The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-10-13
Then you murdered him."

Then you murdered him."
Yes
"What did you do with the body?"
81 dragged it to the place where
it was found"
What kind of money was it?"
"a five-dollar bill, fifty-cent
piece, twenty-five-cent piece, two
dimes and one nickel
Hit Him With Coal Pick.
He said that he hit him with a
coal pick and that he got the pick
at the end Of car, then hit him
several times. He also said that he
saw SIS cents with that man in
the afternoon when the hobo
brought that lunch and alcohol. He
said he spent some of the money
for lunch and lost some and gave
some to his brother. He continued,
saying that he slept in Kost's barn
and that he got up about ten o'clock.
These remarks were made to me
voluntarily.
On cross examination witness said:
told him by pleading guilty and
telling the truth he would hold the
sympathy of the officers and that II
he went over to Saltwater in the
first place his color was against
him but by holding the sympathy of
the officers and the public in gen.
eral, if he was sent to Saltwater,
that later on, through sympathy, he
might gain by telling the truth now
and thus be pardOned.
Story of Hall Green.
Hall Green-I saw Fielding. He
told me in Jail that he came to
me as a friend. He said to me:
81 want you to tell the truth. The
people will say: oh! he is a mig
ger, they ought to hang him." said
Fielding. If you say you committed
the act and plead guilty you won't
get over year or year and half,
and then I replied that l would plead
guilty, and broke down and cried.
One of the fellows went to the sher-
ifs parlor and returned, all desired
me to sign that paper. l didn't
have anything to do with the crime.
l made these admissions because l
was afraid and was scared and
those promises. | didn't know what
they had me here in Jail for. The
detective told me that he wouldn't
do anything to me and afterward
told this Fred Felber story again
in the presence of the county attor-
ney, the sheriff and others. The
next day he came in again and l
told him that FeIber told me to put
the blame on the hobo Masterson.
On cross-examination Green said:
II didn't light those matches.
signed every page of that confess
sion. l didn't say it was right after
you read it to me, (meaning the
county attorney.
Witness Said He Was Scared.
"You all wanted me to sign it. |
was crying and scared. This second
time when Fielding talked to me,
none of my folks were there
Fielding never said that he was
only a niger and "gol darn him.
he ought to be hanged" He never
cried until after he had signed the
confession and also cried after he
made the confession to me in the
cell. He did not appear afraid and
appeared embarrassed. | never told
him he would get year or two in
Saltwater.
William Baker, was called to
Jail three times on August 9.
was in the cellar under the Jail
when heard John Green, Otto Green
and HALEY Green. l heard the faith
err say: 1--WE came over to have
you tell the truth? I understand
the hobo is innocent. The boy
cried and father said: Don't
cry. Don't let this hobo suf-
fer if he is innocent" The father
then asked him if Fritz did it and
advised him not to tell it and let
this big hurley fellow go free. HALEY
replied that Fred Felber did it and
dragged the body and that Mike
Hall was not there at that time.
Fielding then came in and Mr..
Green told Fielding that the boy
YVES ready to confess and after that
we all of us met in the office. Hall
did not appear scared and retOld
the Fred Felber story. He was Sob
bling slightly or shifting as if he
was crying. No promises or threats
were made to HALEY Green. Joseph
Spaetgens was with me in the cellar
Recalled Fielding.
Fielding recalled--Green said he
went home and was under the coal
shed TO let passenger train No. IS
pass by. He saw the hobo drag tn
body by the light of the engine
This is the first story. l was EN-
ployed by the county attorney to
investigate this crime. Father told
the boy to tell the truth and also
that he might get a few years in the
reformatory. His father told me
that the boy ought to get a short
sentence in way that showed that
he did not mind much.
The boy said that Felber made him
go back to the bench and there gave
him that bottle and six dollars and
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