Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1923-01-24

kneeskem's conviction at his first
trial at DEBORAH last spring, launch
ed the first argument to the jury a,
this hour.
Rebuttal testimony of the defense
was concluded little more than an
hour after court convened. The de-
Tense then moved for a directed
vel dict for the defendant, Knees
kern. The motion was over-ruled by
Judge Kelley and Mr.. Nelson start
ed his address to the jury. 9
Testimony offered by the defense
witnesses in rebuttal was not as
weighty as that offered by the state
witnesses Thursday afternoon,
seven of whom we'll known resi-
dents of Castalia and vicinity, where
Kneeskern has lived all his life, test
flied that the defendants reputation
for morals is bad.
Witnesses called by the defense
this morning were Charles Altfll-
ish, Edward Tepee, Matt Graf, Chas.
Barrett, Marion Burns, William
Schultz, Henry Burns, John Witt
and l.. L. Miller.
"Thou Shalt Not KilP'
In his opening remarks to the
jury Mr.. Nelson referred to the COM
mandment Thou shalt not kill"
He told the JURORS that they are
: confronted with a grave task, that
of determining the guilt or inno-
cence of a man accused of murder
He warned them to be careful in
their deliberations and to give the
defendant, Kneeskern the benefit of
every doubt which might arise in
their minds.
He said it was the states con-
tention that Kneeskeyn killed Irene
VanBrocklin. The defense, he SAID
pointed to Elmer Van BIocklin. The
testimony of the defense's own wit,
nesses, Mr.. Nelson said, had served
to vindicate Elmer.
He then went into a review of the
case, describing the cabin where
the murders occurred, the genera
surroundings and incidents leading u,
to the day of the murders, Sunday
December II, 1921.
Happenings That Day
He told of the group that had ga
thered in the cabin shortly befor,
noon and of the arrival of Franl
Kneeskern, with his shotgun and bel
filled with shells, from Castalia; O
how eventually every one depare,
. from the cabin with the exception O
Irene Van Brocklin and Kneeskern
who were left alone; Of Elmer Va
Brocklin'S trip to the cabin from
!, Charlie Moore's home and how FL
mer turned back when Kneeska1.
, came from the cabin with a gun j,
his hand and warned him "to com
no closer, that he was taking dan
gerous steps" And they would hav
, been dangerous steps if Elmer ha
taken them, Mr.. Nelson said.
The prosecutor declared that til
state had proved conclusively tina
, Elmer could have seen and did sc
Kneeskern in the doorway of tn
cabin, despite the claims of the de
tense that it was a physical and ma
thematical impossibility for Fine
to have even seen the doorway o
: the cabin from the piont where h
said he had stood.
He referred to Kneeskern's test
= mony on the stand, in which the de
PENDANT said that he thought h
, heard quarreling in the cabin whe
. he was four or five rods from it, fol
lowed by threat and what sound
ed like a shot. Although he carrie
gun and plenty of ammunition
T, Kneeskem testified that he did no
t enter the cabin TO investigate, bu
left the scene, Mr.. Nelson said an
went to Will Cooks home to repor
that he believed there was troubl
e down at the cabin"
Cook a Brave Man"
Intimating that the defendan
), must have been a coward if the stor
|. he told is true, Cook was pointe
TO as a "braye man" by the prose