Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-06-01
instance. The witness said he had
told falsehoods before the coroner's
jury In an endeavor to shield his son.
(From fridays Daily,

and testified that Gus Stark had been
killed by his sol Ira. He detailed the
facts in connection with the ease de-
~liberately, telling how Ira had come
to him when he was on the way back
from the barn where he had been to
attend a sick animal and told him that
he Qra) had killed Stark. He also
told of the removal of the body to the
mine, and their subsequent conversa-
lions, and the final agreement to cover
up the matter, he having agreed to it
for Ira's sake, after the two had had
a few drinks and Ira had urged him.
This morning4the son took the stand
and swore that Stark had been killed
by the father. 1t was a pitiful pair
of recitals. father and son on the wit
ness stand against each other, each
testifying to the guilt of the other,
and agreeing only on the point that
after the crime had been committed
they agreed to make an attempt to
cover it up. The old man said he
had agreed to help cover it up for the
sake of his son. The son said he had
agreed to help cover it up for the sake
of his father and the sum Of $50 which
his father had given him after the
crime, on the morning the two came
to Bismarck.
The case rested in the case this
morning and Ira O. Jenkins, the de-
PENDANT in the case, was the first wit
ness for the defense. He was sworn
and testified regarding the manner of
the murder. In his preliminary tes-
timony he admitted having been at
Wilton on the day that Stark was
killed and slightly intoxicated but
stated that he had made no threats
against Stark as testified to by the
witness Ward Biles. Neither did he
tell Biles that he was coming to Bis
marck to get $500 worth of tools he
had there. On the day that he and
Stark were at Wilton they arrived
home at about dusk. He did not re-
member the exact time. He and
Stark put the team away and went to
the house. No supper had been pre-
pared as the father lay on the bed.
He had been drunk all winter, and
said that he vas not feeling we'll
enough to get supper. They had no
supper that night. When told to tell
the manner in which Stark came to
his death he said that the three, he,
his father and. Stark, had put in the
evening drinking hot WHISTLES. They
ran out of water in the course of the
evening and he took the pail and went
to the spring to get a pailful. When
he came back his father had Stark on
the floor on his back, his arms
stretched out, choking him. When he
saw this he rushed to his father and
tore his hands from Stark's throat.
Stark gave one long gasp and wa still.
Blood gushed from his mouth. His
father then tried to put the body of
Stark on his shoulder and carry it out
but was unable to do so. He then
dragged the body to an arm chair,
lifted it partially on that and made
another effort but it was futile. He
then dropped the body and sat on the
bed for a time, arising after a time
and going to the bureau where he got
a revolver He sat on the bed again
and then cooked the revolver and fired
a shot into Slark's face. After this
his father made a step or two toward
him Qra) with the revolver and he
(Ira) grabbed the revolver. In the
scuffle the weapon was discharged and
a bullet went into the floor. Ira then
placed the revolver in his pocket.
They then had a talk about the killing
OF Stark. His father said he didn't
know what was best to do and he
Qra) suggested that it would be best
for his father to go to town and give
himself up. He might get into trouble.
His father said they would not get
into trouble over killing Stark. That
this wasn't his first one. There was
another man up here in a hole
Tney had a few more drinks and his
father wanted him to help take the
body to the mine. He refused at first
but finally consented. They dragged
the body for they could not carry it.
In the morning his father got up first
and went out to the sleeping shanty.
He came back and said they must go
to Bismarck that day. They would
go to town, come back Sunday, find
the body Of Stark and report that it
had been found at the mine. His
father gave him $50 to keep his mouth
shut, and the two came back and re-
ported the discovery of the body, &C.
cording to program. He denied that
he. had stated to his father that he
had killed Stark, as related in the tes-
timony of the father. He had gone to
the mine. with his father Marcn IL or
Ii at the earliest solicitation Of his
father who brought his housekeeper to
town and asked his son to come with