The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-12-08

" jail. Abby said Constable
.ge Runtu y sxHoned her and
..reate: ner with the electric
80, n she did not tell the truth.
Z did he talk to you in a loud
voice?" asked Bartos.
"Yes,s sir, louder than a locomotive
l told him what knew about 1t, and
when l got through, he said to me,
"Well for Christie's sake, I'd like
to know who did kill this man."
There were audible murmus OF In
dignation, when the girl told the jury
that she had been kept in the court
house from 10 Thursday night until
2 In the morning and again from 10
Thursday night until 2 in tho morn
ing and again from 10 Friday morn
ing until 4 that afternoon, the second
time without food and for the second
time during the day Deputy County
Attorney c. +. Barth was implicated
in the endeapors to the state to secure
statements from the witnesses by
threat. when Abby testified that he
warned her 1t would mean the electric
chair should she refuse to reply to his
questions.
vajgrt on Stand.
Earlier in the day, Adolph Hajgrt
had declared that Barth was with
Runty when his statement was writ
ten and that Barth would ask the
questions and Runty would force him
to give the correct reply.
did you ever say you took the
gun and shos Tony vajgrt," was
asked.
mo, sir, that's what Barth said
for me to say" he replied.
The statement OF the father and
daughter were later refuted by state
rebuttal witnesses. Walter Stolz and
George Bauer, who said Barth had
never been guilty OF the conduct
ascribed to him.
Called to the stand to testify that
she had never read the constitution
and did not know her legal rights,
Mrs. vajgrt played the leading role
In the second dramatic scene staged
In the court room. when she demon
strated to the jury how she struck
Lana with plank after he mad
fallen to the ground.
SPACE was cleared inside the rail
and the fragile woman. who has been
frequently under doctors care
whirled one end OF the 14-foot cot
tonwood plank above her head and
then let 1t fall swiftly TO the floor.
All three yajgrts' declared that
they had no knowledge of their CON
stitutional rights and did not know
that they did not have TO answer
questions put to them by officers OF
the law. Bitter criticism of the state
was implied by the defense, when the
witnesses were asked II they had had
attorneys while the state was con-
ducting its examination.
Late this afternoon. the son, Frank.
IA. was put on the stand TO tell what
he knew about the Runty grave. He
stated that 1t had been dug. by Lana
that he might hide muskrat skins,
and the defense presented as an ex-
hibit a crate which Frank said was
built by Lana to tit in the hole.
Dressed in a new suit and appar-
emily well aware Of his neat appear
ance. the bright faced lad replied
quickly and intelligently to the ques-
lions puto him.
Describing the fight had between
Tony Lana and his family a week
prior TO the tragedy. he said that
Tony had reached for his knife and
not finding II had turned and struck
his father in the face and chest.
At tonight the state called as
part OF its rebuttal Jerry Lana, broth.
er of Anton, Joseph Zib OF Crete and
and Louis Sickle OF Milford. as well
as Bauer and Stolz.
Jerry denied that he had told Vajgrt
the Ku Kiu Khan at Milford had held
a meeting attended by $50 persons
and that the Khan was going TO get
him. yajgrt has previously testified
that he had been terrorized with
threats OF the khan.