The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-06-07
ESTABLISH COMPLETE |NN0CENSE Of
JOSEPH TILL IS OBJECT Of ATTORNEY
Court Officials of Pembna County Believe That Man is
Wrongully Imprisoned in North Dakota Penitentiary
Suspicion Pointed Toward Another.

For the first time since being con-
victed Of the murder at Pembina,
twelve years ago, of his cousin, Adam
Miller, Joseph Till appeared before
state tribunal when the board of par
dons considered his application for
pardon.
Till is now thirty-seven years of age
and was convicted when twenty-five,
and eight days after he had arrived
in Pembina county from Hungary.
He is short fellow, not unintelligent,
showing the effects of prison disci-
pline, who has acquired English since
his incarceration in the penitentiary.
He talks rapidly and rather abruptly
and his flow of language, considering
his opportunities for acquiring it, is
he was innocent-that Adam Miller
was his cousin and always dear
friend of his; that they had always
lived near together in the old country
and that Miller's father was his god
father. He denied that he had ever
entertained any affection for or inta-
macy for Mller's wife. which was the
theory of THIS reason for the murder,
and he went over the matter Of the
circumstances leading to his arrest
and conviction with the members of
the board of pardons, asking for his
release on the ground of his inno-
cence.
Appearance Requested.
Till's appearance was at the request
OF Attorney Tracy R. Bangs, who APP
peared for him before the board of
pardons. With Attorney Bangs were
Vice Consul Silvestri, of the Austrian
government at Chicago, and Judge
Kneeshaw, of Pembina county, who
defended Till at the trial. The vice.
consul said the evidence against Till
at the trial was tissue Of lies man
ufactured by men of his own country
who had conspired to kill Miller and
afterward perjured themselves to lay
the blame on Till. Judge Kneeshaw
said he had come before the board
at his own expense. without any other
desire than to see justice done. He
said he felt deeply in the matter and
was satisfied that Till was not guilty
The evidence in the case was closely
reviewed by all three men and they
asked justice for Till, which they
claimed would release him from fur
Their Incarceration.
Till is a Hungarian. In 1895 he
came to Pembina county with the wife
of Adam Miller, who furnished the
money for the passage. They ar
rived on February s. Blight days later,
February 10, Miller was murdered.
Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Bedose, who
lived two and half miles from Penn
bina, were in Penfbina on the day OF
the murder. Till and Mrs. Miller were
staying temporarily with the Bedose
family, Miller having yet no house OF
his own, and working in town. 1t was
Miller's custom to drive out to the
Bedose place in the evening, and this
he had arranged to do on the night
OF the murder.
The question of time enters unto
the circumstantial evidence against
Till in material degree. Attorney
Bangs stated that, at the coroner's
inquest, it was testified that Mrs. Mil
Ter and Mrs. Bedose returned from
Pembina and that supper was eaten
at about o'clock, and that all the
members of the family were in bed be-
fore o'clock. Miller was last seen
on the streets of Pembina by James
Kneeshaw between z and 1880 o'clock.
He was then going in the direction OF
the barn, to hitch up and drive out
two and half miles from town. The
attorneys argued strongly that If the
testimony given in the first instance
was correct. Till was in bed and asleep
when Miller reached the place where
the murder was committed.
Question Of Time.
For Till went out from the house
while supper was being eaten He
was gone long enough for one of the
party to finish supper-probably
twenty or thirty minutes He was out
for few minutes also just before
going to bed II this was between 6