Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1897-06-11
FIRST TRIAL
STILL GOING.
Coudotte Case Has Not
Yet Beer Given to
The Jury.
Strong Testimony by
!. indians to Prove an
/ Alibf.
The Case Will Probably
Be Brought to an
En,1 This =: Week.
rs =. =
Not Sc Many in Town
as at Some Previous
Terms Of Court.
Ti,e MURDERS

As some who read the details Of the present
trials may not have seen the published accounts
of the murders brief resun1o of the history of
the crime may prove Of interest 10 them.
On Thursday, Feb. 18th, last, John H. Spicer
called at the residence of his brother Thomas.
who lived shout g mile and half north OF
Minoas W. In this ef9ntiy horrible sight met
Mrs Ellen Waldroni an aged woman, mother Of
snd about tss sEh
teen months oldS were cold in death. Repre-
g, ssn. ;.tiyes of5four Generations had perisbed.
although his l.0dy was not found until a short
time afterward. - :
MI. John spicer went post-haste to winona
people were at the scene Of the tragedyf The
Sody Of dHar Mrs Ss was fSngd Inside the
found lying oh the floor In the room entered
by the only door 9red in winter; the body Of
Mrs, Rouse Was ,u,. lying y, OH the aoor near a
twins. In this room there were evidences Of q
| terrible struggle, showing that the poor young
mother had made desperate fight for her owl own
less babes. The body Of Mr.. spicer was I found @
in q sEed adjoining the stable, where It had
been dragged and partly covered by manure. A
of the house and stable, and the points therein
where the bodies were found.
"A feeling OF intense horror spread over the
over
state. Every member Of the murdered family
fsihs was 1t onct 3 maSs msnil
rest that no trouble or expense would be spared
IN discovering the assassins and bringing them
For several weeks no definite information
was obtained, and a number Of false cews were
followed only to be dropped. Two half-breeds
Frank B!ackhawle and Alec Coudotte. We're
agent, who asserted that the murders w We're nnt
the work OF indians. But the two men soon
afterward were taken to Bismarck as witnesses
WAS selling; liquor to Indians. The sheriff 8 8
this county lost no time When the two men
have since been in jsil. spls wnere tnes
Soon af.ervsrd, evidence was obtained con
n9sescting 9sstin PaSl Holy Track and Phillip Ireland
twenty, years old. with the murders. They were
arrested and placed IN tho reservation guard
house, and n the then soon began their series Of 'con
Biackhawee end Geudotte-h had @con,mitted TN TN
murders; that they (Panl and ,PhilIip1 had han
TO sad S the spes, house
altbreeds had, through their fear, obtaines
their % promise to keep quiet.
fepds was to the effect that they slone cam
mitted the murders. l55t =! =
Tnsn ,ss; quickly followed third .confession,
planned the murders; but that, for fear Ii
would take too much Of the proceeds of til,
robbery, they agreed 10 fOrestafl him, and tina
the ones who did the, foul deed were Alec Cou
dotte, Paul Holy Track, Phillip Ireland, and a.
Indian named George Defender. This wac th,
first confession in which Defender was connect
I'd with The crime and this last IS the story tha
they told In the agency Jail, that Holy TracL
told in the investigation by the justice OF til.
peace. and that both of them told in the distric
S SSuEt l at the be hbeginning Of the Coudotte trial
Ihey varied but little in their different recital
OF the last story, and, had at been committed L
memory, there could not taye been fewer oon
tradictions and variations. - :
These are the main facts connected with III.
murders, andtt was under these conditions thai
the cases came on for trial; the states attorney
and his assistant having elected to tfy the casei
Defender, Frank ,Blackhawk: =
Following Is . diagram Of the house and o
the stable on the spicsr homestead, where th.
murders took place: :"