Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-02-02
THE TROMER CASE.
Happy Sequel to a Gruesome Tragedy
Down in LaMoure
County.
Marriage of Mrs. Tromer, Whose Illus.
band Was Killed by Villlers,
Now in the Pen.

A LaMoure special says: The story of
one of the most terrible tragedies ever
recorded Is brought to mind by the an
nouncement of the marriage in this city
on January % of Mrs. Pauline Tromer to
August Dibbern, both of Griswold, this
county.
In the fall of 81 August Tromer mys-
teriously disappeared from his home in
the northwestern part of LaMoure
county and all efforts of his wife to dis
cover his whereabouts were fruitless. A
few weeks after his disappearance the
details of the attempted murder of his
wife sent a thrill of horror over the north
west. On the night of Now 6, 1894, Mar
tin j. Villers, a neighbor and professed
friend of the Tromers, called at the house
and induced Mrs. Tromer to accompany
him to the stable. There he seized a
heavy club, beat her into insensibility
and then cast her mangled and supposed
ly lifeless body into a we'll in the stable,
sixty feet in depth. The story of her
miraculous escape from what was intend
ed as a doubly certain doom is almost
past belief.
Not long after Mrs. Tromer left tho
house with Villers her eldest daughter, a
little girl of about 10 years of age, took Il
lamp and went to the stable, where she
searched for and called in vain to her
mother. Returning to the house she
noticed that the barn was in flames. AT
ter having been in the we'll for a half
hour OF more Mrs. Tromcr rcgained con-
seriousness, climbed the rope from which
the bucket was suspended, and crawlcd
to the house III her hands and knees,
where her feeble scratching 1T the door
attracted the attention of her children.
Fearing that Villers would return in the
night with the purpose of numbering the
children, Mrs. Tromcr directed them to
drop some bed clothing into the cellar,
where the family descended and lay in
mortal terror until the following morn.
ing. At noon tho next day the story OF
the atrocious crime was told the neigh.
bors: Villers was arrested at Valley City,
tried in LaMoure, convicted and scntcnc.
ed to a term of nine and one-half years
in the state penitcntiary.
Meanwhile nothing was learned of the
whereabouts of the missing Tromer, fol
reasons that have since become obvious
In the fall of 1898 Il Stutsman count,
farmer whose land lay between the
homes Of Villers and Tromcr, while pillow
ing his field found beneath the cinders O
IA burned strawstack the skeleton of
man, together with a pocketknife, hand
kerchief and some wearing apparel. TIL
belief that the remains of Tromcr hat
been discovered was confirmed by tn
positive Identification by Mrs: Tromer 0
the knife and articles of clothing. Vii
lers was formally charged with the hiill
der OF Tromer, taken from prison an,
tried at jamestown. A plausible motiv
for the crime-the requirement by Vii
lers of Troiller's property-was fully es
tablished, a conviction followed and Vii
lers was sentenced to life imprisonment
Mrs. Tromer was left wholly withou
means of support, her health was shat
tered and her children were taken from
her. The happy sequel of a tragedy 81
dark and gruesome is told in the opening
paragraph.