The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-12-05
JUDGE POLLOCK
FREES WIFE Of
BABY MURDERER
Not Sufficient Evidence to
Convict Her Under the
North Dakota Laws.
GIRL, BUT 10, IN
TEARS, TELLS STORY
Says Husbend Suggested Killing In.
FAINT but that She Objected and did
not Believe He Would-Had Forced
Her to Keep the Secret.

Fargo. N. D.. Dec. 5.-Holding that
there was insufficient evidence to Sc
cure a. conviction under the North
Dakota laws or to sustain such a ver-
dict If conviction were obtained. An.
na. Scheutte. wife Of Richard Scheutte,
sentenced to life imprisonment for
the murder Of his child. was released
from custody by Judge G. A. Pollock
In district court late yesterday after
noon
Knew Nothing Of Crime.
I Mrs. Scheutte was placed on the
stand and In response to questions
put by her attorney. A. W. Cupler
and States Attorney Fowler she told
the story of her connection with the
murder Of the three weeks old child
which was found in Fargo hotel the
night Of November s.
! According to her story she declared
that she knew nothing Of the crime
contemplated by her husband. He
forced her to keep the secret after
leaving Fargo.
Nineteen Years Old December 81.
| Mrs. Scheutte will be 10 years old
! the last day Of December. She is a
simple farmer girl and though she
mourned the loss of her child. the
court officials believe that she hardly
realized the enormity Of the crime
which her husband committed.
Tried to Give Baby Away.
! According to the girl wife's story
Richard Scheutte threatened to get rid
- ut "a
At that she says she thought her hus-
band intended to give the child away
and she says that he offered it to the
woman at whose home the couple were
staying.
He Suggested Child Murder.
Arriving at Fargo on their way
home. the night Of the murder. the
couple went to hotel for the mother
was still weak.
They went to their room and there
the husband suggested that they
might get rid of the child by killing it.
The girl said she did not believe
her husband would commit the crime
and she says that she left the room
and the baby in the care of her hus-
band.
Forced Her to Keep Quiet.
On her return to the rooms she did
not see the child and she asked where
1t was
Scheutte showed her where the body
Of the babe had been hidden and the
girl testified that she began to cry but
that her husband forced her to keep
quiet and to leave the hotel room
soon after.
Said Child Had Died.
On their arrival home Scheutte in
formed his father-in-law Of the birth
- II
in Fargo.
The mother was still weak and was
put to bed at her home.
Scheutte went to work for neigh
Dor and the couple later rented a
home where they were living when
the officers arrived for them.
Could Not Secure Conviction.
States Attorney Fowler said that
after careful investigation Of the
case he believed that a conviction
could not be secured under the laws
of the state and asked to have the case
dismissed.
Attorney Cupler said that an inves-
tigation had convinced him Of the in
nocence Of the woman so far as any
punishable crime was concerned.
Girls Father Testifles.
The court heard the story Of the
young woman and then that Of her
father who arrived in Fargo Tuesday
to help his daughter in her trouble.
The father testified that his daugh.
ter loved children. had assisted in the
care Of her three younger sisters and
had been mother to them for long
periods when the mother was away.
He said that she had never before
been in trouble Of any kind.
Court Disn,isse~.
On the face of the testimony the
court agreed with the attorneys and
entered an order dismissing the case.
The young woman left at a late hour
with her father for his home In Wis
consin.
The father promised the court that
he would take good care Of his daugh-
ter.
Richard scheutte will he taken to
Bismarck, probably today. to begin
serving life sentence for the murder
Of his own child.