The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-17
READY FOR THE JURY.
Nordmark Case Will Be Submitted
This Evening.

Nordmark may know tonight whether
he is a free man or a convicted muir
derer- The case against the aged man,
who is charged with numbering three
members of the Lindahl family, will he
given to the jury about 5 o'clock this
afternoon The instructions of the
court have already been read and at l
O'Clock the state and defense were
reacv to argue the case. Attorney
Richie will make the last appeal TO
the men in the box on behalf of the ac-
cused man. Mr.. Richie is expected TO
make an eloquent plea for the freedom
of Nordmark and the county attorney
will close for the state. Both speeches
are expected to be the features of the
trial
People here expect an early ver-
dict of mot guilty because the
weakness of the states evidence or
the state has scored several times,
several links are missing. 1t is not
believed that the jury will find Nord-
mark guilty in view of the inability
of the prosecutor to present con-
nected array of circumstances.
Attorneys for the aged hermit are
confident that he will be freed. One
of the most important bits of evidence
brought out at the trial relates to the
position of the murderer at the time
he fired the deadly shots which end
ed the lives of Lindahl and his two
children. The state claims that the
person who fired the shots stood on
an embankment. 1t was proven that
the bullets entered the bodies on
level.
Monday Afternoon Evidence
Belleville, Kan, May 1.-THE sixth
day of the Nordmark trial convened
at 1:30 p. m. Monday, the state ex-
amined several witnesses and County
Attorney Vance announced at 4 o'clock
that the state would rest its case and
the defense placed H. N. Boyd, local
newspaper man, on the stand, to give
testimony as an old soldier, having ex-
perience with the shooting of guns and
their probable effects.
Boyd testified to having examined the
dead body of Lindahl and in his judg-
ment, the wounds had been caused by
shots fired on the level. The state
contended that the shots were fired
from an elevation or embankment.
Chas Nordmark, a nephew of the de-
PENDANT, testified to being on the river
two days after the murder was COM
mitted and that the condition of the
stream was sluggish and running about
two miles an hour. He examined the
shells admitted in evidence and told
whether they had been loaded with
black powder or smokeless powder.
Three of these shells, the state con-
tends, did the killing of the Lindahls
August Nordmark, a brother Of the
defendant, was the next witness and
testified to whiting the Lindahl farm
since the murder and of finding IN
empty shell near the granary. Nord-
mark is a, lawyer and lives in Kansas
City G. w. Kleinhege, superintendent
of city schools at BeIleville, gave ex-
pert testimony as to the phenomena
of bodies. He said a dead body would
sink and not rise until decomposition
had set in AMI gas had formed, prob
ably within SO hours, that a current OF
two miles an hour would not carry the
body down stream. The body was
found 225 feet from where the killing is
supposed to have occurred.
Chas. Nordmark, the defendant, was
then called and gave the following
testimony:
You are the defendant in this case :"
Eyes SIR
you were arrested the 2Sth of last
March?"
Yes. SIR
where did you live before that?''
cat my home one mile west and three
miles south of Scandal
you knew Alex Lindahl during his
lifetime?"
Where were you on the 2sth Of
March?"
st was home"
What were you doing that day?"
'I was attending my team. feeding
them, doing cooking and chopping some
"What did you do on the afternoon
of that day?''
II was raking up some hay and
weeds
Where: on your farm?"
Il will ask you to state to the jury
whether or not on that day you saw
Alex Lindahl.'
It did not see him."
Were you down TO the river that af-
ternoon?"
mo sir"
bod you on that day shoot Alex Lin
dahl?"
did you shoot the children
mo, sir
Did YOU know that they had been
shot until advised by officers?"
No sir
You had nothing to do with it?'
Cross-examination by County Attor-
you say you knew Alex LindhaI?"
| Eyes. sir
You were around home all day on
| the 26th of March?"
Eyes. sir
I'm the afternoon you were ralzing?''
Yes, SIR
How close a point were you to the
river that day?'
Not very far away; I do not know
how close; probably the length of this
room"
DID you see John Naslund that day?''
Yes, sir
Did you see R. BettaS?'
Il cannot remember whether I saw
\ him or not; it might be that did;
saw people riding along there"
You did not see Alex Lindahl or the
| Children
mo. sir"
| The defense then rested its case. The
state will introduce rebuttal testimony
this morning and the lawyers will
plead the case in the this afternoon and
| the case will go to the jury. 1t is not
expected that the jury will be out long.