Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-11-14
SCHWANTES Is
FOUND GUILTY
Jury Returns a Verdict Conyiotina
WouSau Man of Killing klckowS.
Wife CIings TO Prisoner Declaring
Innocence while Children
Weep at Parting.
Special Dispatch to the Sentinel.

in the KlOkOW murder case returned
a verdict at lO:40 O'Clock this morning
to the effect that Frank SchWanteS,
defendant, was guilty of murder in
the first degree Of William and
ErneStina Klokow.
The Jury retired for deliberatiOn at
$40 O'Clock last evening, and Judge
O'Neill waited until midnight to see
if it would agree on verdict. This
morning at 10 O'Clock Deputy Sheriff
Phelps, in charge of the jury, notified
the court that the jury wished further
instructions, and the court reas-
! sembled, when it was asked for
further definition as to murder in the
first and second degrees. At 1910
O'Clock the jury announced that a
verdict had been agreed upon, and the
court again reaSSem bled. Outside Of
the defendant, the court officers and
attorneys. only very few spectators
announced the defendant did not
to even understand that he had been
convicted of murder, so hopeful of
acquittal has he been. His wife and
children sat upon the bench at his
side when the verdict was announced.
Mrs. SchwanteS was the first to rea-
lie that it was unfavorable and began
to sob Historically. Then the defen-
dant's attorneys approached and told
them what the verdict was and its
import. The scene that followed was
) the most pathetic ever witnessed.
Pale as death the defendant arose to
his feet and exclaimed:
my God, that cannot be"'
Mrs. SchWanteS frantically threw
her arms around his neck and Wept,
) the defendant joining her, the three
little children gazing in awe at the
weeping parents, unable to cOmpre-
bend, but conscious that great
calamity had befallen them, their
pitiful cries later minglIng with the
; heart-broken sobs of the parents.
When the sheriff attempted to
remove the defendant, who during
, the trial had been out on bail, Mrs
SchWanteS broke down, and throwing
her arms around his neck vowed that
, she would not be parted from him,
and that he was innocent, and she
, knew it. After receiving the verdict
) Judge O'Neill discharged the jury and
took recess until tomorrow morning
at O'Clock, at which time, unless
; defendants attorneys are granted a
1CW UIldl Oll IIlOU1Ou 10 D'JC Dy pllc
, defendants attorneys, Bump, Mar
) chetti & Bump, it is probable that the
sentence will be pronounced. Evidence
upon which conviction was made was
} entirely circumstantial, and while the
verdict was unlocked for, District
, Attorney Genrich and Assistant Neal
Brown are being congratulated upon
the manner in which the case was
, handled.
STORY OF THE KLOKOW CRIME.
The crime for which Frank Sch
) WanteS has been on trial in this city
for the past two weeks is the murder
of William and ErneStina KlOkOw, an
) aged couple, who lived on fOrtyacre
farm five miles east of Spencer, in the
western part of Marathon county.
! At some time between the hours of
; 10 o'clock of the night of Nov, 13,
1900. and O'Clock in the morning of
the following day the house of the
; KlOkOWs was destroyed by fire, and
, the aged couple, William and
Ernestina KlokoW, 66 and 64 years of
age, respectively were supposed to
have periShed in the flames
5 There seems to have been consider
; able controversy as to the time when
the fire occurred. The defendant,
) Frank SchWanteS, who lived half "a
mile distant, claimed to have been
awakened by the reflection of the
flames about 10 o'clock, and, after
calling his wife to look at the fire, de-
cided that it was the Klokow place.
) He dressed himself and went to the
place. By the time he arrived there,
he claims, the house was all ablaze,
| l. Il
turned home.
Il A Mrs. Buffers saw the flames. but
5 claims that it was then about or 4
O'Clock in tie morning. At all events,
as nearly rs can be learned, Schwantes
was the only one to go near the place
that night.
The fact that be would profit by
5 the death of the KlOkOwS, the further
; fact that he made no effort to arouse
: the neighbOrs. and the still further
5 fact that he was not particularly
} popular in that vicinity and had some
outSpoken and active enemies, caused
5 suspicion to rest upon him.
p The Klokow couple had come to
that section about thirteen years
5 previous to the fire, had purchased a
} forty-acre tract of land, built house
and barn and had made quite a large
5 clearing. They had no children, but
; had some relatives living in the
vicinity, but with whom they did not
5 appear to be on very friendly terms,
} as they did not visit back and forth
very often The house in which they
5 lived was built Of hewed hardwood
} logs, sixteen by twenty feet, and about
eight feet high at the sides. 1t was
5 divided into three rooms. The ceiling
was of heavy poles, and upon these
had been piled about six inches of
5 clay. which had been put on wet ard
} had packed and dried hard.
Frank Schwantes, the defendant, is
5 a married man and the father of three
S children, He owned a forty-acre
: farm, but it was not as good land nor
; as we'll improved as the Klokow place,
} which he was deSirous of buying,
a| During the summer of 1900 he had
5 negotiated with the Klokow for their
} farm, they having told him that they
were getting too cid to work it. In
5 the early part Of September price
} was finally agreed upon. $3.50 for the
: farm and personal property and day
5 set for making the transfer, but ac-
} cording to Schwantes. when the day
arrived the Klokows refused to make
5 the sale, saying that when the debts
, were paid they would only have 500,
\ and this would not support them.