The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1920-09-02
COUNTY OFFICIALS
PROBE FOR LIQUOR
NO EVIDENCE FOUND AS TO
SOURCE IN EXAMINATION
OF COMPANION OF COX
DEAD man Held Big ISECRET
COUNTY WIDE SEARCH FOR
MOONSHINE STILLS NOW
BEING MADE.

A county wide. search which will
take in every township ia Stearns
county, will be made by county Of
ficials' for the source of supply which
brought on the death of Z. Cox at
st. Cloud last week. Cox died fol-
lowing spree on INC onshlne whis-
key.
That there are numerous mocn-
shine stills in Stearns county, is the
general belief D; che authorities, and
Il L. generally believed that tie
liquor which caused the death of
Cox was manufactured locally.
An examination of Perry Edging~
ton, Coxs companion, examined
Monday, was unable to give any ey-
idence which would lend light on the
case, saying that Cox did noS tell
HIM of his SQUIRE of supply.
The St. Cloud Journal. Press gives
the following story OF the invesrjga-
ton Monday:
Perry Edgington was the princi-
pal witness at the inquest Monday
afternoon at the Daniels Undertake
ing Parlors concerning the death on
Aug. %, of E. Cox at the Motor Ho-
tel. His testimony told of The iEci-
dents leading up to the ieatn, out
disclosed no materially new evidence
beyond that which had already been
obtained and which indicated that
death was caused by excessive drink
ing of moonshine whiskey. :.
"R. E. Mclean, manager of the
Motor Hotel, Deputy Sheriff Beten-
bulg. and a number of acquaintance
of Cox were questioned. The latter
threw little light on the subject; II.
E. McLean's testimony was repe-
tition of what he told at the time OF
the death; Deputy Sheriff Frank
Betenburg told of the things he
found in Cox's room after his death,
which included, besides the quart
bottle of liquor still half full, and
which had been removed by the ply
stefan attending Cox, an empty pint
bottle which had contained a whis-
ky prescription and which came o.
iginally from local drug store, a
half pint bottle dark red fluid which
appears to be wine, small bottle
of witch hazel nearly full, and
small box containing a blush pow
der.
"Edgington's testimony consisted
of a detailed recital of occurrences
while he was in Cox's company from,
Saturday afternoon until Cox's death
on Monday night. He did not spend
much time with Cox on Saturday, al
though he met him twice in the
Court Square saloon. when he says.
Cox had with him bottle OF whis-
key which he had brought into The
saloon. That night he says Cox
went out with an automobile party
to a lake southeast of town. Tn:
name of the lake he does not re
call. He did not see Cox again IN
til Sunday afternoon.
"On Sunday afternoon Cox frs
made a trip down town alone. re-
turning with pint bottle If whls-
key, which he and Edgington drank
together. The two then went down
town for a fresh supply, Cox leav-
ing Edgington at the side OF kowo'-
kowski's Cigar store while he went
on down St. Germain to get The
liquor. He would not take Edging-
ton with him for fear that being IL
company with some one else might
prevent his getting the booze. In
ten minutes, says Edgington, Cox
returned with two more pint bottles.
The men then returned to the no
tel, where the two additional botc-
les, were drunk, the witness stated.
"On Monday Edgington says ne
was in bed all day. Cox did not go
to work in the morning, but in the
afternoon went over to the Pan plant
to draw his pay. Then he went
down town for some headache pills,
returning to- the hotel. Later, but
before dark, he went to town again
bringing back with him quart OF
liquor and a quarter pint bottle OF |
white fluid which. Edgington says
was peppermint. Half of the lat
ter, Edgington says, Cox poured GU. |
and drank, asking him to drink the
other half. He does not like pep
permint, he says, and on tasting it
declined to drink, whereupon Cox
drank the rest of it. They then sat
on the edge of the bed in Cox's room
started drinking the contents of the
quart bottle, each taking swallow
in turn, until about half the bottle
was consumed. Edgington says This
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