Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, April 13, 1907, Page 1

> THE BEMIDJI DAITLY PIGHER MINKESOTA HISTORICAL g B VOLUME 4. NUMBER 300 BEMIDJ1, MINNESOTA. SATURDAY EVENING, APRIL 13, 1907. TEN CENTS PER WEEK FOURNIER FOUND GUILTY; HE AND WESLEY SENTENCED TO IMPRISONMENT FOR LIFE The Verdict. STATE OF MINNESOTA, | County of Beltrami. | STATE OF MINNESOTA, against PAUL FOURNIER, Defendant. District Court, 15th Judicial District. ] Accused of the s crime of murder in ) the first degree. S8. We, the jury sworn to try the guilt or innocence of the above named defendant, find the said defendant, Paul Fournier, guilty as charged in the indictment. Dated at Bemidji, Minnesota, this 12th day of April, 1007. H. C. WOOD, Foreman. Unless the efforts being put forth by their attorneys shall succeed in procuring a new trial for them and they be subse- quently found not guilty, Paul Fournier and James Wes- iey will spend the remainder of their natural lives at hard labor in the state penitentiary at Still- water. At 10 o’clock this morning, Marshal A. Spooner, judge of the Fifteenth Judicial Districy, sentenced both men to life im- prisonment, they having been found guilty by a jury, of the crime of murder in the first de- gree in having killed N. O. Dahl, near Quiring postoffice, Beltrami county, on April 7, 1904. After two trials covering three weeks of tedious procedure. James Wesley and Paul Four- nier have been found guilty of having on the 7th day of April, 1904, killed N. O. Dahl, by shoot- ing him with a rifle, such con- clusions being the verdict as rendered by two separate juries in the district court of Beltrami idence in both trials was ¥y conn d with the killed Miss ¢ 2 of also h Aagot, Dshl ( r of N. O Dahl) that th cts really cover the marder of Miss Dahl. The murder of the De s Was one of the wost cold-blooded and ; the history of this state, and ot pub entiment s of the ,ib is a satisf .. | commends e jurics in the LWo source of world at large wi day 1o day as it ) in the court, i, impartiaity bringing out in 1gaayge the points made by both the prorecution and the defense, wud the ceadars of the Pioneer bave hal cvery opportunity to form an opiniom of the trauth or falsi'y of the ter-| ritls was lodged | The work of the jury in return- a verdict i the Wesley case beoueved to hive been the st op reeovd in the annals of criminal trials in the state. The wewbers of the jury were out but twenty- n minutes when they retarned w verdict of gu'ty, "he case against Fournier was given to the jury last cvening at 5:45. At 8:10, the foremanf ha twelve men announc d that they had agreed on a verdict, having been out two hours and twenty- five minutes, a half hour of which was used in eating supper ata down-town restaurant. The word that the jury had agreed on a verdict was soon be- ing sent over the city, and inless that fifteen minutes the court room was crowded with an eager throng, anxious to hear the read- ing of the verdict and to watch the effect on the defendant, Fournier, As the members of the jury filed into their seats there was an expectant look on Fournier’s face, and he closely scrutinized the twelve faces, to anticipate if possible their decision. But the jurors looked neither to the right or the left, and it was impossible to judge what their findings were. When Judge Spooner - re- quested the jury to listen to the readiag of their findings as it would be recorded, there was breathless silence, and every ear being strained to catch the words that would decide the prisoner’s fate, and every eye was riveted \ Sentences, in View of Circumstances of a Pos- sible Doubt, Meet With the Approval of the General Public. WILL MOVE FOR A NEW TRIAL Trials for Murder Which Have Caused Wide- spread Interest Throughout the State, Brought to a Close. Sentenced For Life. It is therefore hereby certified of record that, after due consideration, it is the opinion of this court, that by reason of exceptional circumstances, this case is not one in which the penalty of death should be imposed, and, it is therefore considered and adjudged that you (Paul Fournier, James Wesley), as punishment for the crime of murder in the first degree, of which you have been duly convicted, be, and you are, hereby, sentenced to be punished by con- finement at hard labor in the state’s prison at Stillwater, Minnesota, for and during the full term of your natural life. We, the attorney for the the defendants in the cases o and State vs, Paul Fournier, courtesies shown us. The Pioneer Was Fair. state and the attorneys for f the State vs. James Wesley desire to extend our sincere thanks to the publishers of the Daily and Weekly Pioneer for the uniform fairness of the reports ot the trials which have been published in these papers, and also for CHARLES W. SCRUTCHIN, JNO. M. MARTIN, Attorneys for Defendants. HENRY FUNKLEY, Attorney for State. on the defendant to note his actions. As the words ‘““‘we the jury find the defendant guilty as charged in the indictment” rang out clear and distinct, there was an audible sigh from every per- son in the room, indicative of a lessening of the tension at which the nerves of the people of Be- midji have been during the pro- gress of the trials of Fournier land Wesley. The little man who has been cool, calm and collected through it all, never giving a sign of nervousness while his life was hanging 1n the balance,swallowed two or three titaes with difficulty and then set his teeth and was as quiet as ever. EHis iron nerve C. W. Scrutchin James Wesley J. M. Martin Paul Fournier never deserted him, although convicted of committing one of the most cold-blooded tragedies in the history of the state. A poll of the jury was demand- ed, and the twelve men each de- clared the verdict to be his indi- vidual act. After the verdict as recorded had been read, John M. Martin, associated counsel for Wesley and Fournier, arose and ad- dressed the court as follows: “If the Court please, we desire to make a motion in the Wesley case and in the case of the State of Minnesota vs. Paul Fournier. In order to make this motion it will require time for the stenog- rapher to prepare same. we have thought this matter over in the case of Wesley and not knowing what the verdict would be in this case we desire to make this motion tomorrow at 10 o’clock a. m., we will make the motion on the minutes of the Court tomorrow at 10 o’clock.” Judge Spooner agreed to hear the argument for a new trial at |10-0’clock this morning. It was with difficulty that the crowd could be dispersed from the court room and immediately surrounding the prisoner, after the verdict was read and Fourn- ier was committed to jail to await sentence. The writer was given the privi- lege of an interview with both Wesley and Fournier, in the county iail, immediately after Fournier was taken back to his cell. Wesley was the first asked if he had anything to say, and re- plied: “I’ve got nothing to say to any damned newspapers; I think I have been advertised enough al- ready. I’ve got nothing to fear; I can walk right up to the gal- lows without flinching. I don’t care a damn,”’ Several vile oaths accompanied his words and he refused to talk further. Fournier, seen in his cell, was much different, and was courte- ous, He readily agreed tosay something and replied to the query for a brief statement as to how he felt at the verdics: I don’t know what to say; it is so sudden. I didn’t expect a verdict of guilty. Iam inno- cent of that crime, but they thought me guilty.” He was smoking a pipe and was collected and not at all nervous. Wesley is cranky and quer- ulous and uses the most vile lan- guage. Heis the most obstrep- erous prisoner in the entire jail. The closing day of the trial was a trying one for Paul Four- nier, the defendant. County At- torney Funkley gave him a gruel- ling cross-examination which lasted from 9 in the morning until noon, revealing his past life from infancy, and getting answers from some damaging circumstances that were sprung Continued on last page, And