The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1913-08-29
Interesting Murder Case Is to Be
# Tried at the Present Term ::
]. IT,. of District Court. go: "
STATES CASE BASED ON =.
UNUSUAL EVIDENCE
Woodsman, Teamster and Camp Cook
Answers to Indictment for Staying
of Louis Fernie at Lake VermilOn
Remembers Nothing; Mind Blank
ed by Whiskey.

Homer LeQuire, indicted by the
grand jury which adjourned last night
on a charge Of murder in the first
degree alleged to have been committed
in the killing Of Louis Fernie, home
steader and shacker at Wadman's
Landing, a point on Lake Vermilion,
on the night of July 28th, entered a
plea of not guilty to the charge be-
fore Judge Martin Hughes this morn
ing. He is without funds, and NJ. H
Mcmahon was appointed counsel for
him by the court.
The trial of LeQuire will be one of
the most interesting in the annals of
criminal prosecution in st. Louis coun-
ty. The case of the state, which will
be personally conducted by County At
torney Warren E. Greene, is entirely
of a circumstantial nature, but is Of
an unusually strong nature.
What LeQuire's line of defense will
be is not yet indicated. His own
statement is that he is innocent, while
his mind was so befuddled with exces-
sive drinking that he remembers moth
ing Of the happenings of the night
following which the charred body of
Louis Fernie was found in the ruins
of burned tent and camp with q
large sum of money missing from it
which Fernie was known to have had
in his possession The day before his
death, :, .-> -, - - = - >.--
OF LeQuire little is known. He is
an itinerant laborer Of the class who
thrive by working in the woods,
through employment as teamsters in
the larger cities and working as camp
cooks for railroad construction crews.
His mother lives at Aurora, Ill. His
father is dead. A married sister lives
at Lake Linden, Mich, and a brother
at Calumet, Mich. According to a
statement made to the Enterprise this
morning he has communicated with
none of them and is anxious to keep
from them news of his arrest and the
charge against him. He maintains
his innocence and believes he will be
freed. He is about 80 years Of age,
talkative, and apparently has little
education.
Louis Fernie was well-known
character about the Vermilion lake
country, where he was homesteader
The facts of the case as brought out
at the coroner's inquest and prelim-
mary examination of LeQuire at Tow.
er are that Fernie and LeQuire were
strangers until the 28th day Of last
July, when they met at Tower and did
considerable drinking together. Fer
ME had sum of several hundred dol
lars on deposit with bank at Tower
which he withdrew and carried upor
his person that day.
The pair left Tower together in one
of the boats of the Vermilion Outing
company, which took them to Wad'
mans landing. They were then intox
icated and literally supplied will
whiskey.
Late on the night Of the 28th Le
Quire, still in an irresponsible condi
ton from drinking, went to the ad
joining camp of Captain Larson ant
told him that the tent the pair hat
occupied was on fire and that he fear
ed Fernie was being burned to death.
Captain Larson returned with hin
to the scene of the fire. They wer'
prevented from near approach by tn
explosion of quantity of ammuni
ton which the pair had brought VI
form Tower. At daylight the charre'
body of Fernie was found in the ruin
of the camp and Albert Kitto was sen
to Tower to notify the deputy corone
and an inquest was held.
I Fernie'ss body was found, lying 0,
the right side. The clothing was char
red but not entirely burned off. TIL
4 pockets of the dead man were search
! ed and were found empty. Near i
i was found the head Of a hatchet GOV
cred with blood. Pieces Of wood wer
sfalso found covered with blood. "
l. A post mortem examination wa
conducted by Tower physicians. l
developed that Fernie's skull had bee,
fractured by q blunt instrument. Tn
1 piece Of fractured skull was removed
lit will be an exhibit in the trial Of th
lease for the state. A careful scare
q of the ruins of the tent revealed d
coins ii the ashes Such small ar'tt;i