The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-11-04

uiu IL. haItlA " Malley. IN presence
of Francis j. Hanzcl, John II. Trax-
Ter, Louis Chaser"
Other Witnesses Testify.
o. c. Thur was next called. He
testified: Il live at LIE Sueur Cen
ter and know Traxler, CHASER and the
defendant. On August o, 1 took in my
auto to the O'Malley home Traxler and
Chaser. On the next night, Aug. 10th
l took Traxler and Chaser there again
and returned to the Center. cot
back to the O'Malley home about
twelve o'clock and stayed outside at
the open window which was about six
or seven feet from where the detective
Traxler and O'Malley sat in the kit
chen. heard the defendant say he
wanted to speak to Chaser and wished
Traxler to leave the room and Traxler
came out to where / was at the win
dow. After he made the statement
OMalley said he felt better now that
he had owned up to it, that he had
been thinking about it all the time
since we left and had talked to the
children about that day and had made
up his mind that if we came back the
next day that he. would own up to it.
Witness testimony was practically
about the same as Sheriff Traxler's in
regard to the poisoning of the children
as given by defendant except that he
stated that defendant had, said that he
buried the rag containing the poison and
when Traxler, CHASER and Thur was
looking for the rag in the manure pile
defendant said that the hogs were in
the manure pile and might have de-
stroycd it. Cross examined by Attor-
ney Hessian. witness said that he un.
derstood defendant to say that. there
still remained some poison in the rag
when he buried it 1 in. the manure pile.
He further testified that he heard the
detective CHASER call defendant liar
several times and also heard lin call
him damn liar He also said he un.
understood defendant TO say that he had
Clarence Taylor told this story: 81
have lived here for about three wears
and my business is that of u painter
and decorator / have known O'NIalley
since July !, 1910. I was in the en-
ploy of Sheriff Traxler as guard over
defendant from August IL to August
IL. On the evening of August IL |
sat there reading and after while
defendant said to me: 1T is hell
OF scrape got into. am
sorry for my children. I poisoned
those two children and / might as well
tell Gods truth as 1 did it, | said,
Why did YOU do it and he said that
people were making fun of him because
he married, a Bohemian woman, that
ne went to a picnic at Simonett's and
said something about not getting
enough to eat or drink, that he rot
tired of all this and thought if he
could get rid of them it would stop.
He related to me just how he poisoned
the children. A little later | asked
him where his wife was and he said
that he had sent her to the neighbors.
During the conversation Traxler came
in and he asked him if he expected
them to come back the second night
and he said: Yes, / did, / expected
you every minute until you come.
did it and / knew it would be found
out sooner or later"
G. E. Burnett was recalled: Il
went to the county Jail on the morning
of August ii. Defendant said to me
there at that time: 4 promised those
Kids, l am guilty and nobody else. |
am sorry for my Children | said.
You should have thought of that be-
fore and he said: 4 might have
known that they would find out /
heard Sheriff Traxler ask him why he
got the rough Oh rats and he said that
he had used up all the other poison
and did not know but what he would
need it. Witness was at the Jail when
defendants brother Luke asked him
why he did not hire LAWYER and
heard defendant reply that there was
no use as he poisoned those kids and
what was the use of spending his
money and said he was to blame for it
and nobody else"
Theodore Elnmcrs testified: Il have
lived i'll this village for about fifteen
years and have been village marshal
for about ten years. Witness repeat
ed the story that defendant told when
brought into Jail on the morning of
August Ii to Burnett and TraxIer. A
week or two later witness said that
defendant denied having committed the
deed, and TraXler told him then that he
had told his brother Luke :lat he did
it and defendant then said that he
didn't deny it."
:: Joseph Spactgcns, the jailor at the
county Jail, testified that he heard de-
PENDANT make the confession on the
morning of August IL at the Jail when
Emmcrs, TraXlcr and Burnett were
present, and stated the facts as. told
by defendant about the same as Others
that were present at the jail at the
time. While alone with O'Malley wit
ness said that e-defendant--told him
that his head felt lot better since he
confessed. He said that defendant told
him that he had told the county attor-
ney the Whole story and that he had
signed it. At one time defendant told wit
ness: oh, God, I'd give my farm and
/ got if I didn't poison
those children Witness said that OH
one Sunday defendant told Traxler