The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1920-06-22
FINGER PRINTS
TIE JENSEN To
MURDER CASE
Confession Obtained From Stay
er Of Dewey Harris After
BeingCo nfrontedWith Strong
CircumStantiaI Evidence

Flyer prints which correspond ex-
actly with his own, which were found
on the shotgun, were largely instru-
mental in leading julius Jensen Sun
day to confess that he killed Dewey
Lee Harris, resident of Greenleaf,
who was found Friday afternoon with
the side of his head blown away and
shot gun lying diagonally across his
body. The confession was obtained
by ]. c. Sellers, a representative of
the Revelare service.
Among those who were present al
the scene of the tragedy when the in
quest was held and who are familiar
with the facts of the case, strong pre-
sentiment was felt that the theory Of
suicide was i'll founded 1t was point
ed out that there were no powder burn
on the dead mans face and that it
would have been impossible for him
to have used the shot gun on himself
Without having left those marks, even
if it were at all possible to have kill
ed himself with the gun and to have
left his body in the condition in which
it was found. II was these facts and
the fact that upon the dead mans
body were found pieces of loose to-
basso, with cigarette between his
legs and an opened tobacco can, with
some of its contents spilled, beside
the body, which constituted such
strong circumstantial evidence that
Jensen is said to have broken down
and admitted that he committed the
deed.
Shooting Occurs Friday
TIL emurder, which eJnsen is assert
ed to have confessed, occurred Friday
afternoon about / 80 at farm owned
by T. M. Bartlett. Jealousy is, accord
ing to the alleged confession made by
Jensen to have been the cause of the
shooting. Jensen, who is married
man, is said to have asserted that he
killed Harris in order to protect his
wife. According to Mr.. Sellers YER
sion of the confession which is reduced
to writing, Jensen said that after he
had taken Mrs. Jensen to her mothers
home upon her request, he returned to
find note to Harris from Mrs. Jen-
sen asking that she meet her at the
Canton cafe at Boise Friday night
1t is this note which is reputed to have
been instrumental in causing the MUIR
der.
Evidence was previously available
indicating that some slight difference
had arisen between the two men but
that it was not regarded as being
serious and it was believed that the diff
hculty had been patched up, The two
men had ben working together in
seeming harmony, according to the
testimony of Mr. Bartlett at the Cor
oner's inquest held at the scene OF
the shooting Friday afternoon.
Jensen Only One Near
Suspicion attached to Jensen from
the fact that he was the only person
in the vicinity at the time. Accord
ing to Jensen's subsequent story, he
had suggested to Harris that the two
men come in to the house and go to
another field to continue their worl,
shocking hay Harris went into his
tent where he slept to get some tobac-
co and it was there that the fatal shot
was fired. The body was found, when
county officers went to the scene, part
ly under the bed, with the gun lying
diagonally across the body. 49,.
Coroner's Verdict
An inquest was held as soon as pos
sible the verdict indicating clearly that
there was some doubt in the minds of
the jury as to the cause of the death
of Harris, They simply held that he
came to his death from gun in the
hands of some unknown person. In
full the verdict is as follows: -,
! We, the coroner's jury. called to
view the body of Dewey Lee Harris,
and to inquire into the cause of his
! death when and where and by what
| means he came to his death, find that
the deceased was Dewey Lee Harris.
S That he met his death from a shot
: fred from Remington II gauge shot
y gun held in the hands of some person,
unknown to us as jurors, at the ranch