The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-12-19
Story Told By Fred REIN, States Star
Witness In Virgens Trialat Blue Earth

ten days. He told me he had hidden
the stolen machine in a slough south
from his place l asked him how he
came to do it and he said the
fellow owed him ten dollars and that
he wouldn't pay it and he would
get even with him in that way. He
! stole it from mail carrier named
Pope. He told me that he went there
and took the flash light and lighted
in the door, took the motor cycle
out and pushed it all the way to the
place he hid it. He talked to me
about the motor cycle about week
before and said he was going to steal
it to get even for the ten dollars
the fellow owed him. | saw the
motor cycle in the slough where he
had hidden it about a week after.
Chris and | went diwn there at night.
We moved il three or four miles
further east to a corn field and
again hid it. l also saw it a few
days before the night we moved it.
That time we just went down to
look at it,
1--WE left home after dark that
night and got back home some time
toward morning. | saw the motor
cycle again after that, after Chris
and ] returned from the state fair.
One Sunday Chris and l drove from
his place to Grandmother Virgens
and on the way home at night
thn
motor cycle from the corn field and
hid it in the long grass in Klein's
slough. The next time l saw the
motor cycle it was in possession of
its owner. Mr.. Carver and Mr.. Law
Ter took me up there to see it last
August"
Chris Virgens was gone from
home the night of the murder. |
know it from hearsay. l stayed with
him all through stacking and we
had no trouble
Question: Did defendant ever say
anything to you about being too
thick with his wife?"
Answer: "No sir
Witness recounted the details of
his attending the funeral of his
Grandfather Virgens in October, 1912,
his subsequent movements through
the, fall and winter up to May, 1913.
e was working as farm hand for
his uncle, c. II. REIN, at Twin
axes. Freedom. county when he
first saw Detective Lawler.
c,,I,x
conversations he had with Lawler
ne two days before he came with
him to Fafrmont. He said that Law.
Ter told him that Chris Virgens was
7usDected of the murder, told hin;
he knew all about the motor cycls
affair, and about the placing of dyna-
mite in a threshing machine. He
| dlu not accuse Rein of being sus.
nected of these things but did say
Virgens was suspected.
"F awler didn't say to me that if
L didn't come to Fairmont and help
get evidence AGAINST Chris Virgens
he would bring lie there on account
of the motor cycle affair. C. H. REIN
| told me | had better come. | made
up my mind to come the second
day Lawler was there. | had made
up my mind to come because
wanted to satisfy myself if Chris
VlrSenS was guilty of the murder
OF John Steen. In talking it over
with my uncle, c. H. REIN, | did
say 1 wish to hell had stayed out
of Martin county"
Witness denied that any arrange.
lnent OF employment or immunity
from anything was preached to him
10 get him to come to Fairmont.
| Lawler and he talked over ali
matters connected with the murder
ana the other outrages Mr.. Allen
| tried to tangle witness on TESTIMONY
ihe had given at the preliminary
{ examination. Witness explained that
when he said at the examination he
had not read of the murder in the
| papers before Lawler visited him
| he meant that he had not read that
Chris VirgenS had been arrested for
| the crime
REIN said that he had not been
promised nor received any pay from
anyone for what he had done. When
he left Twin Lakes he borrowed
$500 from his uncle. Mr. Dean paid
MS expenses at Fairmont. He Dor.
roWed S25 from Mr.. Dean and SIG
at Triumph and made a trip to
see his folks in Oklahoma.
| My particular object in going to
see Chris at the Jail was to find
out where the gun was. | had nc
grudge against the defendant ex
cept that when l had heard he was
supposed to be guilty it turned me
against him.
Question: did defendant eve,
come home and find his. wife sitting
on your lap?'
| Answer: NO"
| Question: Did he come home al
one time and find you and his wife
up stairs together?"
Answer: NO.
Question:: Didn't he tell YOU IL
Keep away, that didn't want YOU
around there any more?'
Answer: mo"
Question: Didn't defendant tell
you that John Steen had told him
that he had better get you out OF