The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-07-24
VICTOR, IN JAIL AT ABERDEEN,
ACKNOWLEDGES GUILT IN
STATEMENT.
OFFICERS. PRESERVING SECRECY
of Attempt at Lynching-Crime
:. Long Planned for Money
Which Christie Carried.

Aberdeen, 8. D., July 22.--Doubt'
concerning the guilt of Emil Victor,
the young. New Yorker, who has been,
in the. Brown county Jail since the
evening of July 8, charged with the
murder of the Christie family and
Michael Romayne near Rudolph on
the afternoon Of that day, is cleared
UP. Victor weakened, the officers
say, and made a signed confession
acknowledging that he was the per-
petrator of the most diabolical crime
in the history Of South Dakota.
Neither the states attorney nor the
sheriff will consent to talk on the sub
ject. Steps will be taken at once. to
secure a special session Of the circuit
court, when the prisoner will be tried
and his case disposed of. The South
Dakota code provides that the Jury
may fix the punishment for first de-
gree: murder either at hanging or life
Imprisonment. In case of q. death
sentence, the extreme penalty will be
imposed for the first time in the his
tory of Brown county.
Lynching Feared by Officers.
1t is believed the real reasons for
the refusal of the states attorney and
the sheriff to confirm the report Of
Nictor's confession, or to. make Its
contents public at this time, lies in
their fear. that. lypchins may follow.
the presentation Of evidence that the
prisoner is guilty as charged.
States Attorney Van Slyke and
Sheriff Anderson have been indefa-
tfgable IN their efforts to bring to
light evidence sufficient to convict
thA prisoner. Every day since his in
generation Victor has been .ques-
toned BY the. states attorney, and he
has .contradicted himself in some of
his statements regarding his where.
abouts about the time Of the murders.
1t Is believed, too, that the receipt
of letter from the pastor of his aged
parents in East Aurora, N. Y, In
which the. minister told of the grief
and prostration Of the prisoners aged
mother when she learned that her boy
was accused of 80 dreadful a. crime
had the effect Of weakening Victor's
nerve.
Murders Planned Long Ago.
According to the evidence at hand
Victor some time ago conceived the
idea OF numbering J. w. Christie for
| the purpose of robbery, knowing
Christie was in the habit Of carrying
large, sums of money with him. Final.
ly he fixed upon the morning of. July
| as a good time for the commission
of the deed, because Christie was not
in the habit of running the elevator
| on Saturday, and the chances were
that the desperate crime would not
be known until Monday, thus giving
the murderer two days start: -" d,
But the murderer did not reckon
| upon the fact the A-year-old Michael
Romayne was visiting the Christies at
that time. When Victor came upon
j. w. Christie milking in the barn he
felled him with one blow from a ham.
mer. The blow, or perhaps a groan
from the dying man. attracted the at.
tention Of young Rohayne. who was
in an adjoining stall.
Quick action was necessary, and
although the murder had planned to
commit the crimes silently, swiftly
and then. get away, he was compelled
to fire on the lad. Bringing him to
the ground with shot from his Al.
caliber revolver, he knocked him In
the head as he had Christie. Then
the women Of the household were
aroused, and they, too, had to be
silenced by shots from the revolver.
The Brown county officials had sue.
ceeded in tracing practically every
movement Of Victor from the evening
| before the murders were committed
until he was arrested at Worthwhile.
The discovery Of Victors revolver and
the one belonging to Christie was the
last link In the chain of evidence.