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


deed in his own maine. That was one
sensible thing that he DID, and is Il
thing that any old man or woman
ought to do. He improved the property
materially. During the first winter
Crook became SO violent that he
couldn't stay on the place. He threat
ened to kill his eldest daughter and
to cut his wifeS heart out, and threat
ened Hall, but the latter owned the
place and told Crook to take his family
and go. The outcome was that Crook
went alone, but during the long time
that he WAS gone he did not send any
thing home to help support or clothe
the family. Hall supported the fam.
ily When Crook came back once and
wanted to take his family away they
would not go, because he had no home
for them. Hall had only an uncles
feeling for Mrs. Crook, and she was
like daughter to him. She was as
pure as little girl. Hall willed the
property to her, which was as much
as father would do. He didn't
want to deed the place, for then he was
liable to be cast out upon the street
Some one kept nagging for deed,
and until one was given nothing was
heard OF Crook. There was a conspir-
acy to get the property and turn Hall
out into the cold world. When the
deed was given, it stipulated that Mrs
Crook was to provide 4 home for Hall
and bury him when dead. When Mrs
Crook accepted the deed she accepted
the provisions, for Il married woman
can contract under the Minnesota law
as well as a man. The deed also pro-
vides that during Halls absence she
need not support him. A shrewd law
yer put that provision in, for if Hall
was driven away from the place she
would not need to support him.
Crooks Quick Return.
Soon after the deed was given, Crook
returned. l do not accuse Mrs. Crook
OF conniving to bring him back. He
thought that he had snap. He had
never owned land in his life. When
he came back, he began TO abuse Hall
When a man gets old he cannot stand
things or remember things as he used
to. lie gets more fretful than for
merly: 1t made him nervous because
man who had left his family on his
hands for three long years had come
back to install himself upon the place
II -,
out OF him, and threatened him with \
butcher knife.
Mr.. Benedict took up the evidence
OF the states witnesses, and said that
he would take little from this and
that witness, gained on cross eya,ui.
nation from unwilling lips, and would
make whole that would corroborate
Halls statement of the occurrences OF
October /. The defense did not claim
that Hall was drunk that day. and il
would admit that there was bad blood
between the two men, No wonder Hall
wanted to eat his supper before Crook
He wanted to get away.
Smarting under Crooks threat to
make a patlper of him, Hall wanted
to have a talk with Crook in the pres
encc OF his wife, that she might know
what her husband had been telling. In
getting the gun, Hall made mistake
IL he had been intending to murder
anyone, he would have taken his dou-
bic barreled shot gun that was loaded
III the bedroom. The clicking of the
gun Is so low that Il person cannot
hear 1T through a door. and Mrs. Crook
never heard it click When she asked
him what he was going to do with the
gun, he said that he was not going
to do anything with it. If he took
the gun for self defense, he could moi
be convicted of mansaughter. The de-
tense claims that this is why he took
the gun. His fingers were stiff and
he could not let go OF the gun readily
when 1T was jerked from him bv Crook
and his finger caught the trigger.
crook got excited and said that Hall
was going to shoot, because he had
threatened Hall, unknown TO his wife
and he knew that Hall had reason to
shoot. Mrs. Crook was mistaken when
she sad that She saw her husband
iail, Tor she went out first and did
not see her husband on her way -
frederlcks. He followed her. The
wound could not have been made in
any other way than as Hall describes
Inc course of the bullet showed that
the gun was held at an angle of forty.
I'VE degrees, which was higher than :,
mans head, if the victim was stand.
ing erect. The bullet was not DETECTED
as suggested. If person was stoop-
ing over, reaching down for the our
Daifel, held near the floor, it wo,,ld
put the body in position to receive
ehe bullet as it went through Crooks
| oody. crook carried the gun TO the
Tree AFTER getting it away from Hall
Inc latter's finger was seen by DR.
biSeiow TO be bleeding that same even
ing. Where person leans over the
SKIN would drop down, and come back
"hen he Strengthens up, and this ac.
counts Tor the peculiar nature of the
bullet wound. \ shock strong epouof
10 make the man fall down would have
prevented INN from rising again. The
state had not brought in the clothing
Tor the jury to examine.
Mind Became Blank.
Inc counsel thought it not improb.
aple That Halls mind became a blank
after the shooting. Such things occur