The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-03
INDICTMENT OF
MAJOR MURPHY.
LEADING FEickERTAIL POLITICIAN
ACCUSED BY GRAND JURY.
Alleged False Statement In Connection
With Pension Voucher for Mrs. Grin
nell, a Woman with a .HIstory-How
She choked to Death the Husband Who
Abused Her-strange. Career In the

Special to The Journal.
& Grand Forks N. D., Dec. 3.-Much more
than a passing interest is taken in the
indictment of Major J. S. Murphy a prom
inent politician, former government Of
fetal and pioneer resident of Minot, by
the United States grand jury on charge
of perjury. The fact was telephoned to
T. h e j o ur n al yesterday afternoon, and
later Major Murphy furnished a bond Of
$4,000 and was released from restraint.
The charge preferred against Major
Murphy is that he made a false statement
in connection with a pension voucher in
favor Of Mrs. Josephine Grinnell, in which
he took oath that he knew of his own
knowledge that she had not remarked. AS
a matter of fact, Mrs. Grinnell had been
married after the death of her soldier hus-
band and had been divorced at Minot
three years before she was granted a pen
sion. III
't:The Woman in the Case"
Mrs. Grinnell, who is a half-breed In
dian, of rather comely appearance, was
the daughter of Charles MalnOurie, q
Frenchman. Her girlhood was spent on
or near the reservation, and her first mat
rimonial venture was in the form of a
common law marriage, after she had been
sold by her mother in Indian fashion to a
man named Charles Morris; a Canadian
Frenchman. She lived with him only a
short time.
At the time of this marriage she was
only ID, and after the departure of Nor
ris her parents sent her to school al
Hampton, Va, where she remained fol
three years. being among the. first of the
western Indians to enter an eastern school
I Upon her return from Virginia hel
mother arranged for her marriage TIC
George w. Grinnell a civil war veteran
of the Sixth United States infantry. This
agreement was in the form of. the usua
Indian purchase, but the father demurred
and insisted that his daughter should be
married in a more civilized fashion, anG
this was done, the couple being married
at a Presbyterian mission on Fort Peel
reservation, Poplar, Mont.
Killed Her Husband.
In 1888 Grinnell met a violent death al
the hands Of his wife. He returned to the
ranch one day in an intoxicated condition
and drove her out of the house. Sht
started to a field near by where some o.
the hands were at work, and her husband
followed her, riding horseback. AS hi
overlook her he leaned forward and STRUCK
her a vicious blow over the head with hi:
revolver.
| Grinnell fell from his horse and husband
and wife struggled in plain view of thu
| hired hands in the field, when Grinnel
| was seen to fall forward limp and life
| less. With plated leather chain Mrs
| Grinnell had choked her husband to death
In falling the chain had become entan
gled and his wife grabbed the leather t,
protect herself. Retaining her hold, sh
gradually twisted the guard until life hat
| been choked from her abusive husband
| She was taken to Williston, where an in
quest was held. The coroners jury re
turned the verdict that George W. Grin
nell came to his death thru the ''provi