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SEMI-WEEKLY EDITION-EIGHT PAGES
VOLUME XXIX
PLATTSMOUTI1, NEBRASKA, MONDAY NOVEMBER U, 1910
NO 84
be
1 S1TZMAII-KEEZER IB
mi minis 10 excite interest
The Court Room Crowded With Eager Listeners of the Testi
mony as Given by Various Witnesses.
From Friday's Pally.
After the intermission yesterday
afternoon, Dr. Livingston not being
in town to take the stand, Chris
Metzger, representative-elect from
this county, Sheriff Quinton and
County Attorney C. II. Taylor were
called and gave evidence in the case.
Mr. Metzger identified an envelope
containing a $2.00 bill and (2.50 In
silver as one he had seen on the 3rd
of September and which had been in
.his possession Blnce. He also identi
fied the two dollar bill by its serial
number as being one he had seen
the county attorney take from a
folding bed in Isadore Sitzman's
room at the hotel in Cedar Creek on
that date, the silver money foe had
found when In company with the
county attorney they had searched
the room of Louis Keezer and wife
in the same hotel on the same day and
found under the carpet. Witness also
identified a club, which was about
three and a half feet long, as one he
had picked up near the scene of the
trouble. This club he had found
near where Geno was said to have
fallen, the grass here being trampled
down for a space of ten feet north
and south by about six feet east and
west. The club was in the same con
dition it was when last seen by the
witness, except that what the witness
took to be blood spots on the stick,
had grown dimmer.
Witness was asked to Identify a
hat, which resembled one worn by
Sitzman prior to the affair, which
the witness did, saying that he had
picked the foat up near where the
trouble occurred, and near where
the Injured man, Geno, was said to
have lain. This witness had on the
third day of September, measured
the distance between the two places
where the grass and weeds were
mashed down, said to have been the
places where Sanders lay and where
Geno lay, and found the distance to
be thirty-five feet. The witness had
made a plat of the ground and the
objects In the vicinity of the trouble,
which was Introduced in evidence
over the objections of the defend
ants. Sheriff Quinton was then called,
and proved to be a most interesting
witness. The court room was full of
spectators, among tbem being a large
number of the citizens living near
Cedar Creek, who listened to the
sheriff's testimony with breathless
attention.
Defendant Keezer's wife and little
children and mother-in-law, being
the sister and mother of Sitzman,
sat near the accused men through
out the recital of the confession of
the two men, which had been given
to the sheriff in all of Its brutal
details.
The sheriff stated, in substance,
that he was called to Cedar Creek
on the morning of the 2nd of Sep
tember, and went to the hotel and
arrested the two men at the bar, one
of them he took to the lumber office,
and left him In the custody of Paul
Roberts, and the other was taken to
Wolf's store and placed in custody
of Mr. Wolf, and he began to look
into the case. He summoned the
coroner, and as soon as could be
done a Jury was impanneled. Deputy
Sheriff Manspeaker had gone to
Cedar Creek on the Schuyler on the
afternoon of the day and with the
team which the witness had driven
to the village, brought the men to
Plattsmouth and lodged them in the
' Jail.
The next morning, the 3rd of Sep
tember, he had bitzman taken up
stairs to the living room over the
Jail, and talked to him, first telling
the accused that he was going to
Interrogate him, but 'that the accused
need not answer any question unless
he chose to. After some preliminary
talking between the two, Sitzman af
tirst denying having been near the
trouble, he, Sitzman, finally said that
he was there, and he would tell the
sheriff all about It. At this point
defendants counsel entered a vigor
ous objection to the conversation be
ing allowed to go In, stating that the
accused wan in durance vile, under
duress, In the presence of the sheriff,
and the statements were not, and
could not be free will statements,
made voluntarily. The attorney
made quite an argument, which At
torney Tidd for the state objected to
as a "stump speech."
The court did not view It as such,
but doubted the propriety of having
the argument on the objection made
in the presence of the Jury.
The court overruled the objections
of defendants' counsel and the sher
iff then gave the statement made by
Sitzman, In which the accused said
that Keezer proposed the robbery in
the afternoon of the 1st of Septem
ber, that he, Sitzman, did not want
to go into it, but that he and Keezer
had had a few drinks that afternoon,
and made up their minds to get some
easy money, that they thought that
they had missed the men, for a time,
but when they went after the cow
about 7:30 or 8:00 p. m., they saw
the three men going down the track,
followed them, overtook them once,
let them pass, then went around
through John Gauer's orchard and
get ahead of them and assaulted
them Just as they came out of a little
cut. Sitzman stated that Keezer
first struck at Martin, who got away.
Keezer then knocked "Shorty" down,
meaning George Sanders, and he,
Sitzman, took Mike. He knocked
Mike Geno down, but he got hold of
Sitzman and although Sitzman was
on Geno, he was struggling and Sitz
man. yelled to Keezer, "He's got me
bested, come and help me." Keezer
came and made a pass with a club,
striking Sitzman on the shoulder.
Sitzman yelled at him, "What are
you doing, you have struck me
Keezer then struck Geno twice on
the head, causing Geno to release his
hold on Sitzman, who then got up
and went to where Sanders lay,
picked up his pocke-book, but found
nothing in it. Sitzman then heard
some one and told Keezer they had
better get away. They then made
their way to the hotel, going down
the alley Into the back yard of the
premises and round to the front
door, entered the hotel, going to the
kitchen, where Keezer burned some
time checks. They then went to
their rooms and went to bed. When
asked how much they got, Sitzman
said, "Six dollars, and Keezer gave
me a two dollar bill. The sheriff
then detailed a similar confession
from Keezer, which In detail corrob
orated Sitzman's statement, except
that Keezer said that Sitzman had
persuaded him to go Into the affair.
Keezer's first statement was that
Sitzman had knocked all three of
the men down, but afterward he
corrected the statement, saying that
he struck at Martin, who was not
injured, and ran away, that he then
knocked "Shorty" down, and Sitz
man took Mike. That after he had
gone through Sander's pockets, from
which he got $6.00, Sitzman yelled
to him, "He has got me bested, come
and help me," he ran to Sitzman's
aid, who was down over Geno, who
was holding him fast. Keezer struck
at Geno landing on Sitzman's shoul
der, causing Sitzman to warn him to
watch what he was doing. He then
struck Geno twice on the head, after
which he threw his club away and he
did not know whether It struck Geno
or not.
The sheriff began his testimony
about 3:15 and was on the stand
until the Bupper hour, his cross-examination
not being finished, he went
on again after supper.
The cross-examination of the sner
iff was very rigid, and a writing,
signed by Isadore Sitzman, had been
Identified by the witness as a state
ment made by the accused and writ
ten by the county attorney. Counsel
for the accused noted some state
ments in the oral confession detailed
by the sheriff, which had not been
Incorporated in the writing, and de
fendant's attorney sought to Impeach
the testimony of the sheriff on this
score.
County Attorney Taylor was then
produced and sworn, and detailed
the writing of the paper signed by
Sitzman, and statements made by
both as to where the money could
he found, Keezer stating that he had
spent a part of the money. The
cross-examination of Mr. Taylor was
searching, but did not result In
changing his direct evidence. Before
adjourning the court for the day,
Judge Travis stated that members of
the jury, not on the present trial,
would be excused until 1:30 Decem
ber 5th. The court then adjourned
until nine o'clock this morning, and
the Jury placed In the care of the
sheriff, and instructed to refrain
from coming to any conclusion until
the evidence and arguments of coun
sel were all submitted to tbem.
Deputy Sheriff Manspeaker was
called and testified to the conversa
tion between the sheriff and Sitzman
and Keezzer. Mr. Manspeaker cor
roborated the sheriff in the state
ment that the sheriff had told Keezer
that he would like to hear his state
ment, if he had one to make, but
that he, Keezer, did not have to
make a statement unless he wanted
to. That Keezer inquired of the
sheriff if Pete had said anything, to
which the sheriff replied that he,
Keezer, had been seen there, at the
time of the affair, and that he, the
sheriff, had the Information and
asked Keezer if it did not look like
some one had said something. . Mr.
Manspeaker was also subjected to a
rigid cross-examination, but his testi
mony was not materially shaken.
The sensational witness of the
trial proved to be Dr. J. S. Living
ston, who on the 6th of October, in
the presence of Mayor J. P. Sattler
and Councilman A. Kurtz, who ex
humed the body of Mike Geno and
held a post mortem examination for
the purpose of ascertaining the cause
of death.
Mr. SatlerN'and Mr. Kurtz were
both called and testified to the de
tails of exhuming the body on the
date above mentioned.
Dr. Livingston testified that he
found two fractures of the Bkull of
the dead man, either of which would
have produced death. One of the
wounds was on the forehead and one
on the left temporal bone. A third
fracture of the nasal bone, the doc
tor thought had been produced by
the Bame. blow which had fractured
the frontal bone. On interrogatories
propounded by the county attorney
Dr. Livingston stated that the blows
which produced the results found on
Geno's skull were received while
Geno was prostrate with the back of
his head against some hard sub
stance. A piece of the temporal bone
of the murdered man was produced
by Dr. Livingston, which he testified
he had taken from the head at the
time of the post mortem, and which
had been crushed from the temporal
bone of Mike Geno by the blow which
fractured that portion of the skull.
The doctor described to the Jury the
manner in which the blows must
have been administered.
The club previously Identified by
Chris Metzger was Identified by the
witness as one he received from the
county attorney on the 16th of Sep
tember, and that it was in th) same
condition now as then. That there
were stains of human blood on the
stick.
He also stated that the fractures
had probably not been produced by
the club offered, as the club which
produced the Injuries would probably
show more blood stains and other
evidences of the deed. The shirt
also previously testified to as having
been found in Sitzman's room at the
hotel at Cedar Creek, was shown
the doctor and he had previously ex
amlned It and found spots of human
blood on it. Both the club and the
shirt were offered In evidence at this
stage of the proceedings. Attorney
for defendants objected to the shirt
being offered, his reason being that
no proper evidence had been pro
duced showing that the garment be
longed to or had ever been worn by
the defendant. The court reserved
his ruling on this part of the evi
dence. Dr. Livingston was cross-examined
at some length by Mr. Baker, but
could not be made to vary his testl
many from his statements in his
direct examination.
Stock and Grain Farm For Sale.
222 acreJ IVi miles cast of Murray
and 7 miles south of Plattsmouth.
Good five-room house with excellent
stone cellar. Good $1,000 barn, and
other out buildings. Three good,
living springs, one right at the house,
and everything comfortably situated.
Will be sold for $110 per acre, one
half down, and balance to suit pur
chaser at 6 per cent. Call on or ad
dress me at Murray, Nebraska.
F. M. Young.
LEGISLATURE 110
cow oral
Democratic Majority in Senate
is Five and in the House
Eight.
' Almost complete returns on the
legislature indicate that the Joint
session will be democratic by a ma
jority of thirteen. The party division
in the two houses will be nineteen
democrats to fourteen republicans in
the senate and fifty-four democrats
to forty-six republicans in the house.
This will make certain the organiza
tion of both houses by the democrats
if the democrats act together In
party caucus, as they are pretty cer
tain to do, and it. will not be long
before speakership lightning rods
are erected.
On the vital question of county
option, both Bides are claiming to
have majorities in each house. Su
perintendent Poulson of the Anti
Saloon League in a statement de
clared that seventeen members of the
senate(were committed for county
option, and more than a majority of
the house. Representatives of the
liquor dealers and allied organiza
tions are also claiming seventeen of
the senate against county option, and
also a majority of the house. The
discrepancy between the two in the
tenate turns on the vote of the senator-elect
from Otoe county, Henry
Bartllng, republican. His name ap
peared on the county option slate
and did not appear on the slate put
out by the brewers' combine which
was backing his opponent, Senator
Buck, the democrat up for re-elec
tion. It is asserted now that Bart
llng announced before the election
that he would be against county
option and those opposed to county
option are depending upon this an
nouncement. It is barely possible
that the fate of the bill In the senate
may hang on this one vote.
In the house, while the prelimi
nary rottiur. is subject lo possible
changes, the best information obtain
able by the Omaha Bee, makes the
division on county option forty-four
pledged to the bill and fifty-six
against it or non-committal.
If a few of the non-committal
members turn out to be county op
tionlsts the house may present a
repetition of the close vote expected
In the senate.
Quite a few of the republicans
elected to both senate a.id house
have subscribed to Btatement No. 1
on the Oregon plan for United States
senator for the candidate receiving
the highest preferential vote. Inas
much, however, as the Joint session
Is surely democratic, as is also the
candidate with the high preferential
vote, these pledges will not be put
to any strain.
View (lie Range Again.
Major W. P. Burnham, of Omaha;
Major DeVore, of Ft. Russell; Cap
tain Martin, of Ft. Crook, and Adju
tant General Hartlgan, of Lincoln,
arrived on No. 4 this morning, and
were met at the Btatlon with two
carriages by Bert Pollock, Ed. Fitz
gerald and County Treasurer Frank
Schlater, The party were imme
diately driven out to inspect the sites
formerly shown the committee by
Mr. Pollock and the Commercial club
and one new Bite was shown the
visitors.
After viewing the grounds the
party drove to the court house and
Inspected plats of the grounds, such
as could be found, and seemed quite
favorably impressed with the new
site shown them. Major Burnham
has requested that a complete chart
of the land and vicinity be made and
sent him at Omaha as soon as the
same can ho done.
There is no definite Information
as to what the board will decide
upon. Major Burnham Is president
of the board and his recommendation
will carry Influence, and as the state
militia will use the same range for
target practice, it Is altogether prob
able that Adjutant General Hartlgan
may have considerable to say In de
ciding the matter.
Mrs. Carl Koplschke and her
mother, Mrs. George Grebe, and sis
ter, Miss Frances Grebe, and Mrs.
Koplschke's son George, went to the
hospital this morning to visit Connie
Grebe, who Is taking treatment for
his eye, which was injured some days
ago.
New ltuhiiif-KH Coming.
A party from Souin Omaha yester
day closed a five year leas on the
room In the Coates block formerly
occupied by Asemissen's hardware
store, and will open a ten cent store
in a short time. Frank Gobelman
has the contract for painting the
front, placing a raised gilt lettered
sign on the windows and papering
and decorating the Interior, and com-
raenced the same this afternoon. The
fact that Mr. Gobelman has been
employed to do the work Is a guaran
tee of a number one job all around.
THE CHICKEN PIE SUPPER
AT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
From Friday'! Pally.
ine chicken pie supper given by
the Ladies' Auxiliary of the Presby-
byterlan church In the parlors of the
church last evening, was, as usual,
very liberally patronzed by members
and friends of the congregation and
was a most delightful social affair.
The tables' were very pretty with
their snow white linens, silver, cut
glass and the like. They were made
all the more attractive with decora
tions consisting of cut flowers,
foliage and candelabra. In fact every
possible effort had been made to
make' the affair as popular as ever.
The popularity of these chicken pie
suppers has spread far and wide and
whenever the ladles announce that
they will give one of these famous
suppers, a large number arrange to
attend. As we have stated above,
there were a large number In attend
ance and the affair throughout was
ascribed as enjoyable as the ones
given In this city heretofore. It is
quite needless to say aught of the
supper itself. The chicken pies and
accompaniments were as delicious as
ever and thoroughly up to the stand
ard which this splendid organization
has produced in the past. In addition
to the superb quality of the supper,
the service, as usual, was far above
the ordinary, It .being in the hands
of the younger members of this
organization, who devoted them
selves to making the supper pass
without a flaw. One of the best fea
t u res of the affair was the feeling of
good fellowship which the occasion
aroused and the hearty wish ex
pressed for such occasion to be ar
ranged to occur oftener. The ladies
netted between fifty and sixty dol
lars. At a table, located In the hall
and near the entrance to the church
parlors, the Endeavor society sold
delicious homemade candles. They
were, also, liberally patronized and
realized a neat sum, which will be
used on the church calendar expense.
CanvaxH the Yore Today.
The canvassing board composed of
Carl RawlcB. Emll Walters and D. C.
Morgan, were engaged today, com
mencing at 8 o'clock, ranvasslng the
vote cast Tuesday In this county. Up
to ten o'clock nine precincts toad
been canvassed, and no material
changes noted from the returns first
announced.
At the close of the canvass this
afternoon no change sufficient to
change the men elected was discov
ered. Mr. Hitchcock gained one
vote on the official count, Mr. Hay
ward lost one. Mr. Wulf gained ten
votes in South Bend precinct.
The amendment to the constitution
carried, the vote being 1686 for, and
1608 against. The vote on the Jail
levy was in 4 6 for the levy, and 1306
against. The law requires a two
thirds vote of all votes cast to make
the required levy.
A Prosperous Farmer.
John W. Ruhga, a prosperous
farmer, living 4V4 miles southwest,
has Just completed a nice five-room
cottage on his farm, east a few rods
from his fine homo residence. Al.
Marshall and son Harold, Just fin
ished the interior in varnish. His
son, J. Henry, will occupy the new
cottage and work the farm next year.
Mr. Rugha has Just finished a fine
hog house, 28x56, cement floor and
foundation, well lighted and warm.
He has Just received a carload of
fine cattle to fatten this winter. His
herd of Durocs is very fine in quality
and he has two very fine males to
sell. Owing to lateness of season he
will not repaint and rcvarnlBh the
home building and finish painting
the cottage outside, until spring
Weeping Water Republican.
Ralph White spent the afternoon
In the metropolis, departing on the
fat mall.
Big Stores Advertise.
"A country paper that conies to
this office every week," says the Em
poria Gazette, "invariably contains a
page advertisement of 'the big store."
Tho advertisement always is well
written and Interesting and the ex
change editor reads it, because it is
good hot stuff. It Is a pretty safe bet
that the people of that town and
surrounding country read It regu
larly. There Is a 'big store' In al
most every western town, however
small that town may be. and it is in
variably the heaviest advertiser. The
same rule holds good in the largest
cities. If you pick up a Chicago
paper you always see the announce
ment of the big stores. ThTe lesson
of this fact should appeal to every
business man, without explanation.
The big stores of this country are
run by the most enterprising and
successful business men. Enterpris
ing ahd successful business men are
opposed to the waste of money and
they wouldn't advertise all the year
round If advertising did not bring
results worth while. The small
stores are the ones that don't adver
tise. That la why they are small.
It makes no difference whether a
merchant Is located in a country vil
lage or a big metropolis, If he wants
to do business he hits to go after it,
and the modern way and the only
satisfactory way of going after busi
ness is by advertising."
A New Apple District.
Competent authorities agree that
the Big Horn Basin " llh Its excellent
soil and favorable climatic condi
tions, will soon become recognized as
one of the great apple growing dis
tricts of the Northwest. Prof. B. C.
Duff urn, who for 15 years devoted
his time in experimenting in agricul
tural and horticultural lines while In
charge of the state experimental sta
tion at Laramie, Wyoming, and Pro
fessor Aven Nelson, state horticul
turist of Wyoming, have both given
an opinion that the Basin is remark
ably well adapted to the develop
ment of commercial orchards.
Fruit orchards are . now being
planted in many localities In the Big
Horn Basin, and much land that has
In the past been devoted to the rais
ing of wheat, oats, barley, alfalfa,
and other hay crops Is being planted
to apple orchards.
Wen (ii-flNMUiui'M injury.
Wis Grassman, who Is employed
as straw-boss of one f the Burling
ton bridge gangs and who met with
a very painful accident Tuesday af
ternoon, came In from Schuyler, Ne
braska, Wednesday morning and will
bo compelled to take an enforced lay
off of at least a week. Mr. Grass
man was standing near the track
near a rubber car, when for some
reason unknown to WeB, the rubber
car Jogged right onto his foot, strik
ing it across the instep and badly
mashing a portion of the foot and
breaking one of the toes. Wes Is
compelled to get around with much
difficulty with the aid of crutches
and is under the care of Dr. Cook.
I
"IsIiiiihcI" Tomorrow Night.
From Friday's Dally.
The Interest In the play "Ishmael"
Is not confined to any class or ago
of men and women. The book has;
been very popular with the last threo
generations and the management as
serts that it Is no unusual thing to
see three generations of one family
at a performance. Readers of fiction
recall "Ishmael" as one of the most
beautiful love stories of the lan
guage. Miss Grace Hayward, who
dramatized the book, has taken few
liberties with the story, and the re
sult is a play that fully satisfies,
wholesome and true to the last de
gree. Sells Farm.
Mr. Ernest Richter, living a few
miles south of the city, closed a deal
early in the week, whereby he dis
poses of his one hundred acre farm
at the handsome price of $120 per
acre. Mr. Richter has Invested in
farm lands In Ness county, Kansas,
paying $30 per acre, thus getting
four acres for one of Cass county
soil, and a fine set of Improvements.
Mr. Ralncy was tho purchaser of Mr.
RIohter's Cbbs county farm. Mr.
Richter will move to Kansas some
time In December.
Mr. Miller, of Iowa, has shipped
his household effects to Plattsmouth
and will have Joe McMaken move
them to his farm, three miles south
rtf Invn urhtph Ml KIMlnv rnnnndtf
.v. , .iu.il, .ill. jK.t.vi iVLtUVI
'purchased.
