The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, April 26, 1920, Page 1

a er nee | ‘THE WEATHER | G i ed a commanding part in a frightful enerally Fair { pokes Sy ame TY roe THIRTY-NINTH YEAR THE B Is _TRI BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA, MONDAY, APR IL 26, 1920 B U ] \ E | LAST EDITION PRICE FIVE CENTS HOUNDS TRAIL TRIBUNE IS FIRST PAPER TO PRINT MURDER DETAILS Staff Correspondent Furnished Only News of Crime to Leading Papers LEFT SATURDAY NIGHT} Interesting Account of How News of Killing Was Flashed | to Nations’ Newspapers LANGER TAKES CHARGE 1 Attorney General William Lang- er leit Bismarck by automobile at 2 o'clock this afternoon for! Turtle Lake to take. complete charge of the investigation Into the murder | at thaf place, 5 In a conference with Goyernor Lynn J. Frazier shortly before leaving, Mr. Langer urged the gov- ernor to immediately offer a suit- able reward for the apprehension -of the guilty parties and it is understood that this action will he taken by Governor Frazier. Attorney General Langer an- nounced that he had hired the services of trained operatives from a national famous detective agency and that the men would probably reach Turtle Lake Tues- day or Wednesday and the feLean county ~ authorities — in racking down the, two men_be- lieved to have massacred the eight people. ‘The Tribune was the first paper in the ‘country to publish any news whatsoever about the murder of the eight people at Turtle Lake, the home edition Saturday afternoon containing the first reports from the scene of the terrible crimes. Although the first news of the murders only trickled into Turtle Lake: Saturday afternoon, The Tribune had the story and! the news- papers were On the street by 4:30 o'clock. This is the second time in the event- ful history of The. Tribune that it-play- trawedy of uation wide interest: «Ks: importance is only overshadowed by the Custermassacre “scoop,” in which The Tribune played such a prominent figure. A staff correspondent of- The Tri- bune was on the scene of the revolt- ing crime at the Wolf farm, three miles from Turtle Dake. shortly after 10 o'clock Saturday Aight and until he left Turtle Lake at if o'clock Sunday | night, every bit of néws regarding the eight murders sent out to the news- papers all over the United States were written and filed by The Tribune’s staff correspondent. i The important and stirring part The Tribune played in furnishing the con- tinuous stream of news of the terrible Massacre. were made possible only through the kindly assistance of sev- eral of its friend’. How The Tribune first got the news of the murders and the subsequent developments form an interesting chapter in this mysterious case. *Sheriff Ole Stefferud and State’s Attorney John E. Williams of McLean county were in Bismarck Saturday af- ternoon when the eight dead bodies were discovered on the Wolf farm. Mr. Williams was here to visit his mother-in-law who is dangerously il! in a hospital. When the authorities at Turtle Lake learned of the Wolf murders, they made every attempt to reach Sheriff Stefferud and Attorney Williams. Finally they traced the two officers to Bismarck, but could not locate them here by telephone. The. messages were sent to the Grand Pacific and Van Horn hotels here with instruc- tions to have the McLean county offi- cials communicate with Turtle Lake immediately. D. J. McGillis of the Van Horn and John Peterson of the Grand Pacific, sensing the great importance and news value of the terrible crime, immedi- ately informed The Tribune of the matter. A long distance call brought Editor Smith of the Turtle Lake Wave on the wire, and The Tribune got the first details of the killings. Seven! dead were reported at that time, it} being several hours later before the eighth body was dis¢bvered. Stefferud and Williams, as soon as they could be located. planned to leave; immediately for Turtle Lake by auto- mobile. They were joined by Sheriff Rollin Welch, Chief of Police Chris Martineson. F. E. McCurdy, a personal friend of Williams, Fred Holomboe the photographer and The Tribune cor- respondent. The party. in two cars, after some delay, finally left Bismarck shortly af- ter 6 o'clock at night and driving through the biting cold wind reached Turtle Lake at 10 o'clock. having stop- ped off at Washburn to telephone in- structions to the authorities at Turtle Lake. The distance from Bismarck to | Turtle Lake is 75 miles. None of the eight murdered bodies had been touched until the party from! Bismarck, carrying the officials of Mc-) Lean and Burleigh counties, arrived at the Wolf farm. After making as complete an examination as time per- mitted and interviewing those best} posted on the details following the discovery of the murder. The Tribune correspondent sent the first authentic news of the killing to the Associated j Press at St. Paul which in turn fur- nished all of the leading newspapers { of the country with the details. | The correspondent of The Tribune continued to file developments all day (Continued on Page Eight) | Lean county. WHAT LIFE HAS DONE TO EVELYN NESBIT How the hectic life of Evelyn Nesbit Thaw Clifford has lined and aged her face is shown by these two photographs. One was taken when she was the girl-wife of Harry K. Thaw; the other is one of her recent photographs. Jack Clifford, her husband and former dancing partner, is suing her for divorce in New York, naming an actor as co-respondent. Evelyn says she will file a counter petition, demanding that the divorce be granted to her and charging misconduct. J GO THE LIMIT More than forty-eight hours have elapsed since eight bodies were found on a farm near Turtle Lake. The discovery revealed probably the most heinous crime inthe police annals of this or any other state. Governor Frazier should offer.a reward at once in a sum commensurate with the crime committed that will aid and assist local authorities in detection of the criminals. Every indication is that these eight defenseless persons were foully mur-, dered, some shot inthe back, a three-year-old girl beaten to death, with a hatchet and others:as brutally killed. The Tribune had hoped int this issue to apprise the public of a reward that might help to uncover those responsible for the crime. They are still debating the advisability of offering one in; Governor Frazier’s office. It is hoped that when the enormity of the affair thoroughly penetrates official circles at the capitol that the state will go the limit. : Action in. this.resnect should haye been made Saturday when, the crime was first known. stead 1 Burleigh county officials, its sheriff, Rollin Welch and Chris Martinson, chief of police, immediately went to the scene of the crime and gave every possible assistance tothe officers of Mc- Not a stone should be left unturned to solve,the baffling mystery of the wholesale murder at Turtle Lake. GREBLOUT FOR BABR SEAT IN. FIRST DISTRICT Former Adjutant General to Make Race for Congress Against’N. P. League Canada and Sweden Are to Meet in Hockey Contest; Antwerp, April 26——Canada and Sweden will meet in the ice palace! here tonight in avy game which will determine the Olympic hockey cham pionship. - France and the United States were eliminated for first hon- ors yesterday, the former by losing to sweden by a score of 4 to 0, and the latter by going down 2 to 9) to defeat before the Saltons of Canada after a stirring contest. That Canada will win the championship seems certain i SR Ara ey f as the Swedish team has little hope ‘ane. ratte Dy Apel ne oem sree to hold the Saltons’ to a lows Known abn in the lake region, téday Under the Olympic rules all teams See ean Tron sr arbi champion team | the first district. ‘This district is now shee See i i hn Baer. Thus the United States Saecho-Slovak eee ee isa ioaEie. ‘Canaidate and the loser of tonight's game will | paey ig expected to run for re-Nomina- draw for opponents following the con- | tion on the league endorsed republican : ticket. . Gen, Creel served as adjutant. At one time he was in the regular army service. During the Républican ad- ministration he was crop, expert for the department of agriculture in North Dakota. é GIRL 18 CHOKED TO DEATH ONHER DWELLING PORCH Pontiac. Mich,, April 26.—City and county authorities today still were without definite clues as to the iden tity of the murderer of Miss Zera; Schneider. 19 year old telephone sup, ervisor, found early Sunday morning apparently choked to death on the porch of an unoccupied dwelling. Arrival of bloodhounds from Man- chester, O., was awaited this morn ing. The ground surrounding the dwell ing, which was in one of the city best residential sections, gave ev dence, according to the officers, that a terriffic strugle had taken place. RAIL STRIKE FIZZLING OUT IN CHICAGO Chicago, April 26.—Developement in the strike of insurgent railroad work- ers in the Chicago district today were confined to issuance of statements by the railroad managers and_ strikers. The managers asserted 1,827 men were at work y and that freight traffic was mal. The strikers asserted the num- ber of men the railroads said were The authorities have not yet obtain-| at work was less than one-fifth the ed a description of the man with| normal number, that the indu8trial whom Miss Schneider is said to have| situation rapidly was growing worse been seen by friends about midnight | with a number of plants facing shut- Saturday. downs because of lack of coal, and Rea SE that because the railroads.could not Chinese University ” continue using high priced men as Shanghai, April 24.—An announce-| substitutes switchmen a compromise ment received from Canton early inj would be forced sooner or later. Mareh is to the effect that the ad-! Elsewhere in the central’ and far ministrative councif of Canton has|west a gradual return to normal chcsen Shanghai as the location of} freight movements was reported. the southw mn university, the; —— aaa DENTISTS TO MEET Grand Forks, D., April 26.--The building of which has been under con- ; sideration for months at the southern capital. It is stated that $400,009) North Dakota State Dental associa is being provided for the erection | tion will hold its fifteenth annual of the new school. meeting at the Grand Forks auditor- ere = ium Tuesday and Wednesday, May 11 MEETS TUESDAY | and 12. This meeting will be followed The Mothers Club will meet tomor-' from May 13 to 19, by the second an row with Mrs. Dr. Schutt at 803-5t'; nual meet of the North Dakota Post St. Graduate association. AR $500,000 AUTO THERTS SOLVED THRU MURDER Truck Loads of Art Goods Un- ‘- covered by Use of Card Index ‘WORE LARIMER’S CLOTHES James Used Electric Light In- *“gpector’s Card to Gain Entrance ' , Chicago, April. 26.—Police today in- vestigated an extensive card index system found in Harry J. James’ auto- mobile repair shop after he had been killed in a fight with policemen. They said they believed robberies totalling $500,000 would be revealed and that more than $100,000, worth ‘of loot al- ready had been recovered. The index contained lists of places robbed, goods obtained, of stolen articles sold to pawnsnops, of pur- chases made, and various pawnbrok- ers,and of valuables taken in the course of highway robberies. James was arrested last night as a detective saw him emerge from an opening between two buildings. As the officers attempted to search James at a police station, he whipped out a heavy automatic pfstol and began shooting. He madé his way from the station and a dozen policeman joined the flight before James fell with a bullet through his head. Seven hundred robberies whose loot is belfeved to total more than $500,000, were cleared today when police ex- amined the effects of Harry J. James “silk hat burglar’ who was killed last night after shooting up the town hall police ‘station, woutlding two patrol- men. t Truck Loads of Art Work. In James’ private: warehouse where truck loads of rare‘art work oriental rugs, jewels, typewriters, adding ma- chines and dozens of other articles were found, police uncovered a card index in which the 700 robberies were listed with the loot obtained. _ Another section of the card file list- ed, “prospécts”” ande wealth ‘of data about each indicated that James had used an électric light inspector's eard found in his pocket to gain entry, to the houses. List of Cars. A third file listed “gold coast” auto- mobile with descriptions, license num- ber. owner's name, and “fair” “good” or “swell” to indicate the valuation. Police also found pledges listing loot*sold with the price obtained and a list of, pawnbrokers with the price of goods each preferred to buy. When James was killed he was found to be wearing a suit belonging to former United States Senator Wil- ! liam Lorimer. The suit was one of 40 stolen from a tailor shop. [WEATHER REPORT | For Twenty-four hours ending at noon April 26, 1920, Lowest last night. 19 Precipitation..... (None Highest wind velocity. 22-NW Forecast ‘For ‘North Dakota: Generally fair tonight and Tuesday; warmer tonight OTERS KICKED BY JAMES HENLE, N, E. A. Staff Correspondent. New .York, April 26.—Charles E. Hughes may not have assayed 100 per in 1916, but as a lawyer, and as a money-g@tter, in the legal doesn't seem he has any serious com- petitors. w Friends of the former Republican candidate say’ that fis income is $1,- 000,000 a year. If he really makes that $1,000,000 Hughes is making more out of strictly legal work than’ any MURDERERS Temperature at 7 a. m. + 23 Highest yesterday we BB Lowest vesterday..... 33] cent;as a presidential candidate back | field, it | other lawyer in this country. | Hughes’ present income is in strik- SAN FRANCISCO _IS| AGAINST JAYWALKS | Trying to Prevent Swarming Crowds Crossing Streets ‘San Francisco, April 26.—"Jay- walkiy is under the ban in Francisco and Boy Scouts are a ing the police in a campaign to pre- vent pedestriar from swarming across the : in unregu- lated crowds walking is held to: be particularly dangerous on Mar- ket street, on which there are four ‘sets of surface street car tracks. BABY DAUGHTER SOLE SURVIVOR OF WOLF CRIME Little Eight Months’ Old Infant Receiving Sympathy of All Little eight months’ old Emma Wolf. the only persoh who escaped the murderers who killed the infant’s father. mother and five sisters, as well as a 13 year old chore boy, near Turtle Lake. is today recovering from her enforced two-day starvation and expos- ure to the bitter cold in an unheated room with the window open. Although sympathy for the dead people is keenly felt by neighbors, it ) is the little baby, suffering from a very severe cold, that occupies most of the interest in the grief sricken commun- ity. Everything possible is being done to protect the child from any effects of the terrible ordeal through which the infant was forced,.to pass. Cared for by the Mey mate friends of the dead nearest. neighbor, little Emma_cooed and bravely attempted to overcome the bad effects of her cold while a score of neighboring farmers’ wiyes crowded ‘into the small sitting room in the Wolf home Sunday. The little { cradle in which the baby possibly slept | iwhile her mother, father and: sisters were being, so. cruelly murdered, still remained in the bed.room. While -the group, talked. in: hush tones of the terrible crime, the-haby’s big black eyeS smiled a weléome. to the many strange faces, while’ in the kitchen adjoining the sitting room the floor was still soaked with blood) and in the cellar \underneath the kitchen the brutally mutilated bodies. of; her mother and three sisters were piled in a tangled mass, blood still dripping from the f ul wounds, by i The baby is being well cared for. It owner of the farm valued at 30,000 and free from encumber- But litle Emma’s future life will be a sad one, the neighbors fear. ‘COALTRUST CASE WON BY GOVERNMENT Washington, April 26.—The federal government today won its anti-trust suit against the Reading company and affiliated coal companies in one of the so called anthracite coal cases. By a vote of four to three, the su- preme court sustained the govern- | ment’s charges that the companies vio- and east portion Tuesday. lated the “commodities clause” of the Lowest Temperatures interstate commerce act and ordered Fargo 26 | the dissolution.of the companies. Williston + 22 The Reading and Central of New Grand Forks 25| Jersey railroads, the court decided St. Paul ... 36! must dispose of stock ownership re- Winnipeg . 22 | spectiv of the Philadelphia and Helena .... . 321 Reading Coal and Iron company, the ORRIS w. ROBERTS! Lehigh and Wilkesbarre Coal com- Meteorologist | pany. | HUGHES INTO REAL COIN JOB} HE MAKES PALTRY | MILLION A YEAR ing contrast to what he received as a justige of the U. S. Supreme Court. | That’ position pays $14,500 a year. When Hugh s was defeated for the: ome said he made a mis-: take’ in resigning from the Supreme; Court in order to run, But did he? | : What reallv happened in November. | 1816, was that the voters of. this! country—and particularly the voters | of California—-kicked Hughes upstairs | into a position paying about sixty | times what his former one had ee s Hughes? law office on low- | y that attorneys say he! has enough work on hand and offered i him to keep him busy for the next! hundred years. 1 He'll be very lucky if he gets to| finish it, He was 58 years old on April 11. GUN FOUND IN SLOUGH GIVES FIRST CLUE OF HEINOUS CRINE COMMITTED AT TURTLE LAKE Eight Killed in Wholesale Murder on North Da- kota Farm. Motive Baffles Authorities. In- quest and Investigation Held Sunday. Bodies in Cellar Present Most Gruesome Sight. Jacob Wolf Worth $30,000 ‘and Kept Money in Safe on Farm, but Robbery Does Not Seem to Have Been Motive FAMISHED BABY OF EIGHT MONTHS SAVED THOSE SLAIN Jacob Wolf and His Wife; Their Five Daughters, Bertha, aged 13; Edna, 8; Mary, 10; Lydia, 5; and Martha, 4; and Jake Hofer, 13 years old, (By Staff Correspondent) Turtle Lake, N. D., April 26.—Bloodhounds from the state pen- itentiary today are tracking the wide prairies xround Turtle Lake in hopes of picking up the trail of the murderers who last Thurs- day with shot gun fire and hatchet horribly murdered Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Wolf, their five young daughters, and Jake Hofer, the 13-year-old hired boy. A NO SOLUTION OF CRIME The murders, the most revolting and mysterious that have ever been perpetrated in the northwest, still remain unsolved. Be- cause the eight dead bodies were not discovered until after Satur- day noon, 48 hours after the crimes were committed, the authori- ties are presented with many obstacles difficult to surmount. Every person within a radius of 25 miles to the Wolf farm, who might be directly or indirectly implicated in the murders are be- ing interrogated by the authorities. : NOT OPTIMISTIC The authorities are not very: outimistic of successful develop- ments through the, use of bloodhounds because of the large num- farm yard and because the trails are almost four days old. Rains since last Thursday, weakening the scent, also contributes to the difficulties of tracking the murderous fiends. with bloodhounds. Every effort is being made to locate the owner of the double barreled shotgun found in,a shallow slough one mile from the Wolf farm. The authorities are of the opinion that it was thus gun which fired at close range so terribly mangled the heads and bod- iés of the eight victims that died of gun shot wounds. The gun is only slightly rusted which leads the authorities to believe that it had been in the water but a short time. All but two of the victims-died from a shotgun fired from be- hind at very close range, one was shot from the front and the oth- er was killed by a smashing blow from a katchet. All of the deaths were instantaneous, the inquest held Sunday. The verdict of the coroner’s jury was violent death at the hands of unknown parties. SHOT IN BACK se Jacob Wolf, 41, father of the unfortunate family, was shot through the back from long range and died of a second wound also inflicted with a shotgun, but fired at such close range that the shot tore three ribs from the spine and produced a horrible open- ing in the side several inches in diameter. Mrs. Wolf, 35, was shot in the back at close range, the shot in- flicting a large hole. This was the only wound on Mrs. Wolf’s body. Bertha, 13, was shot in the face at very close range, the en- tire face being blown in. The murderers, it is beljeved, then buried the hatchet across the mangled face, nearly severing the head. HIT IN HEAD Maria, 10, was shot in the back of the head behind the left ear, the skin and hair being burned by the powder charge. Edna, 8, was shot in the back of the head at close range, the shot tearing a huge gash across the head. Lydia, 6, was shot back of the left ear, and the base of the skull deeply cut by a strong blow with the hatchet. Martha, 3, died from a smashifig blow with the broad side of the hatchet blade, the frontal bone being pushed deeply into the brain. She,was the only one not killed by shotgun fire. Jake Hofer, 13, the hired hand, shot through the back of the neck and wind pipe and throat being severed and the jugular vein probably shot away. FOLLOWING CLUES A number of investigations resulting from clues discovered in the continuous’ examination of the farm house, cow shed, other buildings and farm yard, have been conducted by the authorities, | but in every instance they failed to materialize into anything defi- ' nite. Scores of persons have been interrogated in hopes of estab- | lishing the identity: of the murderers, but to no avail. | The motive for the crimes has not been clearly established. A quarrel between the-members of the dead family and the mur- | derers over personal affairs has been seriously considered, but be- | cause of the universal esteem and respect in which the Wolf fam- lily was held by the neighbors, nothing tangible has been discov- lered to sustain this theory. : | If robbery had been the motive,‘and these seems to be no com- | pelling influence to regard this the real reason for the revolt- |ing crimes, the murderers fled without removing a single article or attempting to open the safe in the bed room. The safe, it was rumored around the countryside, always contained a large sum of money. It is small and light enough for two men to remove it, yet it was not touched, the authorities believe. | SUICIDE THEORY NOT APPARENT The theory that Mr. Wolf had first murdered the family and hired boy and then killed himself was given serious consideration, but after the examination of the dead man’s body, it was seen this was impossible. Mr. Wolf died from_a huge gunshot wound in his side. Death was instantaneous. No gun or shell was found in the cow shed where the father and two small children were found. It was, impossible for Mr. Wolf to kill himself with! shot gun fire and remove the gun before death. (Continued on Page Seven) ber of people’ that-has trampec-around the farm: house, barns and~