The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-29
NOVEMBER 20, 1902.
SOUTH DAKOTA
GILLIAN WAS MURDERED
Series OF Circumstances Point to it,
Family Under Suspicion. Er@

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Family Under Suspicion.
SIOUX FALLS, S. D.-The latest de-
velopments in the case Of w. G. Gillian.
the Sioux Falls man who was found dead
at Rock Rapids several mornings ago,
show that there is absolutely no question
that he was murdered. The two sisters
VINO were arrested on suspicion Of having
committed the crime, have been able to
prove their innocence, as they tell a
straightforward story concerning their
movements during the evening prior to
the finding of the body. -
Three young men who were in the
ne1ghborhood Of a bridge leading to the
part Of town where the body of Gillian
was afterwards found, say they saw two
men, one of whom might have been Gil
liam. pass along in the direction Of the
bridge shortly after II o'clock Members
OF family living within block of the
spot where the body was found heard a
disturbance during the night, but sup
posed it was drunken row and made no
effort to investigate. Several Rock Rap
ids people declare that Gillian had a
large sum of money with him within day
or two before the murder. The money
was not found on the body. One man
who saw his money day or two before
the tragedy declares that he had fifteen
or twenty bills in a long pocketbook and
that the bill on top was Of the denomina-
ton of $40.
knife, which is supposed to have been
the property Of the dead man, and s.
cent piece, were found near the fence
surrounding the Enclosure in which Gill
ANS body was discovered. The knife
was closed, and there were no blood stains
upon it. 1t would have been impossible
for Gillian to have walked from the
point where the knife was found to the
place in a shed where his body was dis
covered in his badly mutilated condition.
There were no signs of blood leading from
the point where the knife was found to
the Enclosure where the body lay. In the
head was a bullet hole, which is generally
believed to have been made after Gillian
was dead.
When the body was found there was a
revolver in one Of his hands. Four wit
nesses swear that the revolver looked as
if it had been placed in his hand. 1t was
in the hand opposite from the side OF the
head where the bullet had entered The
weapon appeared to hang from the thumb
which was through the guard around the
trigger. About two inches from the bullet
wound is an indention in the side of the
head from a quarter to a half inch deep
which looks as if it might have been made
with the back of an AK. From this WOUND
there is a fracture Of the skull running
In three directions, but none of these
are In any way connected with the bulie'
wound. There were no powder marks
whatever on the face or head Of the dead
man. which would indicate that the shot
was fired from some distance.
The theory is that he was murdered
for his money, after which the body was
carried to the Enclosure, passed over Inc
fence, where the knife and scent piece
fell out of his pocket. and then again car
ried to the shed, which was about twenty
feet from the fence. Members of a family
living near the scene of the murder are
under suspicion. D..
Rev. ]. H. Dodshon, who was assistant
rector of Christ Episcopal church at Lead
is now assistant rector of st. Mark
Episcopal church at Grand Rapids, Mich