The Saint Paul globe., 1900-06-22
OUT BUT TWENTY MINUTES
JURY ACQUITS EDWARD ERICKSON
OF THE OLD CHARGE
OF MURDER
TESTIMONY OF THE LAST DAY
Its Chief Feature Was the Testimony
OF the Defendant About
the Night of the
Murder.

1--WE, the jury in the above entitled ac-
tion, find the defendant, Edward Erick-
son, not guilty"
This was the verdict returned by the
jury in the trial Of Edward Erickson,
charged by Gustav WoH of the murder
of his brother, on the night of Feb. J,
1894, after being cut only twenty min
utes, and after the verdict had been read,
Judge Bum said: Gentlemen of the jury,
] thank you for your prompt and correct
verdict, and discharge you from this
case"
On hearing the verdict almost every one
in the court room crowded around Ericl1-
son and congratulated him. All FricksoI
said was, Il expected it all the time 1
am innocent of the crime. 1 have spent
month in the county Jail. and have always
been happy, and have not worried about
the result at ALL
Arthur F. Morton, a newspaper man,
was the first witness called by the de-
fense yesterday morning. Mr.. Morton
said he had visited the scene of the muir
der Feb. l, 1894 He had tried to look in
through the windows and had found 1t
impossible to do so, as they were thickly
covered with frost
Edward Erickson took the stand in his
own behalf. He gave his testimony in
clear and concise manner. without a sign
Of nervousness. He answered the ques-
tions put to him by his attorney prompt
ly and without faltering.
He said he was thirty-six years old. and
had been in the United States fourteen
years, having been born in Sweden.
In answer to questions by his counsel,
Mr.. DOnnelly, he said:
In the forenoon of Feb. l. 1894, I was
working in the butcher shop. don't re-
member seeing a little old man in the
shop, that day. 1 had no quarrel with
my brother. He never said they are
stealing all my meat My brother was
there about an hour in the forenoon, and
I can't say whether he was there at
o'clock or not. l never had a quarrel
with him in the seven years ! worked for
him, and | should be working for him
if he We're alive today. I left the shop
for home at five minutes to g. or some
thlng IKE that. went right home, saw
my wife and baby and played with the
baby few minutes, and asked my wife
if she would like some beer. She said
she would and got the pail and | went
out fOI NOrman's saloon. When l came
within about $50 or 200 feet from the
shcp | heard scuff!ing and began to
run. l heard my brother hOller, and [
heard two shots fired, and he hollered
again. and l ran. Near the Beckstrom
house l heard glass break and man
came out Of the shop through the
window He had revolver in his hand
ana came toward me. He pointed the re-
VoVer at mel think he had it in his
left hand-and he called out: Run, you
or I'll shoot you. too" He
ran between the barn ana the meat mar
ket towards the Duluth tracks. No one
else passed rue. l ran TO the saloon and
called the crowd out, and they came out
ana Joined me. | tried the door of the
shop, but ny brother was iyinS against
the door and | went in through the win
dow. My brother was on his knees and
elbows with his head down. l asked him
several times: Who shot you, Mart, and
he tried to answer, but could not. The
windows We're covered with heavy
frost The stove was in the back room
/ don't know whether there was a fire In
the stove or not Herman Carlson went
10 Sweden about one year after my
Brother was shot"
\ juror wanted to know why he had
gone to Norman's saloon and called out
that his brother was shot when he did
not know that he WIS shot?
Erickson answered that he had heard
the scuft1ing and the shot, and that was
how h. knew.
Or redirect examination counsel asked
witness If he had heard VOLTS story.
''YcS"
as there word of truth in it?"
Not a word" said the witness, in a
loud voice.
Mrs. Annie Erickson. wife of the defend
ant, cOrroborated the testimony of h5r
husband in regard to her sending him
for beer en- the night of the murder. She
said she had never heard of a quarrel be-
tween her husband and his brother
John Blom testified to the good reputa-
ton of Erickson.
Mrs. Nellie BeckStTOm, sister of the de-
fendant also testified that she had never
heard of d quarrel between her brothers.
This ended the defense's case
In rebu-tal the state called Aaron o.
son, who did not get a chance to testify
and Mrs Ellen Johnson, who testified that
she went by the shop on the evening Of
the murder, and that she plainly saw peo-
PIE in the shop through the window.
Dr. Arthur Sweeney and Dr.. John It.
Rogers, nerve specialists, testified in re-
buttal that they had carefully examined
Woll the principal witness for the state
and had found him perfectly sane.
Weather Observer P T. Lyons was next
called 70 the stand He stated that the
tempera tuTe at 9 o'clock 'on the night of
the murder was degrees above zero.
John Norman, who runs a saloon next
to the butcher shop where Erickson was
murdered. testified that on the night of
the murder he heard shots fired. and
some ore stuck his head in the door and
called Police" He said he went over 20
the butcher shop a few minutes later and
looked in the broken window
Mr.. DCnnelly asked the court to instruct
the jury to bring In verdict of not gull
ty, but Judge Bum said the case should
go to the Jury for their decision
County Attorney Bigelow then summed
up his case before the jury, after which
Mr.. Donnelly, for the defendant. made
an eloquent address to the jury for his
client.
Judge Bunn's charge to the jury was
very brief. 1t was just 5:2O when the court
finished and the jury returned a verdict
of not guilty at twenty minutes later, as
stated above.