The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-03
GOES up FOR LIFE
WEALTHY PIONEER OF SOUTH DA-
KOTA is FOUND GUILTY
OF MURDER
FLEEs, BUT Is E1TRADITED
The Story of the Crime Shows That
Poison and a Revolver Were
Used to Commit the
Deed.
Special to The Globe.

Special to The Globe.
SIOUX FALLS. S. D., Nov 3-The
doors of the Sioux Falls penitentiary will
soon close behind William H. Ward, a
wealthy pioneer resident of the Western
part of the state, who has just been
found guilty of one of the most bloody
crimes in the history of Western South
Dakota. Although Ward was convicted
OF murder in the first degree, the death
penalty was not imposed and he will
spend the remainder of his days in
prison.
He was found guilty of the murder of
Lee Shepherd, young man aged twenty
one years. A brother of the young man
named Kirkwood, aged fifteen, disap
peared at about the same time and Ward
is supposed to also have murdered him
and concealed the body. The mystery
surrounding the disappearance of the
boy will probably never be solved unless
Ward decides to make a clean breast Of
the whole affair
Ward has been prominent in the bust
ness affairs of the Black Hills, and his
arrest and subsequent conviction created
a decided sensa ton in that part of the
state. For some years a peculiar affec-
ton-eXisted between Ward and the miss
ing boys, whom he induced some months
previous to their disappearance to live
with him.
Lee Shepherd disappeared June 80 1901.
He was last seen in company with Ward
by several persons. Inquiries were nat
uraliy directed toward Ward, VINO felt
it incumbent upon him to explain He
told several parties that Lee had gone
for Harley, his brother, taking 1000 Of
his (Ward's) money with him He told
other parties that Lee had taken $1,000
He told still others that he and Lee were
counting this money in Wards house on
the night of June 30. when he (Ward)
fell over in a fit and did not regain con-
sciousness- Ilntil the next morning, when
the money and the young man were gone
At his trial, Ward produced a letter
purporting to be from Lee Shepherd.
written from Hot Springs, in which the
writer stated he was sick; that he had the
$1,000 which he had taken from Ward
find Harley his brother, and bring him
and the money both back. This letter
was proved to be forgery
The search for the remains of the two
boys was commenced on July IA. On the
18th several persons went to Wards home
and4told him they were looking for the
bodies of the missing boys. Ward told
them they could look in the house This
search was, superficial. The following
July is several persons went up the road
above the house, where two of them
crawled through the fence fifteen or
twenty feet from where the body OF Lee
Shepherd was afterwards found
Ward Runs Away.
Ward and a companion We're below
them in the garden talking. While Ward
wass conversing he discovered the two
men inside the fence He Immediately
ran back toward some brush and WAS
not seen again for some time At an
other time while the premises were be-
ing searched Ward stationed himself at a
point where he could observe all that was
going on. On the evening of July Is he
vas seen in grass plat near the head
OF a small ditch and on the 18th he fled
from the state and was not seen again
until apprehended in Wyoming and
brought back by officers
The evidence at Wards trial showed
that ditch had been dug across the
lower end of the garden three or four
years ago by Ward and a brother of the
missing boys During the last spring or
early summer Ward and Harley Shepherd
cut some brush near the ditch and left
it on the ground. That was about the
last week in May.
Afterwards the garden was ploughed
and planted. The last work done for
Ward by Harley Shepherd was the plant
ing OF this garden, some five or six
days after cutting the brush. the ditch at
that time being open it's entire length.
The search for the remains of the miss
ing boys was kept up for four or five
weeks, in fact, until August 49, On that
date searching party came upon a pile
OF brush in the drainage ditch
They dug down and discovered a hui
man body in an advanced stage of de-
composition The decomposition was too
great to permit of Identification by the
features, but from the hair. teeth and
garments it was proved to be the body
of Lee Shepherd. The Identification OF
the body was complete
The mother had said that the wrist
bands of the overshirt had been made
originally with d buttonhole in each side
of each band, for the use of sleave hold
erS, and she had sewed up one of the
buttonholes on each band and sewed a
button over it. She also asserted that
there should be a patch in the breast
of the overshirt, where a hole had been
worn through the original cloth by a
buckle on the suspender. The patch was
found, and it corresponded to a piece
Of cloth that the mother produced
1t was shown that Ward went to drug
store in Deadwood at different times and
purchased three poisonous drugs
The skull of the body was removed
from the grave in the cemetery where
it had been inferred. and an examina-
ton showed a fracture of the left temple
that had evidently been caused by a bull
let, with an exit at the back of the head.
A colts six-shooter with one chamber
empty, had been found in Wards cabin.