The Indianapolis times., 1929-06-17
PEOPLE VS.. U.S.,
IS LINEUP ON
LIQUOR SLAYING
Minnesota Town ReSentS
Government Defense of
Border Agent.
By ALLEN WAGNER
Times Special Correspondent

INTENTIONAL FALLS, MINI.
Junee 17.-People Of Minnesota YER
sus the federal government.
That's the way the case result
ing from the shooting near here a
week ago of Henry Virkkula, by a
federal customs patrolman who
sought, but did not find. liquor in
his car. will line up if officials of
this town have their say about it.
They say the defense of Patrol
man Emmett White, who did the
shooting. by Seymour Lowman, as
sistant secretary of treasury, is "un-
belieyable.'
This is spurring them on in their
fight to keep federal officials from
changing Whites case from the state
to the federal court.
David Hurlburt, Koochiching
county attorney, is in st. Paul today
to confer with G. M YoungQuist,
Minnesota attorney general
He will seek aid from the state
a special prosecutor to assist him
and advise on whether to convene
a special session Of the county
grand jury to hear the second
degree murder charges against
White.
Fears Case May "Grow Cold"
No session of court is scheduled
here until October and Hurlburt
fears the affair my grow cold by
then.
In fact, he charges the govern
ment, which calls Whites action
justified wants it to grow cold"
Preliminary hearings for White
has been postponed from Monday to
July 2 on request of the government.
Virtually everybody here is salts
fed that newspaper accounts of the
Virkkula shooting are correct and
that the facts have been under
estimated" as asserted by County
Attorney Hurlburt, rather than
colored," as claimed by Secretary
Lowman.
Sheriff Hugh Reidy who investi-
gated the killing and helped the
county coroner and county attor-
ney line up witnesses for the coro-
ner's inquest last week, said en-
phatically. newspaper stories Of the
affair have been correct"
Trying to Keep Jot
1.-THE evidence is such a; to in
dicate Virkkula was trying to stop
his car when slain by the customs
patrolman, who apparently was try
ing to keep his month-old job, on
which he was supporting a wife.
"On what does Mr.. Lowman base
his statement that White was iuSti-
fed in shooting and that he has a
perfect defense?
We've laid all our cards on the
table; why doesn't Mr.. LoWman? II
we've passed up anybody who knows
about this shooting, we'd like to
know it. But l don't think We have.
1 agree with H A. Roberts, who in
vestigateG the case for the treasury
department, that the shooting was
unjusti1able.
mats the way many here look
at the affair They don't blame
White, Duluth boy. who appar-
emily has been q youth of high char
acter all his life.
They point out that he is only
"a: is married and was living in this
city with his wife when the shoot
ing occurred. His father is jan
itor of a hospital in Duluth. his old
home town.
System Is at Fault"
Its the system that's at fault,
the system is wrong in sending q
boy like that out on to q highway
with as dangerous a weapon as
shotgun" the sheriff continued.
White was working with E A.
Servine, an older employe in the
service. and fearing for his job, let
him have it. as ordered by Servine.
"Virkkula was driving ten miles
or less an hour when he approached
the sign. Stop, customs officials
held by Servine on the lonely road