The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-02-21
Details of Shooting Are Told
By Younger of Miller
Brothers on Trial
CLAIMS THREE SHOTS
WERE FIRED BY EACH
Testimony of Siminovik Is Con-
aicting ON Number Of
Shots Fired

The larger part of Saturday after
noon, in the case of the state VS..
George Miller, was consumed in hear
ing the testimony of George Miller.
The testimony given by Miller was
largely the same as other witnesses
testified previously in the trial that
he had told them following the shoot
ing.
He stated he and his brother Rob-
ert had gone to the Diedrich meadows
to haul hay. Nick Siminovik had
followed them about half an hour af-
ter they had arrived there, and they
and Nick were engaged in loading
their loads about $50 or 800 feet
apart from separate hay stacks, when
he saw imam coming up the meadow
about 500 or 600 feet from them. He
noticed that the man was carrying
gun and was walking on skis. A
short time afterwards he looked
again in the direction of the man
after he had advanced to within
about 400 feet Of him, he stated, and
he noticed the man on skis leveling
his gun at him. He jumped off the
load and his brother Robert jumped
off the stack at the same time. Both
took refuge behind the hay load,
George stated. A shot was fired by
Fenton, so George stated, and short
ly afterwards second shot came
from Fenton's direction. The wit
ness stated he then shot two shots in
the air from his rifle to warn the
man on skis that he, too, was arm
ed. A third shot from Fenton
Iwhistled through the <kay;s Miller
stated, and at this time George shot
over the back of his team of horses
at the man whom he supposed was
Bowman. He stated he did not take
aim, but shot quickly before he had
brought the rife to his shoulder. He
saw the man fall and heard him
ask distinctly, "What are you fellows
shooting at?" To this Robert re-
piled, "Who are you?"> The wound
ed man then shouted, "Come here
quick" Robert again asked, "Who
are you?" The reply from the man
came again, "Come here" The man
was then resting on his left arm and
his body was in half sitting posi-
ton.
After the shooting, George stated,
his brother Robert called to Nick
Siminovik to come over to where the
Miller brothers were. Siminovik ran
over and asked Robert, "Who, Bob,
Who" To which Robert said, &C
cording to George, cts Bowman"
Robert then told Mel, to get his
team and go home. Asked as to why
they did not go over to see the man
who was shot, George replied he was
afraid there would be others Of the
Bowmans around and he was afraid
to go. After this the Millers drove
home behind Siminovik. After reach
ing their home they changed their
hay rack for a wood rack, got Rob-
ert Miller's wife and family Of three
children and drove on four miles fur
Their to Crabtree's to get help for
the wounded man and to report the
shooting to Crabtree, who was the
town constable.
The most conflicting portions of
the evidence given was the fact that
Nick Siminovik, the only known eye
witness Of the shooting, testified that
there we're only three shots fired
which he heard, that he saw the man
on skis after all three shots were
fired and that he was carrying the
rifle in his right hand when he first
saw him and continued to carry it
that way until he fell forward on the
snow after the third shot. All three
shots, Siminovik testified, came from
the direction of where the Millers
were loading hay. George Miller
testified there were six shots fired,
three by the man whom they sup
posed to be Bowman and three by
him, the first two to warn the man
that he was armed and the last one
which he fired over the horses back
and after which he saw Fenton fall
on the snow.
The defense rested this morning
and the prosecution and defense will
deliver their pleas to the jury this
afternoon. It is expected session
will be held this evening at which
time Judge Stanton will charge the
jury.