Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1922-04-19

OF just UWO IOOUlS, UndL Ufle Undln
part of the shanty was ON the west
side and lean-to on the east and
that the main part of this shanty
was about fourteen feet north and
south and about ten or eleven feet
east and west and that the lean-to
on the east was the same distance
north and south and nine or ten feet
wide east and west. That the door
leading out of the main part of the
west part was i'm the southeast
corner of the room about three feet
from the south wall in the partition
between the two rooms and that
there was door opening out of
the Southeast corner to the outside
of the shanty, and / believe it will
be shown that in order to get into
that shanty through the door one
would have to enter the lean-to, the
door in the southeast corner of the
lean-to and step into the lean-to and
pass through the lean-to through this
door into the main room of the
shanty. Now. | am going to give
you some idea of what l believe the
testimony will develop as to the To-
cation of that shanty, that is, the
grounding territory. The shanty is
on the side sloping to the north
east and it is up about possibly one
third. or one fourth the distance of
the slope and running north of the
shanty or cabin under the bluff,
which is more or less abrupt, is the
Yellow River or branch of the
Yellow River and to the East is a
ravine with little stream running
down through it, a sort of spring
, creek. | think the testimony will
show that the defendant was in the
habit of going out to this locality
frequently and / believe it will show
that a part of the time at least, and
perhaps all of the time he has had
stock grazing in this piece of land
upon which the shanty is located I;
that he was in the habit of going
out to this place frequently and that
during the week preceding this
tragedy he was there at least three
or four times. That he was there the
| Saturday before the tragedy and that
he had been there | believe on Thurs
day or Friday, / am not sure about
THAT, but he had been there on three
Oh lOuI UCGIblOI0. .DCiACNC lliS
testimony will show that the defend
ant here told a party that there
was trouble down there at that cabin
and that the witness told him that ii
there was trouble down there that he
should not go down. This witness
will testify that he saw this defen-
dant Sunday morning, the day of the
tragedy, and talked with him and
told him he better stay away from
down there as there was trouble
there and told him he better take
Ibis gun away from there and break
it on the sidewalk better than ia
have him go there, and that this
defendant answered and said that he
was going down there and that II
didn't make any difference whether
he came back home alive-and left
the balance blank. Now on this
= Sunday the 18th day of December
, 1921, the evidence will show thai
! the defendant came to that cabr
between one and two o'clock in the
afternoon and it will develop il
. testimony the exact location of the
: roads surrounding that cabin, but
will say to you only in a genera
= way that the testimony will be tina
. there is a public highway running
east and west along the north side
7 of this land, of the timber. Thu
| cabin stands back from this highwa.
7 probably thirty rods and the high
1 way runs east and west along tn
I north side of this track and whel
4 the highway gets out possibly nea
/ to the east side of this track
' runs south and goes south for dis
3 lance of ten rods and then on cas-
5 until it connects with the hlghwa
4 running north and south throug
: what was originally old Moneek. Tn
j testimony will show believe that o
n this morning of the 18th day 0
r, December the defendant drove hi
= car I'D from Castalia which was fou
e or five miles away and that he lei
/, it at this angle of the road an
e went across to the cabin leaving hi
Y car in the public highway at thi
: angle. | believe the testimony wi
h show that he came, that when h
e came he brought with him a twelv
r gauge repeating shot gun, a VIII
: chester; that he went over to tn
d cabin and that when he got thel
d was present, Irene VanBrocklin an
e her husband Charles Van Brockll
e and George Moore, Robbie School
e maker and Elmer Van Brocklin an
l. Will Cook, and that they were thel
5. in the house and out some lit
time, and. that finally Frank ar
!. Will Cook and Ch,ules VanBrocklj
and Frank, while they We're outsit
. of the house, Charlie left to go ov'
e to the neighbours, | think the test
y money will show that Charlie left mr.
u and / think the testimony w
d show that Charley left t.
: go over to a neighbours house
.e deliver an old blind mare, that
,ee think it will be shown, was given
le Charlie on the previous day by Z
&c defendant. When Charlie left Z
q cabin that afternoon there was le
III at the cabin Irene, Frank Kneeskel
p; Robbie Schoonmaker and Geor
~ ~ Moore. | think the testimony w
IN how that the distance by road frc
e that cabin to Swenson's where Chf
&c lie was to deliver that horse W