Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-01-18
'COR0NER'S INQUEST HEIDI
Coroner White Today Holds Inquest
over the Body of H. G.. Hibbs,
Found Drowned.
Evidence of the Witnesses Shows
Death to Have Resulted from
Accidental Fall.

uAOu6ul u LuN CITY last night and Is
now ait the residence of Louis Cham
pagne, a brother-in-law of the de-
ceased, in this city. With the body
came w. B. Hibbs, of Mckenzie, father
of the deceased young man, and his
brother, Charley Hibbs of jamestown,
who was summoned up from that city
by news of the death of his brother.
Coroner White this morning began
an inquest into the cause of the death
Of the deceased young man. The in
quest was conducted this morning ait
the office of States Attorney Allen, and
was conducted by the coroner assisted
by Assistant, States Attorney Coch-
rane. John c. SWEET, Charles Wach-
ter and H. w. Richholt are the Jurors
before whom the inquiry is being con-
Quoted. H.
JEFF May, a neighbor of Hibbs, and
who was at the ranch when the ACCT
dent occurred, was the only witness.
examined this morning: Mr.. May gave
his statement of the details Of the ac-
cldent to the jury. He said that Mr.,
sElibbs and his wife had intended to-
start to town Wednesday morning to-
remain for a week in this city and they
had asked him to remain at the ranch,
While they were absent, and take care
OF their stock. He had gone over to
the Hibbs place Tuesday and remained
there that night. In the morning all
n members of the family got up
early, in order that they might get an
early start to town. He and the de-
ceased young man had gone to the
barn to do UP the chores before break
fast. Hibbs had MIXED one COW. and
IN going to- milk the other one had
slipped and fallen someway, splitting
the milk. At this, he had said he
would not milk the either cow then
but would go out and repair the well
pulley, which was out of order. Nav
took the milk pail to the house, after
feeding the horses, and told Mrs. Hibbs
where her husband had gone. When
breakfast was, ready, they had called
Hibbs- and he had not come. After
waiting a. little time, he had gone out
to look him up. When he reached
h well he saw Hibbs' a lying near
the corner of the we'll curb. and the
pulley lying upon the ground. He
went at once to a gate in the fence
leading to the house and called to Mrs.
Hibbs that he feared her husband had
fallen into the well. Together thew
went to the we'll and looked in, and
saw what appeared to be his coat, rest
ing on the well bucket, which was
Tade of a barrel, in the water about
twenty feet from the surface. Mrs.
Hlbbs grasped the rope and gave a
pull to pull up the body, which slipped
off the bucket and went to the bottom
OF the well. Then they fashioned a
hook from a wagon rod, tied it to a
rope, and made a number of attempts
to pull the body out of the water.
Once or twice the hook caught in the
clothing, and the body was once drawn
up fifteen or twenty feet but Slipped
back again. May then went to the
neighbors for help and returned with
a neighbor named Iverson. When he
returned he found B. F. Scovi1 there,
he having come down from his ranch
on the way to Mckenzie. All of them
tried to get the body out. but after
many failures, he and Iverson sue
ceeded in getting the hook fastened
into the clothing and raised the body
to the top of the water. Iverson had
then gone down into the we'll and
fastened a rope to the body and it was
drawn out and taken into the house,
and word was sent to the father of the
young man by Mr.. Scovil, while May
and Iverson remained at the house UNI
til help came.
MI. May also gave testimony as to
the nature of the well and curb sur
roundings. He said there was blood on
the ice near the side of the curbing, al
most against the curbink. The we'll was
about three feet and a half square and
was supposed to be about eighty feet
deep. The boards were broken from
the top of the curbing, and some of
them had been carried down into the
well, probably by the body Of the
young man striking them as he fell.
There was frost on the inside of the
curb and about the top Of the we'll,
and on the table wherein he had stood.