The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-10-07
From Mondays Daily.

From Mondays Oahy
Another murder was added Saturday
evening to the frightening list that
have disgraced Blue Earth county IN
the past few years. This time the
town of lie Ray, near Madison Lake,
was the scene OF the homicide.
With no cause TO justify so ter
rible an act, one old man slew another
almost as Old while frenzied with
liquor. which stimulated all of the evil
passions of hatred and jealousy to saw
age action.
For three-quarters OF an hour, the
form of the dead man lay crouched
under a tree at the corner OF the
house, while none of those aware OF
the shooting had the nerve TO face
the angered murderer, who kept guard
of the premises with shot gun, in
darkened house. A physician who was
called in by neighbor as he was
driving by was intimidated by the
murderer and dared not even seek the
wounded man for fear that if he found
him alive the murderer would fire a
body.
Whitford NJ. Hall, the murderer, sew
enty years old, is in the county jail,
expressing his pleasure that he killed
his victim, George A. Crook, man in
his siXtieth year, and husband of The
niece and housekeeper of the murderer.
Crooks body lies in the undertaking
rooms Of Iandkamer Bros. & Davidson,
shot through the abdomen with a rifle
bullet. Hall does not attempt to deny
that he is the murderer, but seeks to
justify his act.
Hatred and Jealousy.
The shooting occurred at about seven
o'clock Saturday evening at the pretty
home that Hall had owned. on the
shore of Madison Lake, near the west
end of the beaver dam, and nearly
across the road from the Lamm and
Hohmann cottages. on the main road
from Mankato. Hall had recently deed
ed this property, which includes a
small house, barn and ten acres of
ground, to his niece, Mrs. Ida Hall,
A Crook, in compliance with an agree
ment made four years ago between
Hall and Mrs. Crook, that the latter
was to have the place in return for
taking care of him the rest of his
DAYS. The fact of this conveyance
was one of the causes leading up to
the murder, but back of that was
the hatred and jealousy with which
Hall regarded his niece's husband,
Crook. The latter had been away for
three and a half years, but few days
after the property was placed in his
wife's name he returned and had re.
sided there ever since. He had left his
faults behind him, and was well liked
industrious and honest. He was par
ticularly careful to avoid giving fur
ther cause for Hall to grow angry
about. 1t was his presence and the
ordinary caresses passed between man
and wife that fired Halls jealousy, and
was the direct cause of the shooting.
Hall Frenzied With Liquor.
Hall, as he had often done in the
past, ctllc lOlflc dDoul o.CU u ClOCh
under the influence of liquor and
bringing pint bottle of whisky with
him. He announced that he was hun
cry, and his niece, a pleasant, hard
working lady, proceeded at once to get
his supper, noticing his condition and
being warned by previous experience
to be careful at such times. She did
not get the supper for the rest of the
family until $3.50 o'clock, and she and
her husband and youngest daughter
Pearl, eight years old, sat down to
supper just as Hall was finishing his
meal Mrs. Crook had cautioned her
husband to say nothing that would rifle