The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-10
FATAL QUARREL
AT EDEN VALLEY
ROBERT CHARLES, AN ACEO
FARMER, SHOT AND KILLED
BY NEIGHBOR
CONFLICTING STORIES TOLD
Murdered Man in Ante MOrtem state
ment Says There Was No
PrOvOcatiOn for the
Crime.
Special to The Globe.

81. CLOUD, March 9-John Hurd.
WEo shot and killed Robert Charles. on
the latter's farm, near the village of
Eden Valley, is a prisoner at the county
jail here. Hurd is a farmer forty-three
years or age, and has lived in the state
nlne years, coming from Indiana
His story of the shooting which proved
fatal is entirely different from the dy-
ing statement made by Robert Charles
to Deputy Coroner Pilon of New
Paynesville. Adjoining the Hurd farm,
IN The townsite of Eden Lake, is a strip
of land containing thirty acres. This
was left to John Hurd by a crippled
brother of Robert, Charles, who had
been thrown out by the latter, and was
cared for until his death by Hurd Rob-
ert Charles lived alone on the land, and
claimed to own the ten acres on which
his house was situated. Hurd has work.
ed the land, and had cut considerable
hay therefrom last year. In one rick
there was thirty-six tons, and on Friday
he and his brother, Asa Hurd, and John
Hurd's son, drove to the hay stack and
with knife cut away one-third of the
stack. John Hurd explains that this
was to be left on the land for old man
Charles, who claimed to own one-third
of the land.
While ne and his son and brother were
engaged in loading the hay from the
larger portion of the stack, Robert
Charles came running from the house.
armed with a doufble-barreled shot gun,
ordered them off the land, and theatened
to shoot them if his command was not
obeyed. According to Mr.. Hurd's state
ment, the old man threw the breech of
the gun into the hollow of his elbow
as though to shoot, and John Hurd
drew his revolver and fired. The old
man dropped his gun, but remained up
right, and Hurd imagined that he had
not hit him. He pulled the trigger
again, but the cartridge did not explode.
and with his fingers he revolved the cyl
inder and then shot again. When that
shot was fired Charles was standing
with his back to Hurd. Even then he
did not fall but sank to his knees,
and Immediately Strengthened up and
walked half way to his home before fall
ing Hurd says that Charles asked him
not to shoot again after the second shot
was tired.
Hurd has begun to realize the serious
ness of his position and claims that he
thought the old man was going to kill
him when he pulled the breech of his
shotgun to the crook of his elbow and
it was then that he fired the first shot.
The only witnesses to the shooting were
the son and brother of the man now
in Jail.
Charles Ante-MOrtem Statement
Before his death Charles made an
ante-mortem statement to DR.. Pilon, who
was called from Paynesville, and who
is deputy coroner. In it he stated that
he was out rabbit hunting Friday after
noon, and came across the men loading
hay on his land. He asked them to de-
sist. They kept on loading, John Hurd
standing with the load of hay between
himself and Charles. Asa i1urd and
John Hurd's son took the shotgun away
from Charles and John Hurd stepped
from around the load of hay and fired
two shots at him. He claimed that he
had no intention of shooting any of
the men and had the shotgun in his pos
session because of the fact that he had
been rabbit hunting. The shotgun carried
by Charles had not been discharged and
both barrels were loaded.
Sheriff Schilplin, Coroner Pilon and
County Attorney Donohue went to Eden
Valley today to investigate and the in
quest will be held Monday morning.
The men have had considerable trouble
in the past over the thirty acres of land
which Charles brother gave to John
Hurd, and the Hurds claim that old man
Charles had threatened to shoot them
on different occasions. Charles was a
bachelor, sixty years of age. Hurd has
a family.