The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1922-06-15
ST, wendell Man
KILLED BY SON
17-YEAR-OLD LAD SAYS SHOOT
:. ING WAS KIND OF ACCI-
DENT"
HELD WITHOUT CHARGE
CRIME COMMITTED SUNDAY AT
sTERNOON-BODY BURIED IN
LONELY SPOT

Jacob Steller, II years old, confess
ed Tuesday according to County At
torney Paul Ahles, that he killed his
father Thomas Steller As years old,
prominent farmer at St. Wendell,
Stearns county, Sunday. The VIC
TINS body was found Tuesday buried
in lonely spot half mile from the
family home.
The senior Steller disappeared Sum
day, and his son organized and led a
searching party that sought him with
out avail. Tuesday, after cross ex-
animation on the part of the county
attorney, the latter declared young
Stellar confessed and gave all details
Of the shooting.
II killed him, but it was kind of
accidental young Seller is quoted as
having said. 1t was brought out that
he had difficulty with his father and
the shooting occurred while the faith
er and son were out hunting Sunday.
"My father was looking up into a
tree" the. young man told the county
attorney, "and my finger was on the
trigger of my gun. I stood short
distance behind my father. Somehow
I do not exactly know how, my gun
exploded and the bullet entered the
back Of my fathers neck.
An inquest has been set, and
pending its outcome, young Steller is
held without charge.
Steller was arraigned Wednesday
morning.
St. Wendell is an inland town about
10 miles northwest of St. Cloud.
= Neighbors reported to the county
attorney that young Steller had
threatened to get" his father and
this the young man is said to have
admitted, but not in the meaning Of
killing him. ~ intended to get
him in some way, but did not intend
to kill him or cause his DEATH" the
younth is quoted as saying.
Trouble in the family between
father and son is declared to be long
standing, but it has never been con-
sidered of a serious nature. Young
Steller ran away from home year
ago, but returned shortly. An IS
year-old brother disappeared two
years ago and has never returned nor
notified anyone Of his whereabouts.
The body of the Senior Steller was
found in the woods about half a
mile from the farm house, buried in
Is inches of soil, carefully packed in
place with grass and twigs covering
the spot and hiding the freshly turn
ed earth.
Young Steller, after reciting his
story to the county attorney, led a
party to his fathers improvised
grave shortly before noon. It was
near this point that the shooting oc-
Cured at 5 p. m. Sunday, according
to the youths alleged confession.
In addition to Mrs. Steller, the
victim is survived by the missing son
and five other children.
Wednesday morning young Stiller
broke down in the st. Cloud Jail and
enumerated reasons which prompted
him to fire the fatal shot. He said he
shot his father because:
Made him get up early in the
morning and work hard all day.
2-Gave him no spending money,
despite the fact that he "slaved" on
the farm.
3-Refused to let him drive the
family automobile.
Refused to let him attend
dances.
Young Stiller told the "inside
story" of the deed to a reporter, and
admitted that there was nothing &C
cidental in the shooting Of his father.
In Stiller's story, as told Wednes-
day evening to the St. Cloud Journal
Press, the youth states:
"I fired the gun at him half a
minute after he told me: Jake,
you've got to get up at o'clock to-
morrow morning and hitch up the
horses
81 didn't answer, but when he told
me this everything seemed to go
black. My finger crep to the trigger
and I fired, point blank. He fell
without uttering a sound. Then, for
the first time, realized the awful
thing I had done. I wasn't sorry for
shooting him at the very second ]
pulled the trigger, but later ! realized
that what he had done constituted no
reason for my killing him.
"After / had killed him, ! walked
home in a daze. / could hardly real
ize that I had killed my own father
we might have quarrelled together
now and then, but he never licked me
since was Is. Anyway, l took the
car out when / got home, and drove
back through the country trying to
forget. When / returned late
tried to sleep. but kept thinking about
my father. ] began to realize what
would happen to me if the body were
found, so I got up early the next