The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1906-07-10
the middle or latter part of next
week.

Seattle, July 6.-Two Oregon
men declared on the witness stand
In the superior court here yesterday
that to kill Edmond Cref6eld, the
Holy Roller prophet" would have
been pleasure to them; that they
envied Mitchell his opportunity of
putting an end to the monster. One
of these men, Louis Hartley, of Cor
Wallis, said he laid in wait for Cref-
field without shelter for three days.
He had a Winch ster between his
knees and was determined to shoot
the self.styled prophet" like a dog.
The other, E. II. Baldwin. also of
Corvallis, testified that he begged
Mitchell for the privilege of killing
Cfeffield, but the young man insist.
ed the grim task had been assigned
him by God, and that none but he
should perform it. .3f e
Testimony of this kind, coming
from elderly men of reserved and
conservative aspect and manner,
had a profound eff ct upon the jury.
Neither witness seemed to regard
the shooting of Cref6eld as any
greater ofense than the killing of a
mad dog. That they had good
grounds for this view was demon
strated when they told the story of
the ruin of their families-stories
similar to those told by O. V. Hurt
and Burgess Starr early in the
week. u =
Today's session was taken up
largely by witnesses from. Oregon.
The most important of these were
Baldwin and Hartley. Mr.. Hart
ley was put upon the stand late in
the afterp oon. He told of Creffield's
influence over his wife and daugh-
ter and of his efforts to kill the fa-
natical viper. He stated that the
Holy Rollers influence over his
daughter, Miss Mildred Hartley,
% years of age, was such that she
gave up going to school. She was
then at the Agricultural College at
Corvallis, and in her fourth year.
Cfs field told her that unless she
left off school work God would
.smite her, ~
"When the Holy Rollers started
by train for their camp on the
coast" said Mr.. Hartley,"I I learned
what they intended doing and man
aged to catch the same train. When
they learned I was aboard they
tried to get me off. Finally they
got off themselves. To get back
they had to walk IS miles. I re-
manned on the train.
MY object, gentlemen, to be
frank with you, was to kill Cre field
He had ruined my family, and
intended to take his life.
II followed the Crefheld party to
Newport. Having 60 gun with me,
I went to q secondhand store and
bought cheap weapon. By mis-
take or trickery, I don't know
which, the dealer cold me center
fire revolver and rim-fire cartridges.
When the party took boat to cross
the bay to South Beach drew a
bead on Creheld. Had my cart
ridges been all right that would
have ended the matter. The CUR
snapped and Crefield got away
The Rollers then thought that Cref'
field was protected by God and thai
be could net be killed.
"The next day Ifollowed them
10 camp. This time I had a Win
chester, which would do the work
laid in wait for Crefheld tor three
days, but be never came in sight
saw ali his followers, but he hao
evidently gotten away. Later
when [ n ct Mitchell, also hunting
for Crefheld to kill him, to1d him
! how l had missed the Roller. HI
did not eeem surprised ror dis
llea-ed. r.
HE said the reason I had failed
was because God bad left it for hin
to kill Cref1eld. He seemed utter
1y out of his mind"
Mr.. Baldwin Is the father Of foul
daughters, but only one Of then
came under the influence of Cref
field. He said, however, that h'
soon put stop 10 it all by forcibly
compelling the girl to remain away
from the Holy Roller aggregation
She was so completely under Cref
fields influence that she attempted
to leave home, packing her clothe
for that purpose.
"She was then in a broken-dowr
condition, and I decided to protec
her from further folly, even if ha,
to remove her from the earth." th
witness said. when I met Mitch
ell at Corvallis he told me God hat
commissioned him to kill Cref6eld
I told him he was crazy to talk tha
way, and tried to reason him out Q
his plan. I told him that I wante'
to kill Crefheld, that he was q youn
man with his life before him, Will
I ives old and able to bear the con
sequences. He would not hear 9