
hand and a lantern in the other threw
the AK in. the direction of the approaching
crowd, dropped the lantern and ran!
Here the negro ends his story abruptly,
saying he will give the balance OF the
details OF the time of his trial.
From other. sources it is learned that
he went directly to the house Of Anton
Paulson and borrowed a rifle, stating
that he had use for it. He then returned
to the shanty, where Mr.. Harvey and a
friend, Mr. Hoefs, had made themselves
comfortable, and opened up a perfect
bombardment. The balls went through
the thin boards Of which the building
was constructed. The men inside had
gone to bed, and, hastily arising, Har-
vey received a bullet in the forehead and
died almost instantly. Hoefs was slight
ly injured by two Of the bullets, but he
made good his escape and gave the alarm.
The neighbors gathered and found Har-
vey's body upon the floor of the cabin,
where it was allowed to remain until a
coroner's jury could be tmpaneled.. This
jury returned verdict of death at the
hands Of Atwater. After the tragedy the
murderer coolly returned the gun to its
owner and after warming himself by
the stove, went his way, but was soon
afterwards discovered and arrested. He
waived examination and was brought to
this city for safe keeping. He seems to
have no comprehension Of the magnitude
of his crime, and expresses every conf
dence in his ultimate acQuittal.