The Nenana daily news. (Nenana, Alaska) 1918-1921, 1918-04-02
LUND VS.. U.S..
ACCUSED FOUND
TO Be GUILTY
Defense Valves Appeal This Morn
ing and Commissioner Tho~ws
the Book at Him.

LII -NS"s vi VI IudhIIlS
seditious and derogative utterances
against the government of the United
States and the president, was tried
before jury in the commissioners
court last evening and found guilty
as charged The verdict was unani-
nous, the jury being out only three
minutes.
The charge was laid by Lars Mel
son, who in company with Lund and
several others, has been contracting
for the Alaskan Engineering COM
mission at a point above 35-mile.
The statement of the complaining
witness being that ION the 18th day
of December, 1917, Lund made re-
marks in the presence of several
others to the effect that he was a
German and at war with all American
sympathizers. He also stated that
he would kill them all, meaning the
men with him in the cabin, and scat
ter their brains on the logs. He
continued that he wished there would
be a revolution in the United States
as he would go to Washington, and
shoot the president and then get all
the senator's" The utterances made
at at that time arose from a re-
mark made by one of the men that
the mericans were sending men to
France and getting the best of the
Germans.
Alfred S. Liam, witness for the
prosecution, stated that Lund also
made the remark that he would like
to get into the United States army,
and if he did he would turn around
and shoot the officers.
D Charles Johnson, also for the pros
ecution, testified to the effect that
Lund made the remarks charged,
and generally corroborated the testi-
mony of the complaining witness.
The jury was then excused from
the court room and J. Hampton
Miles, representing the defense, made
motion to the court that the case
be dismissed and that charge Of
insanity be put in, the jury to COM
pose lunacy board and try the man
for his sanity. This motion was
objected to by Prosecutor John c.
Murphy, and the objection was sus-
tanned, the court everything the mo-
ton.
The jury then returned and the de-
Tense called Thomas Burns as
character witness. The testimony
of Burns was principally as to the
character of Lund, but evolved in
to an endeavor on the part of the
defense, to show the jury that Lund
had made remarks to Burns about
inventions for destroying armies,
etc, that would not have been made
by sane man.
George Kosow was then called by
the defense as another character wit
ness, but his evidence was of little
material value, he knowing nothing
about the case.
Following Kosow, Frank Spira,
proprietor of the Nenana Lodging
house, was called and testified to
the character of Lund as he had
known him. Mr.. Spira said that he
bore a good character as far as he
knew.
The rebuttal testimony being next
in order, Prosecutor J. C. Murphy
had Edward Smith take the stand,
to rebut the evidence of the char
acter witnesses introduced to the
jury by the defense. Smith testi-
fled that during last May he was
on contract with Lund and sew
eral others, and Lund made remarks
to the effect that the president of
the United states was a d fool for
bringing the States into the war, and
that he hoped they would get good
licking. He also stated that Lund
said the president should be shot
for doing it.
The point was then made by the
defense as to whether or not the
talk of man could be construed
in any way to bear on his character.
The court ruled that a mans talk
uas haarinu ON his charactor and