The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1938-11-03
Ceases Acted
On by District
Court Jurors
McCLAIN CONVICTED;
2 ACCIDENT CASES
RECEIVE VERDICTS

Receive NERDlCTS
Three cases have been acted on
by a district court jury which be-
gan duty last Thursday morning.
Oliver McClain, %, Granite
Rock farmer and WPA worker,
wast convicted of carnal know
ledge in the first case.
mo cause of action" was the
verdict in the second case, the
suit of Irja Sundgren and Mar
garet Mumme versus Arnold De-
fries of Redwood Falls, for injur-
les received in an automobile &C
cident .
A $4,000 award to the estate of
Peter c. Dahl, for the loss of his
life land $475 to his daughter,
Winpna Dahl, for damages to her
car in an accident, was made by
jury which came in at about
$3.50 p. m. Wednesday, having de-
liberated since noon.
Conclusion Indefinite
When jury cases will be COM
pleted is problematic but a good
guess is that they will be finished
Monday night at the latest.
MfClain has not yet been sent
enced. He was brought before
Judge Albert Emerson, presiding
at the October term of court,
latef Wednesday afternoon.
Itgwas his second appearance
for sentence, but Judge Emerson
again deferred melting punish
ment.
81 wish to examine several per-
sons connected with this case"
the judge explained "But 1 can
get no cooperation from the
family who have been advised by
an attorney not present (Z. L.
Begin of MarshalD
He said he would have to ques-
ton the family in order to deter
mine the proper sentence.
Sentence will be pronounced at
a hearing at 9 a. m. Monday, he
said. Subpoenas have been issued
to the persons to be questioned.
Statements Admitted
Statements of McClain and the
15-year-old sister of his wife in
volving their intimacy were ad-
mitted as evidence over the
strong protests of Leon H. Brown
and Begin of the defense.
George A. Barnes, prosecutor,
wony-p conviction despite states
iwifaesse.s whom he said were
hostile"
The girl said she had signed her
statement because of threats of
the reform school and the defense
claimed McClain had been forced
into signing his statement "by a
strong mentality, a forceful per-
sonality."
Barnes called a string of wit
nesses including Sheriff L. j..
Kise, Deputy Harry Beatty, Henry
Kuck, special deputy; Jean Tuck
err welfare worker, and Tom
Reed, municipal judge, whose
testimony was that McClain had
not, been mistreated and had been
advised of his constitutional
rights during proceedings.
Damages Denied
Miss Sundgren, %, Mime
apolis stenographer, and Miss
Mumme, 81, governess whose
home is at Appleton, asked dam
ages for injuries received in an
auto-truck crash two miles east
of Shakopee December II, 1887.
Defries was driving a John
Dahl stock truck enroute to Red
wood Falls when the accident oc-
Cured. His testimony was that
the car in which the attractive
plaintiffs were riding failed to
make a curve and crashed into
the truck.
Dahl was originally named
co-defendant in the action but
died since.
The jury was out only half.
hour before bringing in the mo
cause" decision.
Win Verdict
In the third jury case c. M.
Dahl of Chaffee, North Dakota
asked judgment against Harry T.
Collette, 80, for the death of his
father, Peter c. Dahl, in an auto
mobile accident at the Lucan
corner on Highway IA, April Is,
1886.
The victim died a few weeks
after, the crash.
Winona Dahl of Minneapolis, a
daughter, was the owner of the
which her father was driving.
Dahl and Tom Masterson of
Walnut Grove. both in the grain
business, were turning onto the
Lucan road when Collette crash
ed into them. Testimony was that
the Collette car was travelling at
a high rate of speed.
The defendant is a travelling
salesman for a wax carton con-
Germ. His home is "all over the
United States" His parents live
in Providence, Rhode Island.
Suit Underway
Wednesday afternoon the sec
ond case growing out of the De-
fries accident at Shakopee got
underway.
Wayne Berry and Willis Long,
companions of Miss Sundgren and
Miss Mumme are asking damages
for injuries sustained in the mis-
hap.
It will probably be completed
today.