The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1924-11-20
ROHLFING in COURT
ON MURDER CHARGE
Case to Jury Saturday Night Wherein
Son Of Former craigmont Mer-
chant Is Charged With Kill
isg Companion Near
Mountain Home
Mountain Home.


at Mountain Home, Idaho, the pas
week, charged with the murder q
Faraday Mills, companion on an al
to tour from Portland, is the son Q
E. Rohlfing, who had charge Of th
Leggett Mercantile Co. business a
Craigmont for several years prior t
1916, and who was well known owe
the prairie and an esteemed citizen
The Rohlfings have resided at Port
land since leaving Craigmont.
The following report Of the trial i
taken from the Boise Capital News:
Mountain Home, Nov. 15-Takins
of testimony in the trial of E. Rohl
fling in district court here for the al
legged murder of Faraday Mills closei
this afternoon and arguments were be-
gun by the state at the evening ses
sion of the court. When the state
completes its arguments the defense
will make its plea for acquittal and
it is expected that the case will go to
the jury before midnight.
Mills met his death on June 27, on
the Mountain Home road, his body be-
ing found at 10:15 in the morning at
the side of the road. Two bullet holes
were in the body. Mill s automobile
was missing and posses were formed
to hunt for the murderer. The next
day Rohlfing was arrested at the
home of a rancher because of his sus-
picious factions and he later made a
confession of the crime, but claimed
that Mills met his death accidentally.
The state witness this morning was
Mrs. Gray, daughter of Mills, who
the testimony given by
her husband Friday night of trouble
between Rohlfing and Mills at The
Dalles over a gun and also of the Civ
ing of Money to Mills by Gray IN the
of Rohlfing.
Another state witness called was
Ben Johansen, storekeeper of Boise
and keeper of the tourist park, stated
that he was present in the tourist park
in Boise on the night before the muir
der and that Rohlfing and Mills were
,amped there and he overheard
quarrel between them relative to
some money matters. He said that
hey were making so much noise that
ne had to ask them to be quiet in
order that the other campers in the
park might rest. He recognized the
defendant as one of the same party
hat was in the argument with Mills.
H. J. Knifel, Laverne Bullen and
Gilbert Nettleton testified relative to
seeing the Star car, which the defend
INT was driving after the murder, go
ng through the sage brush and rocks
where there was no road, to the pow
n lines of the Idaho Power company
md disappear over nearby bridge
Rohlfing was called to the stand by
he defense this morning and claimed
n his testimony that the shooting OF
Mills was an accident. He described
low the automobile driven by Mills
lad stopped on the highway when the
adiator became hot, how Mills got
nut and went around the car and how
lie (Rohlfing) got gun out OF a oag
n the back seat to shoot some rap-
,its. He claimed that he went around
he rear end, stumbled over the rect
if Mills, who was under the car, the
run went off and he became dazed
,ut called repeatedly to Mills and re-
eived no answer.
At the afternoon session the staCe
ross s-examined the witness on certain
POINTS which were brought out by lts
witnesses, but Rohlfing declared IN
answer to most of the questions thai
le could not remember or that ne was
LACED at the time and could not re-
all the incidents in question. he was
lSked whether on Ghe oNo5
lrrest he did not tell deputy sner
if and another that he didn't kno"
lnything about the killing OF NILS
nut he replied that he couldn' T remem-
,er.
In rebuttal the state called lhomas
;. Gray who declared that Mills wouiu
lot have been under the car in the
osition that Rohlfing described hlm
o look at the oiling or greasing -
he vehicle. 1t was also brought ou.
n rebuttal that no tracks were founo
vhere Rohlfing claimed the car had
cen driven off the road.
The state called r. A. Dennis q
as character witness, pu'
he defense objected because Roni-
ing had not been in that sectlon
ince early youth. The rebuttai testi-
nony was completed late in the a1'er
oon and in the evening the argu-
rents were begun. Judge Raymond L.
|ivens of the third judicial district Is