The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-12-05
Strength of the States Case
a Surprise.
THE STORY OF THE FIRE
Evidence Indicates That Pickett
Made Small Attempt at Rescue
HE CALLED OUTSIDE FOR HELP
When Reproduced by Firemen He
Said He'd Like to Cry,
but COuIdn't,


Reuben c. Pickett, accused of numbering
his Wife, was introduced to-day by County
Attorney Boardman. The case is devel-
oping more serious turn than any one
outside of the county attorneys Office
seems to have expected. No one witness
knows q great deal, but the mite added
by each. while not necessarily convinc-
ing proof OF murder, still deepens the
mystery surrounding the events in the
Pickett fiat on the fateful morning when
the charred and blackened body of Mrs.
Pickett was found in the bathroom.
When the trial began, the prisoner and
his family appeared not at all apprehen-
sive and seemed perfectly at their ease.
Now there is anxiety over all. The pris-
oner's father and mother and his sister
listen to the evidence and look worried.
AS for Pickett himself, he is plainly agi-
tated. He keeps his hand before his face
constantly to hide from the gaze of the
public, /. two days ago he was most un-
concerned.
A sad feature of the trial is the presence
of the late Mrs. Pickett's mother and sis
ters. At every gruesome bit of testimony
regarding the condition of the body, they
shudder and groan and sob. They try to
restrain their emotion and do not attract
general attention, but their feelings are
narrowed every few moments by the re-
cital of the events of the dreadful night
and they break down continuously.
Miss Ella Olson, a sister of Mrs Mary
Nelson and who lived with her on the sec
ond floor of the fiat building at S16-s1S
Eighth avenue S at the time the Picketts
lived there was the first witness called to-
day in the Pickett murder trial.
She was awakened on the morning Of
Sept 30 between and o'clock by sounds
Of scuffiing and choking.
''I listened a WHILE she said, land
when l heard my sister stirring, asked
did you hear that noise?"
''She answered. Yes. I have heard it
for some time
II said: Let us open the door, but she
said, No; let us open the window and
scream for help"
II went back to the kitchen. In the
meantime l heard a scuffling sound ac-
companied by choking and later sound
of dragging. Then there was a lull in
the sounds and after while 1 opened the
door. I saw something down the hall and
as 1t approached nearer I saw Mr.. Pickett
pushing his two children before him. He
said: For Gods sake save my children
Ny sister ran down to the bath room and
opened the door. She started back as if
stunned. I saw no flame but there was a
great light in the room. Then saw her
hair catch fire and she pushed 1t back. 1
yelled: Come back you Will get burned
She came back and screamed that Mrs.
Pickett was burning up. While she was at
the bath room Pickett came back into
the hallway and rushed past her. Pickett
did not stop at the bath room buSS an into
his own apartment.
Later on, as l stood in the door to our
fiat, I saw Mr.. Pickett come out of his
rooms Then he stopped at the bath
room. I heard something fall. He reached
in again and saved our wash boiler. Then
he closed the door to the bathroom"
Miss Olson had returned to the house
after saving some of her effects. She saw
Pickett and he was perfectly calm," but
"set up yelling when the firemen came"
She said he did not appear to be grief
stricken but was simply bowling" The
next day when he was talking over the
fire there was a small blister about the
but no other signs of burns.
How the Body Was Found.
Emmett Mullane, fireman, saw the body
of Mrs. Pickett in the bath room. 1t was
lying on its back close to the bath tub
with the feet toward the door. The legs
were drawn up and also the arms. The
body was charred and in the pinion of the
witness was unrecOgniZable. His expert
ence with burned bodies was that the
limbs were invariably drawn or contracted.
Captain Charles w. Osborne of the fire
department was one of the first 1remen
to arrive at the fiat building in response
to the alarm. On the arrival at the corner
where the fire alarm box was located he
saw man in the roadway and cold the
driver to stop Osborne asked: where's
the f1re?"
The man said: 'FIn the brick-for Gods
sake, hurry up, my wife is burning up"
This man was Pickett
The hall was full Of smoke when Os-
borne arrived. He went into the Pickett
apartments, but saw no flames. Running
out in the hall to the head Of the stair,
he asked where the fire was Some one
told him it was in the bathroom. Passing
back. he heard the roaring of a fire in
a room He tried the knob but failed to
open it, possibly because 1t was too hot.
Then he broke the door open. The body
of a woman was lying on the floor. He
stepped in and raised her by the arm but
seeing that death had already ensued, he
released his hold. Later he saw a crowd
standing around a man whom he supposed
was Pickett, and asked:
The Man Who Could Not Weep.
''Is your name Pickett?"
YES" Pickett had replied.
How did the fire start?"
Il don't know" was Pickett's answer.
My wife had been up with the boy several
times. heard a noise and ran to the
bathroom, where / saw my wife burning"
Osborne continued:
'1 said, why in the HI didn't you save
herr?
HE said he couldn't.
'I said: You're a HI of a man to
let your wife burn to death
Lieutenant Murphy then spoke up and
said: Well, you don't seem to be very
sorry about it..
I'd like to cry but I can't, Pickett
said.
Conflicting Stories Told.
George Flare, who occupied a portion Of
the fiat on the same floor as the Picketts,
but on the other side of the hall corrob-
Grated the evidence of his wife to the ef-
feet that Pickett told several different
stories. When he came to their fiat to see
IL his children were safe, he said that he
had tried to save his wife. He had taken
her by the leg and tried to pull her out. but
the flesh had come off in his hand. He had