The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-11-07
screen door Long yanked 1t open
pulling out the screw that held it.
Waa Struck in the Eve

screen QOOr Long yduk6O IL Opcus
pulling out the screw that held it.
Was Struck in the Eye.
"Long pulled open the door," Fred
Meints stated, "and then he hit me,
pop" and the witness demonstrated
with his palm and clinched fist that
he was struck sqiarely in the eye.
Then l.. D. Long said: Throw him
out" he asserted.
"And what did they do?" inquired
Attorney Butler.
"Why they threw nae out" was the
answer.
The witness further testified that
his wife came out with basin Of wa
ter to battle his eye and nose and
that Ed Lesicher threw the Fan Of
water away. taking it out of her
hands to do SO
1.-The kids were all crying" stated
Meints. land / asked Leischer to go
into the house but he wouldn't let
me. My wife wanted to go in too but
he wouldn't let her."
When his father came out of the
house, between L. D. Long and o, P.
Huntington the witness said that no
one had hold of his father.
dad said: Who hit you,' when he
saw me-" stated the witness, "and I
said, Long hit me- and Long said,
good fer you.''' q
Attorney Butler questioned the wit
ness to some length about suit for
damages which he brought against o.
P. Huntington, Ed Leischer and 9TH
ers in the Rock county court. Attor-
ney Tom Davis objected repeatedly to
any testimony relative to this suit
being introduced in the case here.
John Meints, Jr., testified before
Fred Meints went on the stand yes
terday afternoon but his testimony
was along the same lines as that of
the elder brother. He also claimed
that the door 'was torn off the house
and his brother assaulted when the
parties entered to see his father.
Papa Was Not Armed.
John Meints Sr. he testified, was
upstairs at the time. He claimed
that his father was not armed. Tes-
Gmony was brought out to show that
rife and shotgun were on the
wall of the room where Long and
Huntington entered the house and
that Huntington took the guns down
and handed them out the door,. The
rife, it was stated, was loaded but
the shotgun was not
John Meints, Jr., also testified that
the question of his fathers loyalty
was not raised on the occasion. He
also said the question was not rails
ed in the Commercial club rooms at
Luverne and he admitted to Attorney
Butler that he felt no fear when he
saw his father go away with the two
cars for the South Dakota line.
1t was on the following morning,
he said, that his father called from
Sioux Falls, asking him to drive
there. When John Meints, Jr., and
his mother arrived he said they met
John Meints, ST., and when they had
driven to secluded place outside
the city his father displayed the coat
of tar and feathers he had been CIV
en- Attorney Pierce Butler cross ex-
amined the witness very infinitely
regarding the way he saw the tar
and feathers, where they were and
many other questions. The young
man said his father had been COW
cred with tar both on his back and
his chest.
"Was there any tar on his face?"
at attorney asked.
"No. the barber had taken that off
before we got there" was the answer.
Minister On Stand.
Rev. w. H. Bedford was the last
of the defendants called for cross-ex-
animation by the compliments at
torneys yesterday afternoon. After
Rev. Bedford had testified Attorney
Davis called for each of the other
defendants but none were in court.
Attorney Butler said they had expect
ed the case might be dismissed for
lack of jurisdiction and were not pres
ent. In view of the fact that they
had not been subroeaned Judge Booth
said the plaintiff would have to pro-
coed by calling other witnesses.
The testimony of Rev Bedford was
the same as that of previous defen-
dants called, relating chiefly to the
events on June 20 and August 10,
1913,