The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1915-03-25
CRIME
MOTIVE FOUND
STREBL HAD BEEN WARNED TO
CEASE ATTENTIONS TO DAUGH
TER OF SLEDGE.

j. Il. Slelge slew Charles Streblt
in self defense and under unsuitable
circumstances, according to the e
dict reached by the coroner's Jury al
2:30 O'Clock this afternoon. following
q elaboration Of is minutes. Chloe
Sledge, the girl injured by the frs
shot fired Tuesday night, was report
cd to he in u more serious condition
with II temperature of 1Oi degrees
That Charles Strebl had been warn
ed last July to cease attentions to
Chole Sledge. the daughter OF Jesse
T. Sledge. was brought out in the in
vestigations of the jury impannel-
led by Sheriff r, +. owens over the
shooting of Strebl by Mr.. Sledge on
Tuesday night. The jury met for its
closing session at the court house at
2 O'Clock this afternoon.
In his testimony, given from his
cot at st. Joseph's hospital Mr.. Sledge
stated that soon after Strebl had en-
tered his employe in July, 1914, he
had warned him not to continue his
attentions to the daughter, Chloe
the beginning of which he had MOTTO
ed.
This warning. Mr.. Sledge testified,
was the only approach to a quarrel
he had ever had with Strebl. He de-
clared that he had discharged Strebl
early in the winter because he re-
fuse to rise early in the %mordning to
commence work on the farm. At that
time Strebl wa' taor5ns on the
Sledge farm for his board.
Incidents of Shooting.
The incidents surrounding the
shooting We're brought out more
clearly by Mr.. Sledge's statement to
the jury. He declared that after the
first shooting, when shots We're fired
by Strebl from his automatic revol-
lver into the dining room, the mother
daughter and young son, Chester
Sledge fed to the barn for q place
of greater safety. as they believed.
Mr.. Sledge went to the kitchen
and while there, about an hour later,
he heard the steps of some one
proving around the house. This per-
son then entered the dining room
from the porch on the south OF the
house, passed through it and stopped
for a few minutes in the coat DON
Mr.. Sledge then braced himself
against the door leading from the
coat room into the kitchen II
awaited developments.
First a shot was fired through a
panel of the door and then Strebl
lunged through, a gun in either
hand. Although weak from the loss
of blood. Mr.. Sledge did not hesitate
and Instantly grappled with the IN
|truder. whom he did moi know at the
time because of the blue bandana
mask he was wearing.
Mr.. Sledge seized the stranger by
both wrists, but was forced TO re-
|linquish the left hand when the man
in the mask commenced 10 bite him
on, the forearm. The struggle then
started, the intruder beating Mr..
Sledge over the head with the handle
OF the 3S-40 heavy Colt revolver. Mr..
|Sledge. after an interminable strug-
gle, in a last bit OF strength managed
to wrest the heavy revolver away
and Strebl jumped into the nearby
pantry, shutting the door after him.
Shot in Kitchen.
A few moments and the door to
tnG pantry ppeileu' pliSpi u"e
forth the automatic revolver of 81
talibre and snapped the trigger twice
but no explosion occurred. BY TINS
time Mr.. Sledge had regained suf-
ficient strength to point the heavy
revolver. which he discovered to be
his own and taken from a shelf in
the coat room, and fire. In his tes-
timony. Mr.. Sledge stated that he
believed this shot was the II taking
effect in Strebl's breast and which
subsequently caused his death.
Strebl. stiM wearing his mask
clambered up on a small table and
jumped through the pantry window,
carrying. the sash. curtain and out
side screen to the ground. As he
leaped, Mr.. Sledge fired twice. Only
one of the shots took effect. Mr..
Sledge then started on his way for
help to the Wallace Miller home, 100
rods to the west of his own.
Neighbor on Stand.
Mr.. Miller was the first witness
when the jury returned from the hos
| pital to the sheriff's office. He relat-
ed how Mr.. Sledge had staggered to
| his door and gasped out that he and
his daughter had been shot. George
Atkinson and Charles Clark. nearb!
farmers. We're at the Miller home
| with their families on a visit thai
night, and with their hired men, Phi
Weir and Gene Poole, Immediately
left in a sleigh for the Sledge home
They first telephoned to Mitchell te
Sheriff f. +. owens. They were jus
ready to start for their home wheI
the alarm came.
Mr.. Miller testified that as tn
iparty reached the yard in the Sledg'
home, he heard moaning and a fam
call for help. Believing that the ma,
still carried the automatic pistol witt
which he had done the first shooting
the party did not venture near AM
went into the house. Here they foun'
conditions as described yesterday
with the floor of the kitchen looking
as if it had been mopped with blood
In response to questions, Mr.. MI
Ter stated that Mr.. Sledse had SAL
that, he had recognized his assalian
when the latter cried Don't shoot
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