The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-08-17
BOUND over.
John and Joe Salfer and Dick
Graves Held to the
Grand Jury.
Edith Watson. or Lillian WEIGH,
Gives Very Telling
= Evidence.
Some New Points Brought Out
by Her Testimony at
KasOta.
A Number of Other Witnesses
for the State Confederate
Her Story.
WEDNESDAY.

John and Joe Safer and Dick Graves
on the charge of rape, preferred by Mr..
Wilcox, of Kasota, was set for nine
O'Clock this forenoon before Justice
Sanger, at Kasota John Salfer, who
is out on bail, and the attorneys for
the defendants, A. R. Pau and W. L.
Comstock, County Attorney Hughes,
and Deputy Sheriff Albert Gerlich,
went to Kasota this morning, besides
/. several other citizens of Mankato.
City Recorder D. " Williams went
to act as official stenographer.
Miss Edith Watson, the principal
witness for the prosecution, accom-
panied by friends arrived shortly be-
fore court convened. She was looking
better than could have been expected
after the terrible ordeal that she had
been through.
County Attorney Kirwin, of Lee
Sueur county, appeared for the state.
His home is at Waterville, and he
has taken a commendable interest in
the case. Sam Davis, sheriff of LIE
Sueur county, brought the prisoners,
Joe Safer and Dick Graves, over from
LeSueur Center this morning.
A large crowd of people from Ka-
sofa was on hand, and considerable
time was consumed in getting every
one connected with the case placed, as
the town hall was small and crowded.
1t was 10 80 o'clock when everything
was ready to proceed with one of the
most sensational cases that has occur
!, red in this part of the state for years.
Justice of the Peace Sanger raped
for order, and there was an air of ex-
pectancy on all hands.
The attorneys for the defendants in
troduced an affidavit alleging preju-
/. dice on the part of Justice Sanger, and
a change of venue was asked.
The case was consequently transfer
red to Justice VIM c. Moses, of Kaso-
ia township.
Another long delay followed, for the
purpose of making out the new pa
pers, etc. The general feeling at Ka-
sofa was that the defense had made a
mistake in taking change of venue
At II 30 a. M, a recess was
taken in order to have the
necessary papers drawn making
the change of venue to Justice Moses.
1t was agreed between the attorneys
to hold the hearing at the town hall
1t is the general opinion that the
state will put on it's evidence and that
the defense will content itself with a
motion to dismiss Miss Watson S
Testimony will be the most important.
No word has yet been obtained re-
garding the present whereabouts of
Martin Murray.
THURSDAY.
The preliminary examination of
John and Joe Safer and Dick Graves
on the charge of having committed
rape upon the person of Miss Edith
Watson got under Roadway yesterday
afternoon and was completed today.
The testimony given by Miss Watson
was particularly clear and pointed,
and was full and complete. The evil
dence corroborated all that has been
published in regard to the awful ex-
periences of Miss Watson on the night
rid e in a hack from Mankato to Ka-
sofa two weeks ago tomorrow night.
The evidence was listened to with
the closest attention by the large
crowd of interested spectators present.
At 80 p. m. the attorneys and de-
PENDANTS drove to the home of Justice
.Wm. Moses, and from there back to
the town hall of Kasota. 1t was 3
o'clock before the hall was reached.
To avoid any technicality of the law,
the hearing was commenced at Justice
Moses residence, and then adjourned
to the hall. After reaching the hall,
another long wait was occasioned by
the absence of County Attorney Kir
win
Miss Edith Watson was the first
witness sworn. She stated that she is
twenty years of age and that her home
is about thirty miles from Mime
apolis. She had known John Salfer
about five months, having first met
him when she was stopping at his ho-
tel, the Stahl House (which has since
changed hands), when she was can
wasting in Mankato for the Phillips
Art Co., of Minneapolis. Her mana
ger was also stopping at the hotel at
the same time, which was last March.