Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1901-08-01
Jury Secured and Evidence Being
Taken in Famous Murder
Case.
Barry and Mellem Fought Fifteen
Z Minutes Before latter's
Death.
Claimed That There is q Strong
Strain of Insanity in
Barry's Family.

Langdon, N. D., July 26.-The trial
OF William Barry for murder opened
yesterday morning. The twelfth
juror was secured Wednesday. lit took
eight days Of hard work to get a jury.
The sheriff subpoenaed over eighty
men before securing panel.
The feature of the morning session
was States Attorney Dickinson's vivid
portrayal of the crime and the Cir
cumstances connected with the mur-
der Of Mellen by Barry. To refute
the idea Of partial insanity and show
that Barry's act was one of vengeance,
he spoke of his mental control before
and following the killing.
Justice Norgaurd was the first wit
ness the state called. Barry gave
himself into the custody Of Norgaurd
an hour after having killed Mellen.
The witness related how Barry hand
ed him the knife, stating that Mellen
died within two minutes after he
struck the blow. When Norguard
reached Barry's farm the body of Mel
len was still warm and was lying in a
pool of blood.
Langdon, N. D., July 27-H. T. Hell
gerson, merchant and undertaken at
Milton, was called to the stand. He
heard part Of the confession made to
'Norgaard, and to him Barry told the
motive for the crime. Three years
ago, Mellen he said, had seduced his
sister under promise Of marriage,
which he would not fulfill. Unlawful
intimacy was matter of frequent
occurrence, until the sister, believing
she was enciente, became demented.
ron hearing this Barry became en-
ragged and before his temper got time
to cool, he committed the deed, which
he said he regretted, but could not
help it. The attempt was made to
show that the witness had business
difficulties with Barry that rendered
to make him active in the prosecution.
All the alleged differences were denied
by the witness, who testified in care
full deliberate manner. He stated that
he had cautioned Barry, when telling
of what he had done, not to say too
much. The defense tried to lead the
witness to testify to sending articles
to state papers about the Barry case.
Helgerson's answers to Attorney
Bangs were sharp, showing i'll temper
at the insinuations in the questioning.
T.J. Reilly, the Barry family doctor
Of Milton, testified to seeing the body
Of Mellen when life was extinct. The
body was still warm and was laying in
a pool Of frozen blood. Later he as
sisted Coroner Semple in post NOR
TEN examination, and stated that the
wound was necessarily mortal. The
clothes worn by Mellen and the blood
stained rope found twined around the
victims body and neck were brought
into court, making gruesome specta-
Gle. He testified to the clothing be-
ing partly undone and the suspenders
unbottoned when the body was exam
ined, indicating that the deceased was
in an unprepared attitude when at
tackled by Barry. The defense did
not cross-examine the witness, and
may put him on the stand later in
behalf of Barry.
Coroner James Semple was called to
hold the inquest. He brought the
body to Milton for the inquest and
post mortem. He describes Mellen
as man of medium size and about
35 years old. The postmortem showed
Mellen's condition physically as nor
NAL, death resulting from the blow on
the neck.
Langdon, N. D., July 30.-With Les
lie Mccullough on the witness stand
it was yesterday first made public
that the struggle that ended in the
death of Mellem and the trial of
Barry for murder, lasted fifteen min
utes before Mellem was killed.
Barry told at the time that he had
done the deed because of Mellem'S
assault on his sister and his continued
immoral attention that had brought
upon her condition Of melancholy,
and that for three weeks had almost
crazed him. He confession on the
evening before the murder, and later
her disappearance, being out all night,
was too much; he could control him.
self no longer and 50 killed Mellem.