Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, October 3, 1907, Page 1

THE BEMIDJI DA VOLUME 5. NUMBER 140. il BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA, '[‘HUR-SDAWv EVENING, OCTOBER 38, 1907. FORTY CENTS PER MONTH MATHIESON CASE ALMOST CLOSED AT 5 THIS EVENING Additional Evidence to Be Offered in the Morning.---Argu- ments Will Then Be Made and the Case Closed at Once. Ison had been here but one year. Court adjourned at 5 o'clock this | During that time, and while at jail, At 9 tomorrow the county he had learned to talk some English, |/and would tell his story, and the | jury could judge for themselves as to | his motive. At 7:30 o'clock last evening (Lj Mathieson knew he had done | wrong, but the story as it would be tol by Mathieson, in his own be- half, would not carry out the crime as charged in the indictment (mur- der in the first degree) having wil- evening. attorney will present some additiona evidence, when case will be clesed. M. Torrance addressed the jury in opening the case for the defendant, Peter Mathieson, who was charged by the state of Minnesota, with mur- der in the first degree—the wilfull The accused man was very pale but otherwise quite calm and collected, and in giving his testi- mony he answered in a very low voice, and was requested to speak louder. A summary of his evidence is as follows: Mathieson was born in Denmark and is 28 years old. He attended a country school in Denmark until he was seven years old. His parents lived on a farm. He did farm work fully and with premeditated design jand learned to read and write a little. Scene of the Johanson murder, on Gull lake, near Tenstrike, Minn. is where Peter Mathieson (accused of having murdered John while they were working for William Fellows cutting cordwood. center is where the clothes belonging to Johanson were found. slightly to the right and back of the small shack, is where the found. The clothing, when found. had been cut to shreds, and Cabin at left of photo Johanson) and Johanson lived The small log shack in the On the lake, near the shore, nude body of Johanson was ‘was partially destroyed. killing of his friend and companion, | caused the death of his friend and Johan Johanson. | companion. While many of the acts He worked on his father’s farm until he was 18 years old. He hired out Mr. Torrance, in addressing the of Mathieson in connection with the ! to other parcies\for about two years, jury, asked them to remember that crime Mathieson was a man possessed of but little knowledge of the English charge of murder in the first degree. language and of the ways of this. Amidst almost breathless silence country. He was a “stranger in althrough the crowd in the court room, stranger land,” and wasina measure Mathieson was called and sworn, a victim 0" circumstances. charged Mathie-'and took the witness chair. 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It has always been kept up to the high standard set by it on the start and always will be, Remember the fuel does not matter—any kind most convenient for you to secure and it holds the fire not just one winter—but every winter even unto old age for it simply will not wear out. We invite you to see it. Always be sure to see the name ROUND 01K on the leg and door. Only the genuine has it. Hardware, Furniture and Undertaking were very wrong, when he decided to come to the again they would not bear out thel; United States. He had a friend at Qakwood, near Blackduck, in this county, and he was given a ticket from Denmark to Oakwood and left Denmark on a steamer, in company with a number of friends, a year ago. He came to New York and from there by stage to Stillwater. He used the address of a man named | Peterson at Oakwood, in order to find his way. He worked in Still- water foruteen days and then went to Blackduck, the nearest point to Oakwood. He walked fourteen miles to Oakwood and afterwards found his friend, Biglow Peterson. Mathieson here stated that he left Denmark in September, 1906, and arrived in New York some time the same mounth, and reached Oak- wood in October. Mathieson stayed with Peterson for a week, and worked for various parties thereabout, frequently com- ing to Bemidji. He came to Bemidji in November and worked here for some little time, stopping at the | Minnesota House, where' he met Johan Johanson, whom he is accused of having subsequently killed. He worked here for about three weeks, afterwards going to Tenstrike, hiring out to Henry Lindgren, where he and Johanson worked for two months; afterwards for Lindgren’s brother. Mathieson and Johanson worked for various people around Tenstrike and afterwards stopped at a saloon there, where Mathieson claims Johanson did much drink- ing. Mathieson explained how Johan- son drank and afterwards how they went to work, Mathieson and Johan- son working together on a cross-cut saw, cutting logs. They lived in a house by themselves. Mathieson told how he and Johan- son, in February, moved to another spot on the opposite side of Gull lake, and began cutting logs on another contract. time “when Johanson was killed. Mathieson finally led up to the Mathieson clainted that the motn- ing Johanson was shot, he got up as usual, built a fire and prepatred the morning meal, Johanson :sitting on the bed, near the table. Mathieson testified - that he in- tended to go out to hunt some rabbits and that Johanson took the gun and showed him haw to work it; that he took the gun from Johanson after Johanson had put a cartridge in it. Mathieson stated, positively, that he placed the gun on the table and that in some manner, unknown to him, it was discharged, the entire charge hitting Johanson, who was sitting on the bed. When the shot hit Johanson, he fell on the bed; he said nothing and did not move, simply laid still. Mathieson says afler»]ohanson was shot, that he went . oiitside and stood in the open air for ten or fif- teen minutes. He did not feel good. He afterward went in and looked at Johanson and spoke to him, but received no answer. Mathieson then put on his clothes and went to Tenstrike, touching nothing- in the | €1ty, was called and questioned rela- room. He pulled the door to, and locked it, before going. It took him two hours to walk to Tenstrike, giving as an excuse that he felt bad. Mathieson stated that he drank much after that, because he did not feel good, and did not know what to do. The next night he went to the shack where he and Johanson had lived, having decided what he would | do. Mathieson went into the house, lit the lamp and looked at Johanson’s body on the bed. He lifted the body off the bed and took it to the lake and tried to put the dead body of his friend and companion in a water hole. The hole was too small, so he took off what clothes there were on Johanson’s body and was then able to shove the body under the ice. Mathieson was asked here by the council, why he wanted to put the body of his friend under the ice. Mathieson answered that he did not know; that he thought that was ‘the best he could do. After he had put Johanson’s body under the ice, he returned to the cabin. He took some of Johanson’s clothes and the blood-stained bed blothes, placed them in a sack and took them into the woods, four miles away, and hid them. He hid the gun in the bed and afterwards took some more of Johanson’s clothes,put them in a sack, and on his way to Tenstrike, threw them in a creek. Mathieson testified that he foundP0at could not pass from Lake Johanson’s pocket-book and kept it, and went to Tenstrike, where he drank very heavily. At this point court was adjourned until 9 o’clock this morning. When court convened this morn- ing Mathieson was again placed on the stand to give testimony in his own behalf. He stated that he left Tenstrike and came to Bemidji, and spent|§ some time herfi, drinking, gambling |§ and having a “good time” generally. | @ He cashed the checks belonging to Johanson and “blew in” the pro-|f} ceeds. When he was broke, he was advanced enough money to take him to Portland, Oregon. While he was at Portland, he wrote letters to Ten- strike, in an attempt to get more money, which belonged to Johanson. These letters proved Mathieson’s undoing; as through them the officers were given a very good clue as to his probable whereabouts. The witness told of his subsequent arrest and of the confession he made in Portland,wherin he told how Johan- son was killed, thisstatement agreeing in the main with the evidence given at last night’s hearing. County Attorney, Henry Funkley, gave Mathieson a very rigid cross- | .examination, touching on every point of his story, from the time he was born until the beginning of the present trial. Nothing materially new was brought out by the county attorney, and Mathieson’s original confession remained almost un- shaken. County Attorney, Funkley, dwelt praticularly on the event, at the time that the actual killing of Johan- son took place, questioning Mathie- son severely, as to how the gun was | § discharged, that ended Johanson’s earthly career. Mathieson stuck to his original story—that he placed tte gun on the table and did not discharge it with his own hand. He did admit, how- ever, that he was but a foot or so, away from the gun and that he was looking atit, when the load was dis charged. % At this point, until 1:30 p. m. court adjourned |ever attempted MAJOR SHUNK TAKES TRIP UP RIVER ON “NORTH STAR” E. E. McDonald Furnishes Concise Statement as to the Con- dition of the River.---Commission Has Made Its Recommendations to Washington. The hearing which was held yes- terday was adjourned sine die at about 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon, and after making a trip up the river in W. B. McLachlan’s boat, “The North Star,” all proceedings in con- nection with the hearing were ter- minated. Yesterday afternoon, E. N.French, who isin the drug business in this tive to trips he had made up the Mississippi river. Mr. French tes- tified that he had made many trips up the the Mississippi and School- craft rivers, during the past three years. Early in the spring, by the use of a pike pole, he was able to go up as far as the dam on Lake Plan- tangenet. Both rivers were very shallow and it was almostimpossible to navigate the river with any safety. At this point Major Shunk stated that the complaint made to the government did not effect the School- craft river; the complaint affected the bridges across the narrows, between Lakes Irvine and Bemidji and logging operations on the Mis- sissippi. E. E. McDonald, representing the logging companies interested,made the following statement to Major Shunk: “Upon the question of whether there shall be promulgated any rules for the navigation of the Mis- sissippi River or Schoolcraft River, above Bemidji, and governing its use by steamboats and logging in- terests, we submit the following facts: “There has never been any navi- gation on either of these rivers above Bemidji by steamboat, except that a small batto with a small steam engine was used for several years by a boom company in towing boom sticks and small booms of logs about in Lake Irvine waters, and even this Irvine into Lake Bemidji, nor pass up the Mississippi beyond Lake Irvine. Because of the shallowness of the water at all times no one has to navigate this stream for commercial or transpor- tation purposes with a steamboat| and no one is now desirious of doing water at ordinary stage, which has! so. The shallowness of the stream prevents such navigation. The only crafts that can pass up the Missis- sippi or schoolcraft are small pleas- ure crafts, having light gasoline or other motors of from one to eight horse power, and the largest of these cannot navigate even the lower portion of these streams, except upon very high water. “DESCRIPTION OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.” “At the head of Lake Bemidji where the Mississippi river flows into the same, at what is known as the thorougfare between Lake Irving and Lake Bemidji, there is a broad sandbar or shoal extending entirely from shore to shore, at either side of the inlet and out into Lake Bemidji, at least twenty-five rods. Over this there is an average stage of water not to exceed fifteen inches. And the difference in the depth of low water and high water over this shoal does not exceed one foot. This shoal or sandbar has always been there and is of such a character and size that an artificial channel cannot be maintained without a coffer dam. The thoroughfare between Lake Be- midji and Lake Irvine is about 80 feet wide, where the banks are marked. Passing through Lake Irvine and into the Mississippi river at the inlet to Lake Irvine, the Mis- sissippi river is about 50 feet in width at the ordinary stage of water, about eighteen inches deep and very crooked, with shifting sandbars and no channel, with small disconnected pockets at the bends of the river, and shallow water between the banks, and this continues all the way up the river. There has never been any attempt at navigation by even small pleasure crafts beyond this junction of the Schoolcraft and Mis- sissippi during those portions of the season when the flow of water is natural, and even row boats can pass only with difficulty. “DESCRIPTION OF THE SCHOOLCRAFT. “About twenty rods from its junc- tion with the Mississippi River the Schoolcraft is crossed by a highway passing over a bridge which is about nine feet above the surface of the 1f you haven’t tried on ing to you. well as for men of twenty. We notice that the older of these goods; there's no coming. for you—$15 to $30, $35. models, you've a pleasant experience com- Clothes for men of fifty as ually pleased with the dignified smartness young looking clothes if they’re really be- Let us show you a Kuppenheimer Suit Or a new Fall and Winter Overcoat, the dress ideals that appeal to you. 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Then there are reefers and top coats from $2.50 to $10; and typical student clothes for high school fellows and young university » Lion Shirts, and Walk- been there over seven years, Pass ing on through Carr Lake to Mar- quette Lake there is no channel and the water does not exceed fifteen inches in depth at ordinary stages. The current is very swift and just below the ontlet of Lake Marquette the river is very shallow. Then as you pass into Lake Marquette, you find a large bar of composed sand, clay, and vegetable matter covering an area extending'up along the shore on each side, and out into the lake at least twenty rods. The water over this area at ordinary stages is not to sxceed fifteen inches and in most of thearea not a foot in depth. At low water row boats cannot pass oyer this without striking the bot- tom. Between upper and lower Marquette there is an area of con- siderable extent and at least twenty- five rods wide that is very shallow. There is only one channel. In this the water is not to exceed eighteen inches. At the head of upper Mar- quette there is a large sandbar, sim- ilar to the one at the inlet of Lake Bemidji and the water is not to ex- ceed ten inches deep, and in addi- tion to this large shoal or sandbar and immediately where the water fllows into the lake there is continu- ally formed shifting sandbars of some considerable size. “Passing out of upper Marguette lake into the Schoolcraft river again we find the river narrower and con- taining less water than before. The current is swift up to the dam at the outlet of Lake Plantagnet. = This portion of the stream has occasional pockets of some depth at the bend but they are not connected. = No craft drawing fifteen inches of water can go any further than to a point eighty rods below Lake Plantagnet dam. At the outlet of Lake Plan- tagnetis a dam which has been maintained there for the purpose of | aiding the driving of logs and main- taining the water in Lake Plantagnet at the desired level for seven years and is owned by the person owning the land on both sides of the river The Schoolcraft river is not a meandered stream, the ownership of _ Continued on Last Page -4 - _1'4