On A Charge Of Murder

ON A CHARGE OF MURDER

Bert Farrington, of Milan was Arrested

TO BE TRIED THIS TERM

A. J. Sawyer will Defend Him-Coroner's Inquest was Held Yesterday

The coroner's jury at Adrian Tuesday on the death of Jesse Hooker resulted in a verdict of homicide, and Bert Farrington, the Milan butcher, has been placed under arrest on a charge of murder and will be tried during the present term of the circuit court.

A. J. Sawyer, of this city, will assist in the defense of the case.

At the inquest Chester G. Hooker, father of the dead man, testified he had talked with Farrington on two occasions when they lived in Milan, about the relations between his son and Farrington's wife, and he told him that he would talk to his son about it, which he did, but it seemed to do no good. He was not well acquainted with Mrs. Farrington, but knew her husband for five or six years. He had hears rumors of trouble at Milan, but paid but little attention to it. He understood Farrington and wife had not been living together since last spring. He did not know where the woman had been since that time, but supposed she was living In Adrian, keeping house. He only knew of the intimacy between his son and Mrs. Farrington first from Farrington's talk last spring. He believed Mr. Farrington came to him to try and effect a separation of his wife and Jesse. He had tried to persuade his son, but to no good. Mrs. Farrington would come to his house and stay two or three days at a time. Would eat at the same table with them. Never saw anything out of the way. Supposed Mrs, Farrington was sleeping in what is known as the middle room. A younger son, Clyde, aged 18, sleeps in a room off the room that the parents occupy.

The evidence given at the inquest brought out one important fact which Farrington's friends claim will militate greatly in his favor. Sheriff Shepard on the stand stated that Farrington had not shown any desire to go to the Hooker house after his first visit, when he saw his wife sitting on Jesse Hooker's lap. He came to the sheriff, told what he had seen, and was informed that this would not be sufficient grounds for a divorce suit. The second trip was then decided on.

The scene in the bed chamber, where the murder was committed, was told by the sheriff and Policeman Kruger. Both agreed that nothing could be seen of the occupants of the bed but their heads. Farrington, after firing the first shot, edged up closer to the bed and fired with deadly precision.

After the officers had escorted Farrington out of the room, and had handcuffed him, Kruger approached Hooker and asked if he had been hit.

"My God," was the reply, "I'm all shot to pieces."

There were a large number of Milan people present at the inquest and all of them are strongly in sympathy with Farrington.