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

about 244 rods, and in order to get
there Charlie would have to follow
the road down the ravine across a
bridge in a northwesterly direction
TO get over on the highway and
then go east. That the distance
around there was about 244 rods;
that after Charlie had left with the
horse these parties were in the cabin
and either at or about the time that
he left, the defendant, Frank Knees
kern, shot off his gun at coffee pot
that was some little distance from
the cabin resting on the ground. The
State expects to introduce in evid-
ence that coffee pot in this cause.
Afterwards the parties went back in
to the house. | think the testimony
will show that the defendant called
out of the room, George Moore and
gave him a message to tell Elmer
that if he wanted to see him he was
over there at the house or the cabin.
| possibly have gotten ahead of my
story, but Robbie Schoonmaker had
come back to call George Moore, his
uncle, to come home to dinner. /
think the testimony will show chat
the Moores live Southeast of the
cabin about 90 rods across the field
and that Robbie had come back to
tell George to come to dinner. That
before George left the defendant
gave George Moore this message to
tell Elmer, who was at that time
over at Moore's, if he wanted to
see him to come over there. And
| think the testimony will show that
George Moore and Robbie Schoon-
maker left the cabin and went across
the field home to dinner and that
when they left there was nobody at
the cabin except the defendant and
Irene VanBrocklin. l think the testi-
mony will show that the defendant
had a gun at that time II guage
shot gun and that he loaded it while
he was there. l think the testimony
will show that shortly after George
Moore and Robbie Shoemaker left
that Elmer VanBrocklin came back,
went back to the cabin across the
field and that when he got within
about twelve rods of the cabin he
saw the defendant. He saw him
Jump out of this door in the south
east part of the lean-to, he saw him
Jump out of the door and look down
the roadway and look around in
different directions and / think the
testimony will show that he jumped
back in the house again and that
very shortly after that he jumped
out again with the gun in his hands;
that the witness Elmer Van Brocklin
spoke to him and that Kneeskern
walked across the top of the hill
with the gun in his hands toward
Van Brocklin and that when he got
within speaking distance VanBrocklin
asked him what he wanted, or words
to that effect, and Kneeskern says,
"tell me what you have got to tell
right where you are, have good
ears and can hear you here" And
that this little ditch that | have told
you about which runs east and north
east of he cabin, that VanBrocklir
started to 90 down toward that little
ditch, that is to cross over where
Frank was on the other side, ano
Frank held the gun to him and says
"don't come any farther, you are TAX
ing awful steps" and that he had that
shot gun in his hands at that time
and was holding it on Elmer Var
Brocklin, when Elmer Van Brocklir
then turned around and went back K
the Moore place and that the last ht
saw of Frank Kneeskern, he wa
going into the cabin. think tina
there will be some possible variations
in time, but the time of this en-
counter will be fixed very close t.
two o'clock by the witness. | thinl
the testimony will show that the dis
lance from the cabin to the poin
where Kneeskern had left his car II
the highway is about GA rods. Nov
the nearest neighbor to the cabin is Oh
Russell, who lives just north, dir
ectly north of the cabin and jus
across this highway, this east an
west highway, and from the cabin t
Swenson's pump across lots is IL
rods from Ole Russett's house.
think the testimony will show tina
from Ole Russett's house to Cook
house is 119 rods. Now Cook
house is east and Cook was Twin
upon a farm owned by the defendar
and was working for him by tn
! month and has been for two or thre
years, and was at the time of thi
, tragedy. Now bear in mind tia
Russett's house was directly mort
: and across the highway to Swenson
house, and over northeast whel
Charlie took the horse was 244l
rods; that the Cook place is on fal
l Their west. That | think the test
: mony will show that the distant
from Cooks house to the cab
: is 1451a rods. | think the testimon
2 will show that the distance from II
| angle in the road where the c.
1 stood to Cooks house is TIA rod
e Now at three thirty o'clock in Il
r afternoon of that day this defenda1
and Bill Cook, the man who workt
I his place, came down across tn
i pasture north of the cabin and viii
inside of the pasture fence | belize
0 thew sent one of Ole Russett's BIO,
l in to tell him to come out and y
o Russell came out. They stayed l
e side of the fence line on the pr
e perty owned by the defendant a
t thew told Russell that they had be
l, over to the cabin and that they h
e found both Irene and Charlie de
II over there. Now this talk that W
N had there between Ole Russell a
r the defendant that l have been te
Is ing you about was at three TIM