The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1904-12-07
WEEKS HAPPENINGS
NEWS OF THE WEEK IN A CON.
pENSED FORM.
For killing OF Garrett-Otto Eriok-
son Held without Bail In Butte
County, Without His Confession an
Innocent Man Might Have Hung

A Lead special says: Otto Erickson
was held to the circuit court OF butte
County without bail for the killing ol
James Garrett, near Belle Fourche.
William Erickson was held In SZ,ooo
bonds as an accessory to the crime.
This case shows the worthlessness and
u%nreliability of purely circumstantlal e'-
idence.
A ~stockman named Gus Matson, who
| lived near CARROTS ranch, soon after
the disappearance Of Garrett seVerai
weeks ago, was arrested on the charge
of having murdered and hidden the body
of the missing man. Everything ap-
peared for a time to point PLAINLY 10
Matson as the murderer of his frlend
and former partner.
Matson. when first arrested, admitted
that Garrett had been at his ranch a
| short time before his Disappearance ana
that they had drank together. FROM
this and the discovery Of a trail leadlng
across the prairie, commencing at a point
within a few miles of Matson's home
and giving evidence that it had been
made by the dragging of a body along
the ground, together with other appar-
emily suspicious circumstances, led many
to believe that Matson was responsible
for the disappearance and death of Gar
rett.
Had it not been for the confession Of
Erickson, the state would have been
able to present a strong chain of circum-
s%tantial evidence against Matson, and it
was within the range of possibilities that
he would nave been convicted of the
crime.
Another circumstance which would
have strengthened the case against him
was the agitation shown by him when
informed in his cell that the body of
Garrett had been found after a systemat-
ic search lasting for many days. When
told of the finding of the body Matson
exclaimed:
my God! Boys, you can kill me now,
but l am innocent"
His agitation was presumed to have
been evidence Of q guilty conscience, but
it is now apparent that Matson realized
the trying position he was in and that
although innocent he might be wholly
unable to establish his innocence had
the case against him come to trial.
So firm was the belief in his guilt and
so bitter the feeling against him that a
number of the stockmen who were ell
gagged in the search for CARROTS body
loudly proclaimed their intention of TAX
ing Matson from Jail for the purpose of
lynching him.
Now that Erickson has confessed hav-
ing committed the murder, MatsOn is
again a free man and stands completely
indicated before his friends and ac-
quaintances. Because of the removal of
suspicion from him he is probably the
happiest man in South Dakota today.
Otto Erickson, the s~elf-confessed muir
derer of Garrett, for several years was
employed by the Homestake Mining
Company as a ~toolpacker, and left the
employ of the company in order to go OH
the ranch with his brothers. The Erick-
son ranch is situated near the scene Of
the murder.
Erickson is described as n quiet, unas-
Stunning young man, who scarcely ever
had anything to say unless he was ad-
dressed. And yet, according to his con-
~fession, It is doubtful if there is in the
whole Of South Dakota a more cold
blooded fiend than he