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

FROM mondays DaIfy.
! The case of the state of Minnesota
VS. Whitford NJ Hall, accused of muir.
der in the second degree in connection
with the death of George Crook, is
nearing it's end The state got
in it's rebuttal testimony Saturday
afternoon and both sides rested. The
jury passed Sunday quietly, walking
out for exercise.
! The closing arguments of the jury
were made today by County Attorney
Plymat for the state and c. Il. Bene-
dict for the defendant. Both presented
their sides of the case eloquently and
ably, receiving and comparing the testi-
mOny of the witnesses and seeking to
have the jury draw its conclusions ac-
cording to their respective views.
! The case has been carefully tried Oh
both sides.
Mrs. Crook Recalled.
Mrs. Crook was the first witness cal
led by the state i'll rebuttal. She said
that Crook was very pleasant man
except whenever he was in liquor. He
had abused her at times when he was
drinking. He was a good provider. At
ter his return last summer his conduct
was good and he never used drop OF
Intoxicating liquor. He was exceeding
ly kind to the witness and the chill
dren. Hall never told her that Crook
had been talking about them, and
never gave any names of parties that
said that Crook had said these things
to. Crook said nothing to Hall at the
! pig pen Oct !, except Hello" He did
not stop there, but walked right in,
Pearl holding his hand. Crook did not
grab hold of the gun before it went
off.
On cross examination, the witness
said that she had fed the pigs before
Hall went and fed them. | first saw
George that evening when he got out
of Mr.. Pitchers buggy He went down
the driveway to the corncrib and thence
! ting when shot.
| Sheriff Donahue testified that October
2, Hall asked him to get some money
and articles at Madison Lake for him.
Il. f. Soaring was called and said
that Hall was rational the forenoon of
October 2, when interviewed by him.
The witness testified to statements
made by Hall at a second interview at
the Jail. October II. Cross-questioned,
he said that Halls physical. condition
was improved at that time over what
1T was October 2.
! Deputy Coroner John H. Macbeth
testified that on the trip in from Madi
son Lake the night of the shooting
when the Crook residence was passed
Hall arose in his seat and pounded the
! front seat and shook his hand at
the house and made vulgar remark
Passing the undertaken, after hearing
of Crooks death, he said he was glad
that devil was dead" These things
were said in loud voice.
! Cross examined, the witness said that
Hall thought that night that they
were on the wrong road. Hall talked
great deal, in rambling way.
Banker Testiies.
/ George Swearingen, cashier of the
Peoples State bank of Madison Lake.
testified that in the fall of 1906 Hall
told him that he had not promised to
deed to Mrs. Crook the place that he
had bought. In March, 1910, he told
the witness that he had made such a
promise to her. Witness had told Hall
| I no had
should keep it. Then Hall decided the
place to Mrs. Crook
! Cross examined, the witness said that
i'll 1906, when Hall had told him that
he had not promised to deed the place.
witness had advised that he had bet
ter not let it go until he was through
with it. Hall said last spring that he
had promised Mrs. Crook before she
moved on the place that he would
deed the place to her. He said that the
deed of the place from Dolan ought to
have been made to her instead of to
him. There was a life lease given by
Hall to Mrs. Crook, which witness saw.
I DIR. C.. E. Bigclow was recalled and
testified that before Oct. |, the defend
ant had been treated professionally by
him fifteen to twenty-five times or
more. He had also seen him frequent
! ly at other times On the evening of
Oct |, Hall was rational and knew
what was going Oh and what he was
saying.
/ DIR. c. L. Kelly was asked whether a
man might not be nervous and excited
and still know what he was doing and
talking about, but the defencs objected,
and it was ruled out
Frank Franciscus testified to state
ment by Hall that he might have
thrown the rifle where it was found.
! Otto Lamm testified that Hall used
the words in the conversation in July
last that he was going to clean out
the whole bunch at his house.
4 Cross examined, the witness said that
Hall might have used the words clean
off," but he thought that he used the
words clean out" At the same time