The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1926-07-23

impanelling a corOner's jury from
among those gathered there.
Having heard that Ferdinand
/ Schlaps, the Geisler's hired man, had
/ been seen near the home of his broth
er-in-law. Jack Wolf, on the Mcneil
farm about two miles west Of Home
stead, Martin Nelson, coroner, the
coreher's jury, Carter Phelps, Rodney
Salisbury and a number of others
went to the Mcneil farm at this time,
arriving there between 2 and 8 c.
clock the afternoon of May 2, he
said They found Schlaps, two broth
ers of Schlaps and another man sit
ting in the sedan which later proved
to be the Geisler car.
Sheri Questions Schlaps
Erickson said he asked Schlaps to
get out of the car and talked with
him relative to the whereabouts Of
the Geislers. Rodney Salisbury, sher-
iff of Sheridan county, arrived soon
after and questioned Schlaps. Erick-
son told of observing what appeared
= TO be a blood stain on the rug of the
car and said that the right running
, board appeared to have been fresh
~ washed and that there was a
blood-stained bed quilt on the rear
, seat of the car.
The state introduced two pocket
r books as exhibits. These were iden-
titled as the pocketbooks that Schlaps
, had taken from his pocket at the Nc
I Neil farm and handed to Rodney Sal
isbury at the latter's request May 2
The testimony was that these poe
, ket books were kept in the possession
of County Attorney Erickson fol
t, some time and that he gave them tc
; Court Reporter +. S. Koser, who
, turned them over to the county attor.
. ney of Roosevelt county, II. n. Mar
: ron. sisG ems
1 Examination of the large pocket
e book showed that it contained a S1C
S bank note issued by a North DakOt;
n bank and IS in silver, as ATTORNEY
e Erickson had testified.
j. Taken to Farm
S Erickson testified that when hi
S | had asked Schlaps where Mr.. an,
4 Mrs. Geisler were, he had said the,
# were home. After Schlapsz had ad
i mitted killing the Geislers he wa
r taken to the Geisler farm by Sheriff
I a IS.
i The cOroner's jury went with them
r Erickson described in detail condi
tlons as he found them at the Gels
Ter home. He identified three empt
B. shells as those which had bee
n found for him by Schl3psz in the bot
= tom of a dry creek. He also identi
t fed Tony Geisler's gun and a par
h italy empty box Of sheels and a cur
IS tam with a hole in it as things h
It had observed at the Geisler house
Is When asked on cross examinatio
is now he knew that particular box O
e shells from any other of the sam
e make, he pointed out two fnge
x prints on the box These marks wer
testified to by other witnesses.
l. He told of the coroner's verdic
a and said that the reason Ferdinan
t. Schlapsz was the only witness Gale
s was because when Schlapsz had toll
r. Of killing the Geislers, ana describe
N his actions on May 1, subsequent t
d the shooting, it was not thought nc
q cessary to make further inquiries a
n to how the Geoislers came to thei
2 death.
le Sheriff on Stand
IN Rodney Salisbury, sheriff of Sher
dan county, told of being called t
II Homestead, May 2nd and he ident
n fed the various state exhibits, il
k Guiding the two pocketbooks, tn
r. blOOd-staineG quilt and a blood-stair
J. ed mop with which Schlapsz is sal
II to have attempted to clean up tn
y evidence of his crime. He also ider
10 titled a paid of gloves that wei
r found IN the Geisler car and the cor
n tents Of The pocket books
l. Salisbury corroborated the prev
r Gus testimony relative to what too
r place at the Mcneil farm and VIII
D. was there that Sunday Afternoon
I'd and he tod about the party goin
id from the Mcneil place to the Gel.
Id Ter place, arriving there about 4.C
N the empty shells, the box of shell
le and described the bloody fnge
he marks, as Attorney Erickson ha
re done.
q He also described the condition 4
= the house and said that when the
= had reached there that Sunday tn
- door was locked so that they had {
/ force it open. Salisbury's testimon
IL included telling about Schlapsz fine
ing the shells in the dry creek bot
= tom.
= Couldn't Have Drowned
- Three witnesses were called by tn
! state during the morning.
! DR.. J. g. Dewane, Wolf Point ply
: stefan and surgeon, testified in r,
.. Spouse to hypothetical questions thu
bodies of persons found floating o
top Of cold water less than "a Aoui
4 after they were seen alive and ccul
!, not have met death by drowning.
r. Tony and Ludmilla Geisler we,
II seen alive less than "a hours befol
q the time their bodies were discover
Is