The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-12-09

:; the lake. If you hear of my doing
1T don't be surprised" This was after
had told her my trouble with Crook
and after she had said that she
blamed her aunt Ida for it.
!. l took the rifle to Gallagan &
!, Healey's to apply on the purchase OF
a stove, but finally left it to be sold
Il took the gun home to shoot wood.
chucks and bought some cartridges. |
hung the gun up at home and did
not see it again.
Closely Cross Examined.
On cross examination, the witness
said that the time Crook offered him
whisky from the jug near Greenland he
drank some from it so as not to Of
fend the family. He had always had
a high regard for Mrs. Crook, but of
late she had not been truthful WON.
an. l don't remember seeing John
Neary in the house the evening of Oc-
tober l, nor talking with DR.. Bigelow
The one thing that 1 remember telling
DIR. Bigelow was told to me, refresh
ling my memory. L did tell Sheriff
Donahue to get my knife and other
things from Marshal Neary, because !
supposed that he had them, having ar
rested me. l did not tell Sheriff Dona-
hue October 2 to collect So and pay
Mr.. Sickler.
Gave No Names.
| County Attorney Plymat tried to pin
the witness down to any person who
had made statements of Crooks max
ing threats, but the witness refused to
incriminate anyone else in the case.
There was one man near Cleveland who
said he had heard talk The witness
denied that he had threatened Crook
and led the latter to sieze the butcher
knife and threaten to cut his inwards
out if he did not leave him alone. In
lpassing the Crook house in going to
Mankato the night of October l, said,
Good bye, Ida; good bye, Pearl" I
did not make the statements claimed
| that l made OH the way to Mankato,
on meeting the undertaken.
The witness expressed sorrow for
Crooks DEATH but said he had no re-
, spect for the man, whose dealings
were like those of a snake / told Otto
lLamm: "They have only forty-eight
hours more to stay in that house." 1
| don't recall ever having had CONVEX
sation with Frank Hoehn on the sub
ject, or telling him that "when I
caught Crook and wife kissing, if |
had had a gun l would have shot them
both.'
i will take an oath that 1 never
said profane word in my life. l re-
member very well everything that was
done up to the time that the shot was
fired. / don't know whether the gun
was cooked at that time. OF whether it
had load in it. l don't know
whether the shotgun was loaded that
night, or cooked.
Denied Unfav0rable Testimony.
The witness took the gun and illus
trated how he held it when he entered
the dining room. He denied all that
was against him in the testimony of
various witnesses, and admitted most
that was favorable, especially in the
testimony regarding interviews.
The witness thought that Crook
used one hand to jerk the gun from
him. The witness said that the hand
that he carried the gun with was a
weak one. He got the gun to brighten
Crook into confessing. When Crook
went out of the house, l knew the
gun was a single shot one, and that
the cartridge was exploded, but the
box of cartridges was gone and 1 did
not know where they were. I took
the shotgun to defend myself with.
suppose, after taking my shoes off.
Crook partially arose from the chair
at the time Of the shooting, his left
side being toward me. Crook ran right
out of the house between me and the
table, after the gun went off.
A week or ten days before deciding
the property, ! put mortgage of $500
on it. | was to deed Ida the place
free from incumbrancc, and will vet.
"lou would like to go to Madison
Lake and live in that property again
and have Mrs. Crook take care of Won.
wouldn't your" asked the county attor.
ney.
THAT is peculiar question: said
the witness. The defense objected. and
the question was withdrawn, and the
evening recess was taken.
This Mornings Testimony.
Mr.. Hall resumed the stand this
morning and said that Crooks drink.
ing and actions when he was drunk
were the only things that he objected
to on the start. After his return last
June witness did not see him drunk
and his conduct was proper. The wit
ness claimed that he could not remem-
Der asking Sheriff Donahue Oct. 2
to get some of his belongings at Madi-
son Lake.
You were angry because Mrs Crook
took her husband back to live with
her?' asked Mr.. Plymat.
"You may. call it anger or you may
! call it grief" replied the witness.
"Iou didn't like it. did your
81 don't like anything that is not
right
ut is true that you thought that
they were matchmaking your"
"Yes.''
! 1T is true that YOU heard of brags
by Crook, that he had gouged you out