Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-12-28
COMMITS AWFUL DEED
tragedy Near Kerkhoven in Which
John Shields Shoots Victim
Dead and Then Cuts
His Throat.

,
nlty OF Kerkhoven for several years
past, killed c. G. Maxon at the
,OBrien farm, one mile west of Kerk.
hoven, last Saturday by first shoot
ing him with shot gun and then cut
ting his throat. Shields went to
Kerkhoven Immediately after CONT.
ting the crime and gave himself up to
the village marshal.
The murder was committed in the
living house on the O:Britn farm.
Two boys, Frank and Bennie Burcs,
Is and l6 years old, we're In the house
at the time the shot was fired, but ran
out before the cutting was done.
Maxon is about 25 years of age.
His parents live at St. Cloud. He
had been working around Kerkhoven
since last spring. He is what might
be considered one of the better class
Of tramps. Farmers he worked for
say he was a good worker. Shields
is a sort of no account fellow who de-
votes most Of his time and money to
drinking intoxicants. At the time of
the mur der, however, neither he nor
Maxon we're intoxicated. The shoot
ing occurred about Il O'Clock {noon).
When the report OF the terrible deed
reached Willmar there were several
COL Il citing stories regarding the
fair. The TRIBUNE endeavored to
secure the true facts in the case and
Is indebted to Editor Archer of the
KerkhUyen Banner for the above &C.
count as we'll as that which follows.
AS near as can be ascertained the
facts which led up to the murder are
as follows:
On Wednesday Of last week, while
both Shields and Maxon were at the
O'Brien farm they indulged in a
horse race. Each had pony and the
winner of the race was to take both
ponies. Shields won. Maxon said
ne did not win fairly ard wordy
aitercatlon followed, during the course
of which Maxon struck Shields a
he avy blow IN the face. He Maxon)
chen mounted his pony and rode
away. Tom O'Brien, who was pres
ent when toe quarrel Was going on,
says Shields did not strike back, but
after Maxon had gone away became
very angry. Maxon, Shields and
|O'Brien were all drunk at the time OF
the horse race. Shields claims that
as he was riding into Kerkhoven on
the Friday following the horse race
the day before the murder) Maxon
was concealed under the approach to
the Cargill elevator and fred three
shots at him with either q small rifle
or revolver. Investigation develops
the fact that it was not Maxon who
did the shooting, but A. Jacobson,
the man who runs the elevator. He
was shooting at rabbit. Shields
went back into the country and the
following morning called at the Terry
Murphy farm, south OF Murdock, and
borrowed the gun with which the
shooting was done. He told Murphy
be wanted the gun to shoot a fox he
had seen along the road. After get.
ting the gun he rode over to the
OBrien farm and committed the muir.
der.
Shields denies having cut Maxon's
throat and in his defense will nc
doubt try to make 1t appear thai
Maxon cut his own throat.
At the coroner's inquest held Mon
day afternoon the jury found thai
Maxon came to his death as the re-
suit of the gun shot wound inflicted
by Shields. Shields was taken tC
Benson Saturday afternoon and placec
in jail. At this writing he had MOI
had his preliminary hearing.