The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-12-19

| proximately rather than by actual
measurement and it was not there
fore a correct plat This objection
was sustained and the plat was not
allowed in evidence. Drawings show
| in gthe location of the grope, fences,
buildings, distances etc., on the
Steen farm were introduced without
exception. as was drawing show
! ing the east elevation and ground
| floor plan of the hog house where
the body was found,
On Stand Long Time.
George e. Brockman, postmaster
at Triumph, was on the stand nearly
all of yesterday afternoon and will
be recalled later. He narrated the
events at the Stean place the morn
ing OF the tragedy. He was the
first person from Trimph TO go out
to the place and tender his assist
ance to the family. He verified
many of the statements of previous
witnesses as to finding and position
of the body, etc. Other persons ar
I IIteu Wliic H. was ElAISiS anu gIuCy
discovered the wound in Stems
head, which they did not at first recog-
nize as a bullet wound. They also
noted the broken window glass throu n
which a bullet had evidently been
fired. They then found the round
hole in the top of Stems cap
and concluded that he had been
shot Witness identified the blood
stained cap which had been intro
duced in evidence.
Saw Tracks in Earth.
Witness testified as to seeing
tracks in the plowed field south
of the hog house which ne took to
be those made by large sized
boot He testified that a light in
the hog house could be plainly
seen from the Virgens place.
Witness had rather an uncomfort-
able half hour under the greulling
cross-eyamination of Mr.. Allen for
the defense. lie stated that he
had been on the Virgens farm and
ascertained that the light in the
hog house was visible from that
point He was unable to fix the
date he had first been at the Vir.
gems place after the killing, but said
it was on a day when 400 or 500
people were there. He thought it
might have been on a Sunday. Wit
ness said the hog house was paint
ed but as he was color blind
could not tell the color.
On redirect examination Mr..
Brockman said that in company with
ID Butt and at the quest of the isg
county attorney and Mr.. Putnam re
had conducted experiments on the
night of Dec. list. They placed the
same lantern tnatwas found in the
pen with body, lighted, in the same
pen and then drove to the Virgens
place to ascertain if they could see
the LIGHT from that point. They ap-
preached close TO the Virgens build
ings and could see the light. They
then went back to the Steen place
and found the lantern as they had
left it. Witness then walked east
towards Virg2ns place consider
able distance and could see the light
from as far as he went with the
lantern standing on the floor in the
pen.
witness was again cross-examined
by MIR. Allen and was considerably
confused as to distances and locs.
ton of objects ON the Virgens prem
isas but in the main his test
nony did not appear to lie mater
iaily weakened.
The witnesses today were August
Steen, the young son of the murder
ed man: DR.. G.. E. Merrick of Dun.
nell, and DR.. j. A. Butt of Monterey.
The defense tried to show by the
doctors that the wound in Stems
head could have been self-inflicted.
A. N. Nelson, one of the editors of
the Fairmont Sentinel, also testified.
His testimony tended to show that
a person standing on the Virgens'
farm could see al light at night in
the Steen hoghouse.
Blue Earth, Mimi, December II.
"A. full jury was secured in the
Virgen's murder trial at yesterdays
session of district court. The
twelfth man chosen is Gullick
Frandle OF Emerald township. He
is farmer, forty-five years of age
and married. On the completion of
the jury, court took recess until
nine O'Clock this morning.
The jury is composed entirely OF
farmers. Eight of-the jurymen were
born and have lived all their lives
in Faribault county One is of Ger
man birth, one is native of France,
two are of American parentage, four
are of German descent and four of
Norwegian extraction All but one
are married.
Both defense and state consider
. it an excellent jury.
AT the opening of court today Hon.
F. E. Putnam opened the case for
the state in an exhaustive address
to the jury. He fully detailed the
matters which the state expects to
prove by competent evidence con.
meeting the defendant with the fell
CnlOuS death of John Staan TITO