The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-12-26
Ninth Day Of Murder
Trial at Blue Earth


Blue Earth, Mimi, December 1S.
The ninth day of the VIRGINS
murder trial drew to close with the
states case nearing an enC ana it is
expected that the defense will open
some time today What their line of
defense will be has not yet appeared
but the statement has been made
that the defendant himself will take
the stand, also that large number
of Witnesses will be sworn in his be.
half. 1t is expected his mother and
brothers who have attended every
ssession of the trial will testify in
his behalf. There is rumor that
his wife, who has held no communi-
cation with him since his arrest, will
waive her constitutional rights and
testify for her husband. She would
then have to undergo the cross ex-
animation of the state which the
prosecuting attorneys believe would
bring out much that is damaging to
the defense
Bullet Not Tempered With.
H. c. Hirschy, the gun expert, was
recalled and asked if the Steen bull
let, submitted for his inspection, was
in the same condition as to marks
of Identification as when he exam
ined it in the forenoon. He created
quite a sensation when he stated
that its appearance was greatly
changed This gave the impression
that the states exhibit, one of the
most important in the case, had
been deliberately tempered with. Dur.
ing a recess one of the jurors came
to Judge Quinn and told that he
had thoughtlessly pulled the bullet
out OF the gun barrel when submitted
to the jury for examination and fore
ed it back in again, which operation
had marred the bullet. This explana-
ton relieved all suspicion of the ey-
hibit having been tempered with.
Motive for Crime.
The state then produced its wit
nesses by whom it is sought to es-
tablish a motive for the crime. The
first was e. r. Flygare, clerk of
courts in Martin county. Mr.. Fly
care produced the odicial records
which showed that John Steen had
been a witness against Virgens IN
criminal action tried in May, 1901,
also retired in December Of the
same year. Also that he had been
a witness against Virgens in a civil
case in 1902 in which Chas. Rippel
was plaintiff and in which a YER
dict had been returned against Vir.
gems. Steen had also been wit.
ness before the grand jury which
indicted Virgens in 1901.
"Was shot, Alright" said Virsens.
Carl Johanson, hired man for
Steen at the time Of the murder was
recalled. He said he had attended
the funeral services held at the, Steen
home, also at the Swedish Lutheran
church, and the defendant was not
present at either place. He also
said that a few days after Stems
death and prior to the funeral he
was discing along the road on the
Steen place. Virgens drove along on
his way home from town. He. stop
ped and talked to Johanson.
"virgens asked me if had heard
if they had found the bullet is
Steen's body. ! told him they had.
He asked me if | had heard any
noise about eleven o'clock the night
of the murder. replied that
had not, that l was sound asleep
at that hour He asked me if
they would go after fellow if they
found his tracks was kind of
scared myself and said | didn't think
so. When he drove off he ssid
HE was shot all right
Two Guns in Room.
Mrs. Huldai Burshaw, residing near
Wells, was sworn. She is twenty
five years Of age and the daughter
of Olof Bjerklund who formerly re-
sided on the farm next south of
Virgens.
Eat corn planting time in 1908 my
father sent me to Virgans place to
get some seed corn. He was not
married at that time. The seed
corn was up stairs in the house and
went up with him to get the
corn In the same room with the
corn there were two beds and
noticed there was gun in each of
them. We got to talking about John
Steen. He saw that noticed the
guns and said the big one, double
barreled shotgun was his wife and
the smaller one, e rife, was his pro:
tector He called me John Stems
hired man and said that some day
Steen world catch q good blow with