The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1916-10-20
Murderer Sentenced
Wife Murderer At Ellendale Gets Ten
Years in Penitentiary.

IS3G8 III ICuulGUll8Ty,
j. Schon, who murdered his wife
July II at their home two miles east
of Ellendale, N. d., was found
guilty of manslaughter i'm the first
degree at noon Tuesday aud given
asentence of ten years at hard labor
in the North Dakota state peniten-
tiary at Bismark.
In q tit of insane rage as the re
suit of a quarrel, ]. Schon attacked
and killed his wife, Katrina, and
then set fire to the house. He then
left the farmyard and repaired to a
nearby field where he had been
working, but as soon as the fire had
gained headway he returned and,
after hours of hard labor, extingu-
ished the blaze He then immedi-
ately summoned a doctor and told
him that an explosion had occurred
and his wife had been burned to
death.
The body of Katrina Schon had
been SO badly burned and disfgured
in the fire that the physician was
unable to detect any other wounds
and as a result Schon's story was
accepted.
Three days after t he murder
neighbors reported to Ellendale
authorities that Schon was acting
queerly and that it was their belief
the man was insane. The sheriff
at once went out to get Schon but
when he arrived Schon tried to
commit suicide by cutting his own
throat. Thwarted in this attempt
he jumped in lake near the house
but was pulled out by the sheriff
and taken to the county Jail. He
was given a hearing for insanity
released and Immediately rearrested
OH the charge of murder.
} Since that time Schon has been
held in the county Jail at Ellendale
pending his trial which opened last
4
Friday. In the trial plaintiff tried
to show that the deed was commit.
ted in self defense and that death
was the result of an accident.
Schon claimed that his wife at
tackled h m and that when he
pushed her away she fell and, hav
ing weak heart, died from heart
failure. He said that the fire was
caused from an explosion due to a
defective gasoline stove and that
he put the fire out as soon as he
discovered it. He told this same
story when he was first arrested
for the murder of his wife, immedi-
ately after being released on the in-
sanity charge.
The fact that Schon's S story did
not agree with the story he told the
doctor the day the crime was COM
mitted was a strong point in favor
of the state and after being out 10
hours the jury brought in a verdict
of guilty of manslaughter in the first
degree. Judge Allen presided at
the trial and Attorney L. T. Van
Slyke of Aberdeen appeared for the
state.
Schon is SO years of age and his
wife was So. There are six child
zen in the family all grown up.
Three or the girls are school teach
ers and all are in comfortable cir
cumstances. It is said by the
neighbors that Schon and wife had
quarreled before but no Thought
had ever been given to their diff
erences as they had been consider
ed no more serious than family
spats" which often occur between
man and wife.
Schon was taken Immediately to
h e penitentiary a Bis m a r k
where he will serve aten year SEN
tence.-Aberdeen American.
By vote of four to one, the
voters of Milbank endorsed the ex.
penditure of $12, 600 OH city fl