Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1916-05-12
BARANEK GETS Is YEARS IN Pen
Jury Lenient With Man Who Killed
Sheriff Matt Olson, of Barron
County

Baranek, guilty of murder in the
second Degree" was the verdict
brought in by the jury in the Wen
eel Baranek case The verdict came
as a surprise to the majority of peo
pie who has thought a first degree
murder verdict certain.
Judge Wickham, addressing the de-
PENDANT, said that the jury had been
very lenient with him, but in sch
fencing him indicated he would not
show the same leniency and gave
him a sentence of twenty-five years,
the limit, in the state penitent1ary
at Waupun. Baranek had nothing to
say when given the opportunity and
evidently was we'll satisfied with the
finding.
The jury that tried Baranek and
which it took two days to get con-
sisted Of E. M. West of Turtle Lake,
S. Fourot of Stanfold, VIM. Hill OF
Cedar Lake, Frank Williams of
Crystal Lake. August Wolff and c.
d. Keyes of Cumberland, Joseph vel
ton, John l.. Rood and S. M. Fish OF
Rice Lake, William H. Taft and r.
Pittman of Chetek, and George Kim
mel of the city of Barron.
The closing pleas Of the attorneys
to the jury Wednesday morning
were replete with interest. District
Attorney Taylor made a strong plea
for the state without any manifesto
tons of i'll feeling toward the de-
PENDANT. The seriousness of the
crime and the indications of premed-
itatedness were gone into at length
and the evidence carefully weighed
to show conclusively the contention
of the state that che crime Wasj
first degree murder.
A hushed silence fell over the
vast crowd that filled the court
room when Judge Wickham read his
charge to the jury. The judge ex-
planned at length the law governing
murder cases and the six different
kinds of verdicts that the jury might
bring in. The question of sanity was
disposed of as not being an issue,
only that the mental condition of
Baranek might be considered in con-
nection with the wilfulness and re-
sponsibility of his act in killing.
One of the interesting incidents of
Tuesday afternoon was the calling
of Dist. Atty Taylor to the stand,
and who served both as witness and
attorney for the prosecution at the
same time The climax Of interest
was reached when Mr.. Taylor was
queried by Attorney Bowe regarding
his views on the sanity of Baranek.
Mr.. Taylor said he was not compe-
tent to Judge on the subject and did
not care to express his personal
views. Mr.. Taylor admitted having
read parts of two volumes on 1nsan-
ity and having had DR.. Lorenz OF
the Mendoza asylum and DR.. Sher-
man of the Northern hospital for the
insane at Oshkosh, examine Baranek.
Mr.. TAYLOR refused to answer what
conclusions they had reached, to sub
nit in evidence letters afterwards re-
ceived from these doctors regarding
Baranek's sanity. Judge Wlckham
quite held to the view of Mr.. Tay-
lor, and just before recess was
reached, Attorney Bowe threatened
to have Drs. Lorenz and Sherman
called to give personal testimony, if
their letters were not produced.
Attorney Bowe, one of the ablest
lawyers in northern Wisconsin, made
an eloquent plea for the defendant,
Baranek, whom he said was practl-
cally being tried against his own
will.
The crime was not denied, only the
intent and degree, Attorney BoWe
stating that Baranek was a parano-
iac-a person with diseased cond1-
ton of mind a victim of real and
fancied wrongs that preyed on his
mind. Hate, malice and worry had
brought on sort Of a mental cancer,
and the act he committed was not
that of a sane man. Past acts OF
Baranek were cited as evidence of a
disordered brain, and officers were
scored as not having done their du-
ty in not having taken Baranek into
custody sooner and having him ex-
amined for sanity.
"He imagined the cross he took
from his fathers coffin last Novem-
Der would get him into trouble"
said Attorney Bowe. He thought
Baranek ought to go to the peniten-
tiary for term, but not for life.
Atty. Pannier injected little ex-'
element into the proceedings by at
lacking Sheriff Hubert whom he
said had not done his duty in de-
Tending Sheriff Olson, or giving him
warning.
Poranol fo110wod tho nrOo aadinuS