The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-02-01
STORIES At INQUEST
FAILED TO UNCOVER
Two Men Held Willing To
Tell All They Knew
TALE OF DRUNKEN BOUT
Number of Drinks Were Taken
Friday Night; One Face Is
Slapped
from Mondays Daily.

From Mondays Daily.
Mystery still enshrouded. the death
of Will Scramlin of Weyburn, Sas-
katchewan, when the coroner's jury
rendered it's verdict at the city hall
Saturday evening. The verdict says
little: !.
"That Will Scramlin came to
his death by a fracture Of the
skull; it might have been blow
by some unknown person or per-
sons, or by fall"
The jury consisted of John B.
Richards, Ole Nelson, Henry Him
melman, E. Sheldon, Ole Hanson and
f. r.. Clark 1t was rendered about
eleven o'clock Saturday night. The
| hearing was held in the municipal
court room.
The fact that the blow, which
crushed in the skull, was received on
the top of the head, rather favors the
theory that it was struck by some
other person, and was not the result
of fall Furthermore, there is evil
dence to the effect that when the man
was found, his oyercoat was pulled
/
indicate that somebody had .een lock
ing through his hip pocket. On the
other hand, his gold watch and 81 3s
in change were found on him. 1t
hardly seems probable that thief
would overlook them, unless he was
| frightened away before he finished his
search. Scramlin, it is reported was
seen to pull out roll and take off
| fivedollar bill, on the afternoon Of
that same day.
ScramIin Not Very Drunk.
| The general impression seems TO be
| that Scramlin, even after the closing
of the saloons, which was at ten
to'clock, was not very drunk. There
are witnesses who say they saw him
as late as 1915 p. M, and that he
seemed even at that time to be fair
| ly able to take care of himself The
nephew tells the story of appealing
| to the policeman to take him home,
but not one member of the police
| force admits that the boy spoke to
him at all that evening One of the
day officers stated yesterday that on
the morning when the man was found
dead the boy came UP to him and
said: Last night | asked you to help
me take him home" The officer re-
piled: Il was not out on the beat
at all last night" The two officers
who were on that beat, Nicholas
Thilgen and Andrew Lundberg, both
declare that the boy did not speak
to them that evening.
Custom of the Police.
Chief of Police Ario said yesterday
that it was the custom for the police
in case of that kind to order taxi
and take man home, if he was bad
| ly under the influence of liquor, and
needed care, unless it should be nee
essary to lock him up The chief was
very much surpried at the report of
the officer refusing to take care of the
man when appealed to. The chief
was inclined to think that the boy
was mistaken about the man to whom
he spoke being an officer of the city
police force at ALL The man, the
boy said, had some insignia on his
hat. That did not necessarily mean
that it was police officer.
There is no doubt that Scramlin
did more or less quarreling in the
Saulpaugh buffet, and probably else
where, that afternoon and evening.
Whether there was an actual fight or
not is not certain. F. P. Hayes of
Minneapolis, one of the two book
agents with whom Scramlin is re-
ported to have spent his time. had a
bad looking eye Saturday morning.
He was seen yesterday at the police
station and was asked where he got
It. He said he did not know He had
little memory of anything, he said.
he admitted that he was very drunk.
me other Minneapolis book agent.
VINO. as well as Hayes, was locked up
at the police station, also had very
poor memory OF what happened on
friday This was r. III. Eckerojh. a
considerably younger man in an
pearance. Eckeroth said he remem-
fbered receiving a very hard sian
across the face but he could not saw
VINO struck him. Both protested fo
remember nothing about ScramHn
Both Hayes and Eckeroth were viii
ing witnesses before the. coroner,s in
quest and they expressed a Wiling
ness TO tell all they knew about the
anair. Nelther had made any at
tempt to leave the city.
MANY sensational stories have been
IN circulation. One was to the eff
rect that one of the parties suspect
ed OF having struck Scramlin had
taken an early morning train Satur-
DAY for Minneapolis, and that anoth-
or suspect had gone south.
Scramlin formerly resided near Am
poy. He was Mason, a knight
Iempiar and a member of the Shrine
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Americans Aid in Air Raid.