The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1899-03-10
Smith sent for the village marshal Co

Smith sent for the village marshal CO.
wan.
Cowan found Bates lying in the ditch,
with his feet on the sidewalk and with
the assistance of Mr.. Hansen, got Bates
into rig and brought him over to Penn
bina and put him on the floor in his own
house near the court house. He then
went to City Marshal Moorhead and told
him Bates had been in row with Smith
and that Moorhead had better look after
him. Marshal Moorhead dressed, went
to the house, found Bates on the floor
with his coat under his head, some bruis-
es and dried blood on his face and snor-
ing. The marshal who had similar ex-
perience previously with Bates, con-
cluded that he was sleeping off drunk
and came home. Mrs. Bates who was
up stairs, fearing trouble, did not come
down until quite late in the morning
when she found her husband dead.
Further investigation by county Off
Gals was Immediately began, and the
coroner, DR.. Erskine and States Attorney
Burke were telegraphed for. A pre-
liminary examination of the corpse show
ed badly bruised face, blackened eye
and large jagged cut or hole near the
temple, which latter was doubtless the
cause of the death. At the place where
Bates was found lying in St. Vincent a
pool of clotted blood stained the snow
and ice.
Two eye witnesses, of at least part of
the assault, were found in the persons of
two daughters of c. Thedorf who keeps
the hotel near. The ladies were in the
upstairs bedroom preparing to retire
when they heard noise of someone
pounding at the door of the saloon.
They saw from the window a single man
coming as from the door of Smiths sa-
loon, come out and strike or push Bates,
who fell and lay as though dead, and
they were so alarmed that they reported
the same to Mr.. Hanson who was in the
house. They heard Bates say something
like the following: Give me my hat,
you got my money to-day" The ladies
were about one hundred feet distant
frem the men, too far to identify any,
body, but heard the voices. They say
they saw only one man besides Bates at
the time OF the assault.
The above is practically all that is
known at present writing, though there
are hundred stories, rumors and theor-
les. AS the matter will be thoroughly
siited in court we do not care to give this
more than the bare details at this time.
MIR. Smith was arrested yesterday on
warrant sworn out by County Commits
soner F. c. Myrick and was taken to
Hallock by Deputy Sheriff w. F. Kelso,
who came down to St. Vincent to attend
to the affair. The district court with
grand jury is in session at this time at
Hallock and it is probable the case will
be passed upon by the grand jury inn
nlediately.
Coroner DR.. M. M. Lockwood of Kilt
son cou y is in the city and will attend
the inq.;st by DR.. Erskine, coroner of
this Getty. DR.: Erskine and States
Attorney Burke arrived in the city yes
terday afternoon and Immediately inn
pannelled jury consisting Of James
Page of Hamilton, Thos. w. Brown an, /
]. E. Ashley of Pembina ....
George II. Bates, the deceased was a
heavy set man age,.> about 50 wears. He
leaves n wife and two grown daughters
in this city and one son, who resides
in Grand Forks, who are much re-
spected by our citizens and who have
the sympathy Of the community.
MIR. Bates was naturally a bright man
and but for his unfortunate habits would
have been a prominent man in the COM
munity. In past years he had occupied
responsible positions and been we'll off
pecuniarily. He was for some..years
customs officer at St. Vincent.
John Smith, the saloon keeper, over
whom hangs SO dark a cloud, has all ex-
cellent family, consisting of wife and
three children, one of the latter being
young man of about twenty-one years of
age.
AS we go to press the post mortem
being conducted by Drs. Harris and
Lockwood discloses the fact that the
skull of Mr.. Bates was fractured, and
that death was caused by the blow that
fractured the skull. This is an import.
ant point as Bates was heshy man with
some heart trouble and it was possible
that death had resulted from natural
causes.