Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1915-12-08
THE MlTMoEN MURDER TRIAL
Men Accused Of Triple Murder of
Three Pope County Brothers
Are On Trial.
(From Glenwood Herald.)

Are On Trial.
(From Glenwood Herald.)
John Jacobson and George Nelson,
who were indicted by the Grand Jury
last week for the murder of the three
Mitmoen brothers in Ben Wade town.
ship last May are on trial this week
on this charge before Judge s. A.
Flaherty Of this judicial district.
Contrary to expectations the jury
was selected in a comparatively short
time, especially, after the regular jury
panel had been exhausted.
The work of selecting a jury was
commenced at ten o'clock on Mon
day forenoon. Until noon only one
juror, Charles Riley of Grove Lake,
had been passed.
In the afternoon jurors were passed
by both parties quite regularly and
by six o'clock ten men occupied seats
in the jury box. The remaining two
were selected from the first three
persons examined Tuesday morning.
The men who have been called up.
on to- consider this important case
and their place of residence follows:
Charles Riley-Grove Lake.
Halvor Westermoe-LakeJ Johanna
Julius Halv0rson-New Prairie.
Fred G. Babb-Langhei.
Andrew Jacobson-Rolling Forks.
John T. Egan-Bangor.
Gustav Nelson-Rolling Forks.
H. E. Gjerdingen-R Rolling Forks.
Charles M. Ellis-Lake Johanna.
M. T. Gorden-Lake Johanna.
Math Majerus-Bangor.
F. J. Maloney-Lake Johanna.
The first three mentioned jurors
were selected from those on the reg
ular panel, while the latter nine were
secured from the special venire OF
sixty who were subpoened by Sheriff
Gilbertson last Friday and Saturday.
The case is tried before Judge Flah
erty and the state is represented by
County Attorney J. o. Grove and Sen
ator G. J. Gunderson. The attorneys
for the defendants are Senator J. D
and H. H. Sullivan Of St. Cloud.
In his opening statement to the jury
Senator Gunderson outlined briefly
the states case stating that the state
would attempt to prove by competent
testimony that the accused parties
whose home is in Ignite, North Da
kota, were in the neighborhood where
the crime was committed at or abOu
the time that it happened.
Andrew Knutson, neighbor Of thu
murdered men, was called as the frs
witness of the state. He gave q de
tailed description of the premises in
GLIDING the farm in general, the var:
and Of the farm buildings.
/ IN $oc<;A1l HI ho1 1oe% ena,
the murdered men alive on the after
noon Of May 6 when he had talke'
with John and had seen Amund. H
also testified that he had driven b,
the Mitmoen house in the middle o
the afternoon of May z while on hi
way to Carl Johnson's and had re
turned by the same way an hour La
er. At this time he had seen non
of the brothers about the yard o
house and the only sign of life tina
he had seen was young heifer nea
the barn.
On the 18th of May Mr.. Knutso
had gone to the Jacobson home t
see about some hay which he ha
bought. It was at this time that b
made the gruesome discovery of th
lifeless bodies of the two men mul
dered in the house.
He had gone home Immediately an
telephoned Gilbert jacobson Knu
son, Jacobson and L. u. Larson, al
other neighbor, had notified Sheri
Gilbertson Immediately. Mr.. Knu
son also testified relative to the pos
lions of the murdered men and {
their condition. 80 @z~
He also testified that on May whe
he passed the jacobson home he ha
noticed that corner post and til
next post to it in the fence surroun,
ing the yard had been broken down.
Sheriff Gilbertson was called as til
next witness for the state. He CAV
a detailed account of the position an
condition of the bodies of the murde
ed men and Of the search which b
had made on the place in the evenin
OF May IL and on the following day
Several articles connected with th
crime and taken from the Jacobso
house and barn at that time were idel
titled by Mr.. Gilbertson and were O
fered in evidence by the state.
These articles were the three pocl
ct books which the sheriff had foun
on the bureau in the living room
the residence and which had bee
rifled by the parties who committe
the crime, rock which had bee
found In the stall Of the barn ne.
1.-THE head Of Amund Jacobson, q boal
taken from the top Of the stall
(which Amund was lying and whit