The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-12-19
Story OF Widow
Cause OF Tears
Lsnecial to The Fee Press.l

in the Virgens trial gave their
testimony at yesterdays sitting of
district court.
At the conclusion of Attorney
Putnam's able presentation of the
states case Mrs. Britta Steen was
sworn as the first witness. She
was questioned on direct eXamina-
ton by Mr.. Dean and gave the fol-
lowing narrative through an inter
prefer. She speaks only Swedish.
MY name is Mrs. Britta Steen
and l live. on a farm near Triumph.
/ have lived there for eighteen
years. | am seventy-eight years old.
My husband died in 1863. | have
lived with my son, John Steen for
% years until his death last May"
Il last saw John alive on the
evening of May Z, 1913, about ten
o'clock in the evening. | saw him
in the kitchen at our home. He
had a lantern which was lighted
and was going out to the hog house.
/ did not see him again that night
get up until about six o'clock the
next morning Shortly after / got
m / went out to the hog house to
look for John. (Witness in tears)
| found him in the third pen from
the north end of the hog house
on the west side. ! called at him
but got no answer. / climbed over
into the pen and took hold of his
hand 1t was cold. l put my hand
On his head and found blood. He
was dead" (Witness sobbing but
quite self controlledD
Lying in Crooked Position.
Tie was lying in crooked posi-
ton and his head was leaned over.
/ told the hired man whom | met
on my way to the house | was
the first one up that morning. I
saw Johns cap a little on the side
of his head. / cannot remeber if I
took hold of the cap. i went direct
~ from the house 10 the hog house
10 see why h. had not come to the
house during the night | knew he
had beer out all night for / saw
that he had not slept in his bed
at all. ] noticed the lantern tipped
over in the pen with John. 1t was
not lighted"
Mrs. Steen was not cross-eXamin-
ed by the defense.
Testimony of Mrs. John Steen.
The examination was conducted
by County Attorney Dean:
Mrs. Stean took the stand with
her baby in her arms. She is an
attractive appearing, motherly wom-
an, who excited much sympathy as
she told her story simply and I'M
offectedly. replying to questions in
quiet, cultured tones.
My name is Johannah Steen. l
live on a farm a half mile from
Triumph, MINI. | have lived there
fourteen years this fall. John Steen
was my husband. We had been
married thirteen years at the time
of his death. l have nine chill
dren."
When asked the question, When
did You last see your husband alive?"
the woman whom the tragedy had
so suddenly made widow broke into
violent weeping. She composed her
self after few moments and con-
tinued.
Il last saw John alive on the
evening of May last, sitting in
o. I,A of
between ten and half-past ten
O'Clock. l was sick at that time l
had given birth to this baby. 1t
was then five days old He sat in
the room with me for five or ten
minutes. ] expected him back that
night. l went TO sleep shortly after
he left the house. j was awakened
about eleven o'clock by some noise
Ii sounded like a crack. | thought
it was some seed corn falling down
upstairs. Johns bed was on the
west side of the room where | was.
He did not sleep in it at all that
night. / did not see my husband
again until the day of the funeral"
Tears in Court Room.
There was scarcely q dry eye in
the court room when the widow was
excused from the stand. She was
not cross-eXamined.
Carl Johnson was the next wit
ness. He was employed as Stems
hired man at the time of the tragedy.
He told of the circumstances OF
John being up all night with his
hogs and the finding of the body in
the morning. He went to town and
gave the alarm by telling the first
person he met and they looked up
Justice of the Peace r. F. Leppla
and told him of it. Asked why he
did not telephone the alarm from
the house he replied: Il suppose l
didn't think of it. You couldn't
blame a fellow for being excited at
such a time"
Cross examination elected very
little from this witness. He seem
ed to have no idea of units of meas
urements and could give no idea of
distances or dimensions His favor.
tie reply to questions he was not
prepared to answer was THAT is
something / don't know"
Lee Brown, cashier of the PEG.
pies State bank at Monterey and
-,