Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1919-03-21
MURDER CASE
AT RICE LAKE
Peter ROux, While Intoxicated,
Alleged To Have Killed
His Close Friend

| Friday morning. March Z, the com
munity was shocked to hear that VIM
G. Anderson. the well known auction
eer of this city, was dead apparentl!
| foully murdered. and that his friend
| Peter ROuX was under arrest on suS
pici0n of having committed the crime
Roux's hearing was held Monday
before Justice Stark who bound the de
fendant over to circuit court on &
charge of first degree murder. The
following story of the tragedy was re
vealed by testimony at the hearing
Thursday afternoon Anderson and
ROuX went to Haugen where they Wis
tied Il saloon and became partly intoxi
Gated. While there Anderson slapped
ROuX over the mouth with the back OF
his hand. and when ROuX stated it was
the first time he had ever been slapped
begged his pardon and bought drinks
for the crowd. Late that night they
returned from Haugen in an auto, sit
parently as friendly as ever. They
went to the Central hotel and played
cards until about 80 Friday morning
and then went to Roux's rooms.
ROuX and his mother occupy the
second story of the Senai Charter
Omaha tracks. Mr.. Charter was
awake and heard two men go upstairs.
heard them talking although he did
not know what they said Later he
heard one say, 80 long" then heard
Il body fall and sounds of pounding.
Soon Mrs. RouX called to him to come
upstairs. but he did not until she
called him again with more insistence.
There he saw ROuX holding Anderson S
head up from the floor and pounding
Mr.. Charter did not recognize Ander-
son as his face was then pounded be-
yOnd recognition and he apparently
was lifeless. After a time. ROuX ON
his hands and knees. pushing Ander-
son with his head, pushed the body out
VI t1lc bitCh NoOl upOll a pldtIolL Li 4Al .
Charter set out to find a policeman.
The back door of the second story of
the Charter house opens upon the
east side Of the room of a one story
kitchen. A platform runs along and
over the lower part of this roof to the
further end of the kitchen and then
stairs lead to the ground.
Mr.. Charter soon located Policeman
Ed FalStad who with Earl McFarlane
went to the scene of the tragedy An
derson's body had disappeared from
the platform and they at first searched
for it in nearby Outbuildings but
finally located it near the west side of
the kitchen. where it had dropped
from the roof Some doubt exists as
to whether Anderson might have re-
vived. crawled up the roof and fallen
off, or whether his lifeless body was
pushed or dragged up the roof and
pitched over The testimony of Police
man Falstad was that there were
grooves in the snow on the roof appar-
emily made by Anderson's knees as his
grooves had no indentatiOns.
Dr. Dawson. who was called to the
scene and pronounced Anderson dead,
testified that Anderson had received a
blow on the back of the head sufficient
to have caused cOncusSiOn of the BRAIN
and that. from the position in which
the body was lying on the ground. the
blow could not have been received in
the fall
While Policeman Falstad was sum-
moning the doctor and Policeman Con
yer. Roux went down town and was
fer opened up his restaurant to prepare
an oyster stew for ROux. Attention
was called to bruised hand of the
latter and he stated that he had been
in bad miXnp and had hit a man that
he didn't think would come back any
more
A short time later ROuX went home
to bed and was arrested there by PO-
liceman Gonyer. He submitted peace
fully and on his way to jail said in
French to Mr.. GOnyer. when a Nor
wegian slaps me on the mouth, he has
got to go" He also asked the police
man to accept money enough to pay his
fine and let him go. as if he had the
idea or sought to make out that he had
the idea that he had merely been
fighting.
Roux is widOwer with a son and
one ma rried daughter. Anderson
leaves widow and an adopted baby
daughter. The two men had been
close friends for several months.
Lake Chronotype.
-El-