The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-11-09
Will MAKE FIGHT
WALTER TENNIS TO PLEAD
NOT GUILTY
Now Declares That He Was Drunk
When Fired Shot At His
} Stepfather.

Wells. November 3.-The Mirror
tells the story that Walter Tennis.
alleged self confessed slayer of his
stepfather, James Martin, will plead
not guilty to charge of murder in
the first degree, according to rela-
tiyes.
Just what defense Tennis will Of
fer will not be known until the trial
opens. However, he is quoted as
saying to relatives who visited him
in the county Jail at Blue Earth.
Il would not have done it, II !
had not been drunk"
District court will convene at Blue
Earth on November IL. A special
grand jury will convene at that
time to take up the case of Tennis.
Relatives and friends of the young
man appear to be fiocking to his de-
tense. Several have visited The Mir
ror Office and, while all of these say
he did wrong to kill his stepfather,
they declare he was not entirely to
blame for the i'll feeling which ex-
listed between the two.
Some said Martin was well liked
by neighbors because he would do
anything to accommodate neigh
Dor, but that his attitude at home
played to the neighbors.
Some of the defendants relatives
who visited The Mirror office also
made fiat denial of the report that
Martin had paid off obligations in
Cured prior to his entrance into the
family.
Martin had no money of his own"
one relative said.
HE came to Easton with pack
on his back. About the time of his
marriage Mrs. Martin inherited a
windfall from her folks and gave
him the money to pay off obliga-
was paying them off, but all the
relatives knew better. Whenever
anybody visited the farm, Martin
would point at the stock and call 1t
my stock or point at some inn
provemnt bought with Mrs. Martins
money and say | did this
"Of course Walter knew where the
money was coming from. Conse-
quently, whenever he heard his
stepfather- telling how rundown the
place had been and what he had
done since coming there. it aggra-
waited him.
Martin also butted in when Wal
ter tried to talk over something COM
nected with the farm with his moth
er. The day Walter shot Martin he
went to the farm to talk to his
mother about planting sugar beets.
Martin butted in on it and the two
got into an argument. That is what
happened everytime the boy tried to
do anything.
II do not claim Walter was always
right, or that he did right in killing
Martin, but only the relatives know
the treatment and years Of aggrava-
ton that the boy had"
This statement, uttered in The MIR
ror Office by ones of the relatives,
appears to be indicative OF the atti-
tude of aunts, uncles. brother in
law and cousins of the young man
who will, probably soon be facing a
first degree murder charge.
y G. A. Boeck, who resides four
miles west of Wells, states The Mir
ror was misinformed relative to one
statement made in last weeks ac-
count Of the murder. He says he
happened to call at the Martin farm
Just as the conclusion Of the fight
between Martin and George Tennis.
older brother to Walter. Mr.. Boeck
states 1t was Martin who knocked
George down with a neckyoke, in
stead OF George knocking Martin
down, as reported to The Mirror.
He also states he has forgotten
what the fight was over, but re-
members that it happened before
George was married and that the
latter remained on the farm two or
three years after the fight before 60
ing to Dakota.
The case has aroused wide inter-
est in this vicinity as both Martin
and Tennis were well known.
Friends of Martinsare demanding life
sentence and friends of Tennis de-
clare the latter was not Altogether at
fault.