Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-19
Sheriff. Was Declared Insane
By a Jury.
PETERSON MURDER CASE
Jury Which is Considering Verdict
Will Probably Convict Him Ut
Second Degree Murder.
Hamilton, September II, 1899.

In the district court the case OF the
state VS.. Willard Sheriff.. charged with
grand larceny, was disposed of Friday.
THE question of the defendants sanity
having been raised the day before in the
progress of the trial, the court, on It's
own motion, called a special jury to con-
slider the question of his mental coiidl-
ton. Considerable evidence was intro
duced bearing on defendants habits ana
his u~naccountable thirst for drink and
after short d~eliberation the jury return
ed a verdict finding him insane. This
turn of affairs disposes of the rinllna
charge for the present, and probably for
all time. Mr.. Sheriff. will be sent to the
asylum for the insane, and in the event
Of his release in q short time he may be
prosecuted for the alleged criminal Of
Tense. 1t is hardly likely that such
action will be taken.
The case Of the state VS.. Walter Nor
gan. charged with the larceny Of gold
dust from the Ford Placer Mining COM
Dany on Hughes creek, was also tried
FRIDAY. The state established the loss
of the goods, about the time that Nor
gan, who was, working for the company
as q cook, left: also the fact that ne DIS
posed of $12O in gold dust at the First
VrdLlDiIdl Jain ~ VI - - go
stunned name. Defendant claimed that he
was given permission to clean abandoned
Sluice boxes and to work some portion
Of the ground gone over, and in this man
ner obtained the dust disposed Of. The
case went to the jury last evening, but
at this time they have failed to agree
upon a verdict.
NelS Peterson will also probably know
his fate today. A jury was impanelled to
try him last night and the case is now
in progress. PetersOn's attorney will also
rely on the defense of insanity, and eX-
poets to save his client from the gahOWs.
Peterson has relaS1 many times the
cruel manner in which he killed Andrew
Nelson last June, but has never. express
ed a word of regret for the act. A num-
Der of witnesses will swear as to his men
tai peculiarities, and it is not improbable
that a special jury will be called to pass
on the question of his sanity.
The case of the state VS.. Nels Peterson,
charged with the murder of Andrew Mel
Sen on the 18th of June last, was next
called and a jury was not secured until
the regular panel was exhausted and a
special venire issued. Robert Roe, George
Butler, Sam Lucas, E. f. Terpenning, J.
w. Tabor, J. c. Harvey, John Schofield,
r. w. Hendrickson, VIM. Steil, F. w
Ostermeyer, Ed Donaldson and George
A. Milton, having answered all questions
AtldliNe " CuLildI puLlSiIIllCIll dIlu III
sanity satisfactory, We're sworn to try
the action. The state easily established
"a prima facie case. Peterson's confess
sion relative to the killing of Nielsen was
introduced and John Bennett related to
the jury all the circumstances connected
with his search and the finding of the
body OF Nielsen SO carefully buried high
IN the side of Mt. st. Mary. Peterson's
attorney, c. B.. Calkins of Stevensville, in
troduced the defense of insanity. SeveraI
witnesses sVore as to Peterson's peculiar
tiles Of mind and habits, and proved hi11
to DE deficient mentally. Walter Morgan
Who is confined in jail waiting sentence
for grand larceny, swore that he is in.
sane. Peterson a.so testified in his owr
behalf, infinitely and connectedly relating