The age-herald., 1902-02-16

Chicago, February 15.-For the first time on record a photograph will ap- pear as witness in the trial of Louis J. Thoms for the murder of Minnie Larsen. It will present the astonishing combination of a lifeless witness that yet speaks.
 Thomas says that he was talking into a photograph at the time he is accused of the murder. His lawyer, B. M. Shaf- fer, has the wax cylinder of the phono- graph which received the impressions of his voice. and 1t will be produced in court and made to speak as a witness. On the record is a stirring tale of the sea.
 Minnie Larsen a pretty young woman, twenty-one years old, was murdered on January 1 in the early hours of the new year. She was a cook on the steamship Lake Superior Line, which has been laid up for the winter at the Burlington Slip It was on the ship that she was murdered. Her alleged murderer, Louis J. Thomas, was the chief steward. Her body was bound up, weighted and drop ped through hole in the ice. Probably it would not have been discovered until spring, if at all, but for the informa- ton volunteered by one person.
 The case against Thoms rests entirely on the evidence of a boy named Robert Keissig, who was employed on the ship. He has made a long confession to the police, according to which he was an involuntary witness of the crime. He remained in hiding after it for four days, but 1t preyed his mind so that he went to the police and told all.
 He says that Thoms was in love with Miss Larsen, and that he had repeatedly asked her to marry him. She had refus- ed to do so very decidedly, and appeared to dislike him. He is a very strange man with a mad and ungovernable temper, The day before the murder he asked her once more to marry, and became very angry when she refused. He said she would be sorry for it. Then he went away
 At 10 o'clock the next night. says Keis- sig, Thoms came back. He ragged like madman, cursing and smashing things as he went through the ship. He had de- moniac look in his eye. He ordered Miss Larsen to cook @ fine supper for him. While she was doing this he told her that he hated her and that he was go- ing to kill her. She, poor girl, hardly knew whether he meant it or not, but she went on preparing the supper, for there was no chance for escape. Thoms had knife and an axe at hand and he handled them threateningly. The boy Keissig crouched in corner of the room.
 Thoms ate his supper, taunting the girl all the time. When she moved as if to go out of the room he threatened her with the axe. He sat for hours threat ening her and upbraiding. At last he rose and went slowly toward her, glowering at her, until she was in a corner of the room.
 He Is man of phenomenal physical strength. He seized the girl by the throat, shook her like a rat, and crush ed the life out of her. While this was going on the boy Keissig tried to rim away to call help. Thoms dropped his victim and told the boy to come back. or he would kill him.
 You are in this as much as I am" said Thoms. You've got to stay with me-"
 After this" said the boy, '"Thoms sat for about an hour gloating over the body. He smoked cigars and drank whisky all the time. He seemed to be pleased with what he had done.
 Then he said we have got to get rid of the body. He was tired of it. He made me help him. We tied it up very secure ly in an old sail bound with ropes and fastened two ten-pound iron weights to it. Thoms was awfully slow about it. He made me carry it out with him to the dock. It was bitter cold and I was shivering with cold and fear.
 There was a hole in the ice between the ship and the dock that had been made to draw water through. We threw the body into this and it went down like stone. I went back to the ship with Thoms and l sat in the cabin with him, afraid that he would kill me- After three or four hours he sent me out to