River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-07-24
KILLING THE WARDS.
Recapitulation of the CaSe-An Indicted
Man Turns States Evidence Sensation
al Testimony


for which twelve men are to be tried for their
lives, one after another, is sad one. The
trial will best be understood by rehearsing
some facts which are undisputed. Charles
Ward, aged twenty five, and Frederick Ward.
aged thirty, sons of DR.. L. 7. Ward, of ]. v.
Farwell& Co, Chicago, were in April, 1888,
managers Of the TOWNSHIP of Bartlett, Oak,
and had a few days before their death built a
shack on valuable claim between
Devils Lake and Creel City, on which
one John Bell. hveryman in Devils
Lake, formerly of St Paul, also had
shack. The night OF April % they, with one
Elliott, occupied the shack, and were attacked
by night party. The Wards were ordered
OF. They refused. The shack was ridded
with bullets and Fred was shot down inside,
Elliott and Charley Ward ran ont Charley fall
ing with several mortal wounds. Elliott was
permitted to escape after severe beating.
Fred was dragged out and the shack rified.
Their bodies were found exposed on the prai-
RE the next morning The father Of the boys
was within the bar when the case was called
He and Col Harrington, whose son is de-
PENDANT, have both silver locks. The counsel
were all present but Col Ball, who was called
to St Paul The jury was not complete,
and on motion of Deputy District Attorney
Pratt, the case went over to Thursday morn
ing at o'clock. The defense were ready to
90 to trial with Uline The counsel have de-
clded TO try b. w. Lair of Devils Lake, first
His special counsel is Hon. A. r. Ward of
Cynthiana, Ky, who has been here for nearly
month.
Grand Forks. Special SAYS A not unexpected
sensation in the trial of Lair was the testim1 ny
of Dick Turpin, one of the defendants, who
turned states evidence. After finding the
Wards bodies, it was proved Fred was near
his shack lying on his back with hands clenched
and feet drawn up, and Charley near Bells
shack, about forty rods away lying on his face
aud shot in his back Dick TuEpin was pro-
duced and the indictments were both dismissed
against him, and he testified in substance that
on the night in question Uline gave him shot
gun, Harrington got the team, and they all
drove down to Leopold's and got him, with
the determination OF putting the
Bell Lair had a rifle at Wards shack. Bell
called Ward out Fred came to the door. Bell
pulled him ont and struck him. They scufiled
around. Turpin saw Fred draw his revolver
and then Turpin shot Fred, who ran away to
the shack, leaned against it and fell dow.
The rest opened fire on the shack Charley
cried out: 81 give up" He and Elliott then
ran out, and some of them followed Elliott
Charley ran by him within two yards, and to-
ward Bells shack When he got near them
Lair, who was q yard away from Turpin, got
down on his knee, took aim and shot Charley
down. Ledford cried to him TO shoot Elliott,
who was running away On cross examina-
ton he admitted signing statement In Noyes'
Office, denying having a gun or being with
in fifty yards of the shack. He
was told that would save him
The rest had done the same, under the promise
they were to have bail and not hair of their
heads should be harmed. No promise or
threats had been offered, he said, for this state
ment, but as about six others proposed to make
clean breast of it, he thought it would be bet
ter to tell the truth than to lie.
The testimony of Elliott corroborated Turpin
III the main. The additional light it gave was
that he had been engaged by Fred Ward to
move the shack from Charley's claim to Fred's
the same which Bell claimed. They gotthrough
about o'clock the night of the tragedy Bell
had been there that evening. Mr. Irwin tried
to get out what TRANSFERRED at that interview
1t was ruled out, however This wit
ness testified that both the Ward
boys had revolvers Charley's having anivory
handle. When Bell came up they were all in
bed There was a loaded shotgun in tho cor
ner, which Charley took and put on the bed,
where he last saw it. Fred went to the door,
having his hand on his revolver. Some words
passed Bell pulled Fred out and they passed
from the door around the shack. There was
noise of pounding against the shack, Charley
ran to the door and fired five shots with his re-
volver. Retreating behind the door he heard
Fred say 81 am shot" When Charley had
shot they opened fire on the shack He lay
down on the floor. Charley closed the door
and called out, 81 give up" About sixteen
shots were fired through the shack. He was
caught and beaten but let go. Did not know
any of them.
The evidence of the coronor's inquest was
offered and Gov. Bates objected Lair ap-
peared at the inquest and admitte he was at
the fracas and heard shots fired. In the argu-
ment in the morning during the recital of Iur
pin DR. Ward was deeply moved and sat bowed
with his face covered by his hands. Col. Far
rington was also greatly touched. The defend
ant became deeply serious 1t is said other
prisoners viii make statement similar to Tur-
pins
Grand Forks Special says; The event of the
day in the Lair trial was the opening for the de-
Tense by Erwin, which was a mastery review
of the evidence addueed and the claim of the
defense that their clients were there in pur-
suance of their rights, and We're assaulted by
the Ward boys, who moved on Bells claim
armed and prepared to takei by violence. The
effort consumed an hour and a half, and was
listened to by packed house. 1t made an in
cisive impression on the jury. The testimony
for the territory consisted of DR.. Lanes
evidence on the nature of the wound causing
Charlie Wards death
AS already intimated, the defense will be the
justification. No attempt will be made to de-
ny the presence of any of the parties. 1t will
Jumpers, and this claim was apparently valu-
able as prospective Manitoba depot, that Bell
lived on it eight months aud was only tempo
rarily OFF, that the Ward shack had been
moved off before and the boys moved on it
that night armed, and with threats to make it
hot for any party that would attempt to move
them
Grand Forks Speciol 1lth:-The defense put
John w. Bell, one OF the defendants, on the
stand, to prove his actual possession Of the
premises in question. He was permitted to
tell that he occupied the house the Sunday
named, but not to go into the question of title
Nearly two hours were spent in argument up
on this question by Davis, Erwin, Van Amman
and Ball. The court ruled all out pertaining
to the question of claim of right as the de-
with Charles Ward about o'clock of the
night they brought on the shack, in
which he told him to leave He then went 10
Farrngton's shack and Uline's, and gathered
the party TO go and carry off the shack from his
claim He did not see any gun or pistol ~ the
crowd. They got to the Wards shack after L
p m. He was told by Uline to do the talking
The rest were scattered around twelve feet
from the shack. He went to the door, raped,
called and told them he was prepared to move
the shack, and they should come out The door
opened and Fred stepped out, with his right
hand on pistol
"He struck me with his left hand, - said Bell,
''and | warded the blow and advanced on him.
against it, to the window. Five shots were
fired out of the door in about two or three
minutes, and the flashes were toward me. We
got around on the other side of the shack.
There was command to scatter out and shoot
in the shack. There were several shots fired.
Then Fred fell down i'll front of me with his
hands near me. After he said, My God I'm
shotn he never spoke nor moved"
Bells further description was of Elliott
pleading for life and Uline's saying, eDon't
kill this man" On cross examination Col Ball
subjected him to a severe test, and confronted
him with his statement before the coroner,
which were different He varied some, and
admitted some were false
The defendants excepted to the land
title controversy being ruled out, on
the ground that it was public domain unen-
closed, unsuryeyed and subject to peaceable
occupation by any one choosing to do so, as
long as he did not Interfere with the improve
ments of others, and that the question of tres
pass did not arise in the case. The evidence
for the defense was abridged greatly. The at
torneys, however, have adroitly argued these
questions in the hearing of the jury, and the
effect of their speeches is apparent, though
the evidence was excluded
The defense is all in the Ward case, ard the
rebuttal ON both sides closed the 18th. Counsel
for the defense Is preparing requests for in
structions to the jury, which Will be argued
The prosecution will give no instructions, but
viii reply 10 the requests, and have asked an
early copy The evidence in the forenoon was
mainly given by the codefendants, Carpenter,
McQueeny and Cole Huge McFadden testified
to a conversation a month before the murder
with Charles Ward at Bartlett where Charles
said that if he had been there when Creels
party moved the Ward shanty off the Bell
claim he would have shot the stufhng out of
them - and he was sOoiuG f0 move the shaDty