The Bemidji pioneer., 1900-11-22
THE WHIPPLE
Case Now in Court - Jury Sc.
cured aud Examination of
Witnesses Begun.

circuit court, Judge Holland presid.
ing, began the examination of wit
nesses. r.
| After three days OF hard work the
attorneys have found and accepted
twelve men to hold in their gift the
life or liberty of Russ Whipple,
charged with taking the life of Benny
Moore on the night OF February fifth,
/ 1900, in the village of Bemidii, Bel
trami county, Minnesota. SO we'll
known is the ''Whipple case" that 90
Jurors were examined before twelve
suitable men were found.
/ In conducting the case, County
/ Attorney w. f. Street will be assisted
. by CIV. Somerby Assist. Atty General
/ Of the state of Minnesota:L Il. H. Bailey
who has charge of the defense, will be
/ assisted by "Bill" Irwin, Of st. Paul,
the renowned criminal lawyer. Mr..
Irwin is an old friend of the accused
which partly accounts for his being
secured by the defense. Attorney
Frawley, of Eau Claire, is another
| friend, but we understand that he will
take no active part in the defense.
The Whipple case promises to be one
of the most interesting legal battles in
the history of Northern Minnesota.
The prisoner has been kept in the
Hennepin county Jail all summer, as
the local jail was deemed untrust-
worthy. Sheriff Nygaard brought
him back to the scene of his crime last
week, and on Wednesday he was
formally indicted by the grandiury for
murder in the first degree. Whipple
shows his confinement by the paleness
of his face and by the loss of thirty,
pounds of flesh during his time of
waiting for trial. He says he did not
receive very good treatment in the
Minneapolis jail. But he is today as
fine a specimen of physical robust
ness asever entered the Minneapolisjail
10 quote from the cities dailies. He
weighs some less than 200 pounds,
and is handsomely proportioned. He
is in good spirits and apparently has
little apprehension of the hangman' s.
moose r..s ..e-.. .,.
Up to the time of his crime, Whipple
has not borne the reputation of
Sunday school enthusiast in this
county, yet he has not been regarded
as particularly dangerous. For the
past two years he ran q saloon at
Solway. a small village twelve miles
west of Bemidji. He has had several
small fights enough to establish the
reputation for courage, atsieast.
At present very little Is known of
Benny Moore, the murdered young
man. He was about q years old,
small in size and 'sFrency" in APP
pearance. For a few months previ-
Gus to his death he was a bartender
for Frank Silversack, in Bemidji.
Previously he had worked for Whip
pie in Solway, throwing up his job as
the result Of a quarrel. 1t is said
hat previous to this he had worked in
St. Cloud, where he was arrested for
some misdemeanor. Moore was some
what lacking in those qualities that
go to make up angels. 4rs
On the 5th day Of last February
Russ Whipple came from Solwaywith
a woman who sometimes bore the dig
nifty of being his wife. He came to
attend the. opening Of the variety hall,
launched by Huebner 4 Blake, in Be-
midi. The hall has since closed, but
in it's short history, the opening trag-
edy, not on the bills, proved the great
est sensation Of the county. Whipple
and Moore quarreled on the street in
the afternoon. In the evening they
met in the barroom of the variety hall
and renewed their quarrel. After sew
eral rounds and separations. it re-
suited in Moore staggering back into
the crowded concert hall with bullet
hole in his left side. He never spoke
afterwards. Whipple left the bar room
and went to another saloon where, it
is said, he had previously borrowed a
revolver. Here he was arrested twen-
ty minutes later by the sheriff. He
made no resistance. Such is the story
as told by the newspapers.
Just what line of defense Whipple's
attorneys will adopt is kept a pro-
found secret. If public opinion counts
for anything, they will need a large
amount of eloquence and shrewdness
to save their client from the death
penalty.
Benefit Ball. \