The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-12-26

find the man that murdeded tJohn
Steen.
Handled His Own Gun.
Witness was handed the Colt pis.
tol and asked if he had ever seen
that before. ut looks like it, 1t
looks like the 32-automatic Colts
pistol / had l got it of Sears 4
Roebuck. / do not know the number.
III don't remember if | got it by
| freight or express. If it is the same
gun it was laying in the drawer in
my house when Dean and Carver
were there. l had not used it for
more than six months before. 1t was
never loaded when lying in the
house.
"The Saturday after the murder |
buried the gun on the south line OF
my farm. | used a spade to bury it,
Only Gun He Ever Had.
Question: Is this the gun you
buried two posts east of the ditch?
Answer: / think so.
Question: Is it the only gun you
ever had?
Answer: Yes.
Question: Which side of the post
did you bury it?
Answer. | don't remember
! Question: Is this the gun that you
told Fred Rein about
/ Answer Yes. that is the gun.
Witness said he buried the beer
| bottle and fruit jars with the shells
in them the same day.
Did Not Have Savage Gun.
Il had the gun, if it is the same
one, when Fred REIN worked for me.
did not have a Savage gun. I
never saw one. Fred and used it to
shoot at a mark. Fred and i had
much talk about guns. He said he
could set a bottle on fence post
and hit when riding a horse past it
on q gallop. bought him a revolver.
We went to town to do some trading.
He saw a revolver in the hardware
store in Monterey and wanted to buy
it. He hadn't any money and wanted
me to get it for him. l told him he
had better save his money as there
were other things he needed worse.
He hadn't hardly any clothes. He
got the gun and had it charged to
me. l told him to take the gun back
but he did not do so and finally l
had to pay for it.
Talked About Motorcycle.
I'VE had a talk about motorcycles
He always wanted one. He went to
Welcome two times to buy one. He
wanted me to sign with him so he
could buy it but | wouldn't do it. He
said he would get one anyway. There
is nothing about my stealing Pope's
motorcycle. l do not remember that
Pope ever owned me SO. If he did
it was so old / don't remember it..
never told Fred REIN that Pope
owed me SO
THE last time Fred Rein was at
my house was in February. 1913. He
owed me $40. It has since been paid
to me in Jail by Sheriff Carver, else
he wouldn't never paid it. 1t was paid
after he talked to me in jail"
81 remember the day of Stems
funeral" Witness then explained why
he did not attend the funeral sub
stantially as stated by Mr. Allen in
his opening address to the jury. Il
was going to walk over to Stems
place to the funeral but could not
leave my wife She was in bed
Story of His Arrest.
son the day ! was arrested I first
saw Sheriff Carver when they were
right by me. l did not see them
drive up. I was fixing gate and
had my back toward them. i didn't
see them till they were right close
up and took hold of me. Two of
them, Carver and Nicholas grabbed
me by the shoulders and Lawler by
the leg before saw them. They put
hand cuff on one hand after they
got hold of me. / don't remember
what was said. l did not struggle a
great DEAL l didn't want to let them
throw me on the ground. They didn't
say anything. | never said a word.
They didn't say anything about the
murder of John Steen till after they
had the handouts on me. ! was ex.
cited. l had been arrested before. If
he had toldsme he had warrant,
sure / would have gone along without
any trouble. told them if they would
take the hand cuffs off would go
| along anyway. l never bit anyone
in my life. That is just what they
say. ! didn't break Nicholas finger.
Denies Certain Statements.
There is nothing in That what he
said about me putting him clear off
| the ground with one arm. | am five
4 feet seven inches tall and at that
time weighed 175 to 1870 pounds. / do
not weigh SO much now, don't know
how much. | said / wanted to so in
the house and put different clothes
on before / went, but they wouldn't
let me. don't know exactly where
i in the house the shot gun was, the
woman changed It around different
places. do not know if it was