The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-09-30

Laramie, Wyo.-The trial of Roy
Edward Bergstrom of Kenosha, Wis,
for the murder of his wife, Gladys
Bergstrom, on the Sd of April, 1920.
at the Three Rules building in this
city, was begun Tuesday afternoon. in
the district court, before Judge Y. ].
Tidball, the jury having been select
ed from the panel of forty drawn
some time ago and summoned into
court on Tuesday. Rsb,t Beks
of Kenosha. Wis. has arrived in Lara
ME and viii have charge of the de-
Tense of young, Bergstrom, being as
sisted by Joseph r. Sullivan of this
city. County Attorney George w.
Patterson of this city having charge Of
the case for the state.
Mrs. Bergstrom of Kenosha, the
mother of the defendant, has been
here for several days, and will re-
main until the case has been dispos-
ed Of She visited her son in the
county Jail Sunday afternoon, when
he told her that he was feeling fine,
and intimating that he would not ask
that a plea of insanity be entered in
his case, preferring a term in the pen
itentiary, if he was found guilty, to a
long term in the insane asylum If he
was found insane.
For time during the summer Berg
strom was not we'll, and had spells Of
mental depression, when he refused
to eat and also declined to do any
thing to help the officials in keeping
his cell clean and his body in healthy
condition. He recovered from them,
apparently, and now seems entirely
rational. His mother is with him in
the court room whenever it is per-
Missile for her to be.
Witness Tells of Wedding.
One of the witnesses summoned for
the trial is Miss Maude A. Cook, a re-
porter for the Laramie Republican,
who testified that Bergstrom came to
the office on the morning of April 3,
with an account of a dinner party he
had given the night before, in cele-
bration of his departure for Kenosha.
Among the guests at the dinner party
was Miss Emma Erdman, friend of
both him and his wife who had been
present when they secured marriage
license on September g. and when they
were married that evening by the pas
tor of the Methodist church. 1t was
Miss Erdman who swore at the time
the license was issued that Miss Nc.
Arthur was 81 years of age, it de-
veloping at the time of the prelimin
airy hearing that she was then =
tween II and IS, the law requiring
that the woman be 81 when the license
was issued or having the consent of
her parents to her marriage.
Witnesses Tell Of Crime.
The state is endeavoring to show
that Bergstrom followed his wife up
the IRIS at the Three Rules build
ing, in which is located the offices Of
her attorney, G. w. Patterson, who
had prepared a petition for divorce
and was to have filed it the 3rd or 4th
of April The prosecution viii have
witnesses to testify that Bergstrom
fired first at his wife as she fled up
the stairs, the bullet striking her in
the back At the head of the stairs,
according to the evidence to be intro
duced by Patterson, the girl turned
toward Bergstrom, when he fired the
second shot, which entered her left
breast, near the heart. Here a cart
ridge CANNED" in his automatic pis-
toll, and had to be taken out, falling
on the stairway. Mrs. Bergstrom ran
to the door of the lawyer, where she
fell, and Bergstrom then sent bul-
let through her head, the bullet going
into the floor, where it lodged, and is
there yet.