Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1900-05-31
Death Penalty Imposed Upon Ira OIL
yer jenkins, Murderer of
AUGUST Stdrke.
Convicted After Having Sworn That
His Father Committed the
Murder.
Before Being Sentenced, jenkins De-
ClareS Himself Innocent of
the Killing of Starke.

At Bismarck Ira A. jenkins 2
years Of age was Saturday night
found guilty by the jury of the crime
of murder in the first degree and the
penalty fixed at death.
The case went to the jury at noon
and after being out for eight hours
they returned a verdict Of guilty and
fixed the death penalty.
| The condemned leaves a wife and
infant child. He has server term in
the penitentiary at Bismarck and
another at Waupun, Wis.
August Stark, the murdered man,
was Of good character, Industrious
and saving, and has brother at Ash
land, Wis.
| Monday Jenkins was sentenced to be
hanged Sept. II.
| Before sentence Of death was pre-
| nOunced on Ira O. Jenkins at Bis
| marck he stood with his head bowed
as though earnestly rejecting, and
then, after a preliminary stateme Mt
| to the court, said: "Before God.
stand here innocent Of the crime for
| which | have been found guilty. .
Then after a moment of silence he
said: II believe that is all Sen
tence was then pronounced.
At the murder trial of Ira Jenkins
| at Bismarck, James NJ. jenkins, the
father Of the accused, testified that
his son had killed Stark. The two
had come home from Wilton partially
intoxicated. In the course of the
evening he went out to see sick COW
on the place. On his retnrn he met
his son Ira. who said to him: "Well.
I've killed that S. of a b." re
ferring to Stark Witness asked his
son why he did it, and the boy had
answered.: ''Oh, he was getting too
d foxy around here Witness
further testified to finding the body Of
Stark dead, the carrying away of the
body by his son. and the rifling Of
Stark's trunk by Ira Jenkins. The
other details of the story were related
as in a previous instance. The wit
ness said he had told falsehoods before
the corOnerS jury in an endeavOr to
shield his son.
Ira O. Jenkins, the defendant, took
| the stand and testified regarding the
happenings on the evening of the
murder His father, he said, had been
| drunk all winter. and said that he was
not feeling well 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
whiskies. 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
! was 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 shot into Stark's face.
After this his father made step or
two toward him (Ira) with the re-
volver and he ura) grabbed the re-
volver. In the Scut1le the weapon was
discharged and bullet went into the
floor. Ira then placed the revolver
in his pocket. They then had a talk
about the killing of Stark. His IA
ther said he didn't know what was
best to do and he (Ira) 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 Kill
ling Stark. That "this wasn't his
first one. There was another man up
here in hole" They had few
more drinks and his father wanted
him to help take the body to the