The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-10-11
If them are considered reliable. Yes

of them are considered reliable. Yes
terday Afternoon in a consultation
with County Attorney Schmidt,
Deputy State Fire Warden C. E.
Conley, Deputy Sheriff Ed. Ario and
two newspaper men, Kelly said that
he had seen Mrs. Otis Dolson about
half past nine Saturday night on
the corner of Front and Cherry
streets. She asked him TO come
down and Kelly asid he would After
that Kelly said that he met friend
who used to work for Dolson whose
name was John and that he got
John to go and get three quarts OF
whiskey. John got the whiskey
and then Kelly said that they went
down by the railroad tracks and
drank the booze. Kelly said that
he drank almost two quarts of it.
Then they went down to Dolsons
place and after talking the affair
over decided to, set fire to the house.
Kelly and John went to the ware
house of the National Oil Refining
] Co. and took five gallon can of
|
In getting through a wire fence
! John spilled some, of the oil on
kelly's clothes. Kelly said that
John was responsible for the plan
but he wanted to take all the blame
himself. When they got to the
house, about 12:40 John poured the
oil on the house and set it afire.
AS soon as this was done John took
to the woods north of the house and
Kelly went up across the tracks east.
About two-thirty Sunday morning
Frank DolsOn, son of Otis, who
works in the Chicago and North
western yards saw Kelly cross the
tracks at Rock street.
Not over an hour after this inter
view, after Kelly was taken down to
the county Jail, Deputy State Fire
Warden Conley had talk with
Kelly and Kelly said that when he
had seen Mrs. Dolson on the cor
ner of Cherry and Front streets she
had told him of the plan to burn
the house and wanted him to come
down and do it. When he got there
about eleven o'clock she was wait
ing for him in the barn and told
him to go up to the oil house and
get some kerosene. Kelly did this
and when he returned Mrs. Dolson
gave him some matches and told
him to set the house on fire and
get rid of her husband. Both Kelly
and Mrs. Dolson were drunk at the
time. Kelly said that he had given
! Mrs. Dolson some of the whiskey.
! In another interview with Kelly
| hn hot Toh
in on the deal too. John was a
teamster that had worked for Dol
son at different times but had not
been with Dolson for some time He
said this morning that the fellows
last name was John. He said that
Mrs. Dolson knew all about the fire
and helped plan the scheme.
What Dolson Says.
Otis Dolson says that Saturday
evening about half past eight he
and his wife drove up town in a
buggy and about nine he let his
wife out to get pair of shoes. He
then drove on home and shortly
after he got his team unhitched his
wife came home and went to bed.
He followed her Immediately and
knew nothing until he was aroused
by Frank Lang, car repairer for
the Chicago and North. Western rail
road. He got up and went to his
wife's room, which he had to go
through in order to go downstairs.
She was asleep on the bed with
| her clothes all on and when Dolson
woke her up she said that he was
having another one of his spells.
Dolson says that for the past week
he had been dreaming about some
one numbering him md that twice
he had gotten up out of bed to see
| it anything was wrong. He took
his wife by the hand and led her
down stairs.
Dolson says that Kelly has not
worked for him for some time and
! that when he was working for him
he had spells of anger when he
would rave and fight anyone that
was near him. Dolson has had
several encounters with him but has
| always managed to come out on
top. Kelly was hurt on the head
when he was young an was not
considered to be just right by any
of the transfers that worked for
Dolson. Kelly has been seen
around the Dolson home several
times lately and has given her whis-
key. Not long ago Dolson had
Kelly put on the black list for CIV
| ing his wife liquor.
Mrs. Dolson refuses to talk to
anyone, even her husband, and this
morning she attacked him in the
barn and he had to throw her out
by main force. She is a constant
drinker and is in a more or less
intoxicated condition all the time.
Dolson says that he thinks she has
drunk so much that it has affected
, her brain and she is not respons-
ible for what she says or does. He
says that she had nothing to do
with the fire because she was in
bed at the time and she had moth
ing to do with the planning of the
scheme for she is a natural coward
and is afraid of her husband.
| 1ivoH