Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1902-02-06
Said to Have Existed Between Jeff
May and Mrs. Harry
tjibbS.
Motive for the Shocking Crime for
Which May Was Ar
rested.
Testimony at CoroEer'S Jury to
Prove That There Was Such
Intimacy.

| DlolIldICh, N. ~, IcD. l.--Jcu MdJ
was arrested last evening charged
with the murder of Harry Hibbs Or
the ranch north of Sterling.
The coroner's jury brought in YER
dict last evening. The jury founc
that Hibbs came to his death by rea
son of blow on the back of the heac
and that said blow was struck by JEFF
May, who has admitted that he wa!
at the ranch at the time but claimed
Hibbs' death was caused by drowning
May claimed he had come over to the
ranch to look after stock while Mr.
and Mrs. Hibbs went to Bismarck
I and that Hibbs fell in the we'll while
trying to fix the pulley.
States Attorney Allen, Coroner
White and the coroner's jury returned
from the Hibbs ranch Thursday even.
ing, where the viewed the scenes con.
nected with the alleged crime.
JEFF May was recalled as witness
and he was on the stand most of Fri
day.
The evidence before the coroner Is
jury at Bismarck was of such a nature
that the jury could not do otherwise
than order the arrest OF JEFF May for
the crime of murder. DR.. W. G. Met
can testified that he found a fracture
of the skull little back Of the ear,
which was the real cause of Hibbs'
death. The jury found on their visit
to the well where Hibbs was found
dead that from the table on which it
was claimed that Hibbs was engaged
in fixing the well it would have been
impossible for him to have fallen into
the well as claimed by May and Mrs.
Hibbs was the case. A number of OK.
periments with the we'll bucket
showed that it would have been i'm
possible for May and Mrs. Hibbs to
have seen Hibbs' body resting on the
top of the bucket in the well as
claimed. There was blood upon the
boards of the well curb and one board
was found near an old granary. 1t
was also brought out that May had
since the accident, picked the ice
stained with blood away from the
we'll.
1t was also found at the ranch that
the trousers worn by May on the day
Of the accident had stains Of blood on
them, about the knees, and that a
handkerchief found in the pocket Of
his clothing had blood stains upon it.
May explained this by stating that he
had knelt down in the vicinity Of the
pool Of blood to fix the pulley, after
the accident, and that he had cut his
hand on saw in the house, and
stanched the blood with his handker-
chief.
Further testimony brought out
was intended to establish the relations
between Mr.. May and Mrs. Hibbs, as
furnishings motive for the crime,
if crime there was. 1t was stated
that May had been frequent visitor
at Hibbs place, he stating that he had
come upon the invitation of Harry
Hibbs. 1t developed also that May
came to the Hibbs ranch on the Satur-
day before the death of Harry, and re-
mained there practically until the day
of his death. He had brought his
trunk with him, intending he said,
to take it to Ross after he left Hibbs'
place. Both Mr.. May and Mrs. Hibbs
denied that there was anything i'm
proper in their relations except as
friends. May admitted that at one
time when Harry was out hunting
cattle, he had come to the house and
slept there one or two nights, and
that man named Peter Hanson who
was there at the time was made to
sleep in the barn while he, May, slept
in the house. Mrs. Hibbs and May
stated that Hanson had been forced to
sleep in the barn because they
he was lousy. May also
stated that his little girl was with !
him at the time. May and Mrs. Hibbs
denied that they knew Mrs. May was
Jealous OF Mrs. Hibbs. May stated |
that Mrs. Hibbs was at the Mandan
fair in company with him and Fanny
Ross, but Mrs. Hibbs denied this stat !
ing that she had been there with her
sister.
The superstition is that May fol-
lowed Hibbs to the well that Wed