The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1913-09-12

''~~S~~'~At
man and teamster, faced an ordeal in
the district court before Judge Hughes
this morning in his trial on an indict-
ment charging first degree murder for
the alleged killing of Louis Fernie,
when the top of the skull Of
the murdered homesteader, removed
at the time the autopsy was held over
his body, and clearly indicating that
it had been fractured by blow from
some instrument, was placed in evi-
dence as states Exhibit D, during the
examination of DR.. ]. ]. Benson, of
Tower, one Of the chief witnesses for
the state.
Pallid from his confinement in the
county Jail, LIE Quire sat beside his at
,tornsy, N. H. Mcmahon. Not once did
Ai- e s,ls iii
emotion and not so much as by the
wink of an eye-lash did he indicate
more than ordinary interest in the
proceedings. The gruesome relic of
the tragedy at Wadman's Point on
Lake Vermilion was produced from the
recesses Of travelling case by DR..
Benson. Beside it, for demonstrating
purposes, was another skull, the prop
erty of DR.. Benson, which is to be used
in indicating to the jury the exact con-
I;%;o~ of %ho cl,,,n - 7 o,,;c -
discovered at the autopsy held over his
dead body.
Members of the jury panel turned
stiffly in their seats to view the ghast-
ly bit Of evidence when their atten-
ton was called to Estates Exhibit D"
by County Attorney Greene, who is
conducting the prosecution.
Mr.. Greene picked it up rather GIN
gerly and handed it to Court Stenogra-
pher Clarence Dwyer, whose duty it
was to mark upon the whitened bone
with his fountain pen Estates Exhibit
D." Mr.. Dwyer shook his pen care
fully, and placed the proper designa-
tion on the section of the bone. Then
it was placed in the hands of DIR. Ben
son while his examination proceeded.
DR.. Benson was the first witness
called for the state this morning. He
was the deputy coroner summoned
when Fernie's partially burned body
was found in the ruins of the burn
ed tent at Wadman's point, where
Fernie and Homer LeQuire were
camping. He testified to the finding
Of the body, to the marks found upon
it and to the condition Of the skull
developed at the autopsy. Bits Of the
fractured bone taken from the brain
when the autopsy was performed
were introduced in evidence enclosed
in No. 10 envelope of the kind that
is used for ordinary commercial pur.
poses.
DR.. Benson's evidence was strong
for the states theory Of murder. He
was on the stand for the greater part
of the morning session. DR.. R. L
Burns of Tower, will be another i'm.
portant witness for the state. He is
the chief surgeon at the Soudan hos.
pital and was present when the au
topsy was conducted.
1wenty-one witnesses have beer
subpoenaed by the state. The trial o1
the case will occupy several days ant
among the chief witnesses for the stat,
will be Rube Waddell, the old-tim|
baseball pitcher of international fame
Waddel was a guest at the sum
mer home of Alderman Boylan a
Lake Vermilion at the time the mur
der was committed. He had visite<
LeQuire and Fernie in their tent tn,
day before the murder was committed
and had also visited the place be
fore the coroner's inquest, shortly aft
er Fernie's body was found. -
Waddell had engaged LeQuire t.
assist him in laying some sewer pip
to Alderman Boylan's cottage on 81