The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1900-05-04
ve cents worth of.lcohol d si u, rad

Alter arriving Il home the two brcslrs
ess, Thifeault. w4nt visiting Il D. Mon
cites, their brother.in.law. about ! mile
away. Lecuyer took his rig and went to
Peter Hogan's for some feed and pota-
toes and on other business. En-
The particulars ofthe quarrel between
Houle and his wife are somewhat hazy
and conflicting. But after the men had
gone the quarrel began in The house.
The youngest daughter. Josephine, was
present and stated that the father first
broke his watch. That he began scold-
ing at the wife in somewhat incoheren,
manner. Houle says he asked for some
thing to eat and the wife began to scol,
him for being drunk, and then attacked
him with a piece Of stove wood, piece
ofpoplar pole. The daughter says Houle
first took the stovesw and attacked
the mother himself, and then went out
and got an axe. This axe the daughter,
VINO is large and strong, took from the
old man, but there are cuts on Mrs.
Houle's fingers and face that would go
to show that she was also in this part Of,
the fight. The battle was then trans.
fered to the shed lean-to, where Mrs.
Houle was knocked or thrown to. her
knees; then rising, she started to run gu,
doors, Houle overtaking her about ten
feet from the door and striking her to
the earth again, this time with another
Club about seven feet long, poplar pole
about two inches in diameter, with
several nails sticking up out of it. as
though it had been used as post and
boards nailed to It.
Here the married daughter came and
running up demanded of Houle "what
ne was doing3" was he going to kill her
motherl" he answered eyes. l will kill
all of you" and then struck the daughter
once on the head and once on the hand
from the effects of which large swellings
were to be seen the next day. The bruised
and frightened daughter then ran to her
own house and shut the door, as she said
she did not want to see Houle murder
her mother" The other daughter ran to
Monette's. her brother-in-law, tor help.
Meantime, the wounded and bleeding
victim. someway managed to rise and
get about twenty-five PAGES from the
house, probably on her hands and knees
where she fell again; and here as Houle
himself says. "she was suffering SO much
that l thought l would finish her!" and
the appearances are that he certainly left
no room for doubt, as the cuts, bruises
and indentations in the skull were horri-
Die. The extent of the injuries may be
judged when DR.. Erskine in the presence
OF the jury inserted his thumb and finger
into one wound behind the right ear and
without effort plucked out two pieces of
the skull, each of which would measure
two to three square inches. +
Some of tine wounds looked as If done
with a sharp instrument. as by an axe or
a knife, but the crushing Of. the skull by,
the club was so complete, that whether
any other weapon was used or not, made
little difference as to the results.
Houle makes no denial of the matter.
and seemed willing to explain to some
extent as to how the murder was done.
In looking at the pool of blood near the
door, there being doubt as to how it
came there. he voluntarily explained that
was where heicaught her first as she ran
from the house.
His only excusesis, as i've sadly that
Lecuyer urged him to do it, SO as to
get the farm. Houle made no attempt
to get away. About the. first man to ar
rive after the trouble was Mr.. John F.
Miller, who met Houle near the house
and asked him, "Mhat is this. you have
done, 'Doda?' " using his common nick
name. Gle try to kill me tand akill
him." was the answer, meaning the
woman, but mixing the1 genders as is
common with the French that speak inn
perfect English. The woman lay where
he had finished" her, her chair matted
with blood partly concealing her face.
Other neighbors arrived and.HouIe was
watched while word was sent to town.
To sonic Houle said, "Kill me too, L
want to be buried with her." Later
when getting dark Houle's hands were
tied with rope and he supmitted:with-
out resistance and patiently awaited the
deputy sheriff's arrival.
The prisoner and victim were each a.
bout 30 years ofage, and HouleIwas born
in this county near St. Joseph. Both
were of mixed blood. His tace,and head
betoken low order of intelligence and
few would think of him as murderer.
Heis on the contrary rather harmless
looking in appearance. His reputation
is that Of a man who is mot all there. {"
as the expression goes. He says,
"he did not intend to kill the woman
when the fight began but killed her after
wards because she suffered So" and that
to the reporter seems:a fair explanation
of the whole thine.