Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-02-07
HAS A HEARING
Hearing in Case Against Ulic chilkoff
Begun Before Justice Tibbils
This Morning.
Witnesses Tell Story Of the Facts
Tending to Connect Chilkof
with the Crime.
Chilkoff Bound Over for Trial in Dis
trict Court on Charge of
Murder.

The preliminary examination of I'LL
rich Chilkof was begun this morning
in the office off the justice at his resi-
dence, and there we're few present
aside from the witnesses in the case,
the defendant and officials of the court.
Chilkoff was brought down from Jail
by Sheriff Bogue and was an appar-
emily interested listener at the exam
ination. Occasionally he asked que~-
lions, intending to cast some doubt
upon the accuracy of certain of the
testimony that was given, but in the
main he was quiet and sat beside the
sheriff stolidly.
Scholastica Hess was the first wit
ness sworn for the state. She said
she lived with her relatives on the
farm east of the city, not far from
Simon Welch's place. About a week
before the discovery of Welch's death
she said she was at the house and saw
Chilkoff approaching the house from
the north coming from the direction
of Simon WEIGHS place. He had
knocked at the door, but she was
alone and did not let him in.
The next witness sworn was Frank
Dense, who was at work at the gradinr
camp at Wilton at the time the mur
der was committed. He said that
Chilkoff had come to the camp and
his, time-book showed that he had
worked for him one day, Thursday,
May "a, under the name of Miller.
Chilkoff had come there in the after
noon and the first night he was there
he slept in Frank Jackson's tent. The
second night he slept in Dense's tent.
He said there was talk around the
camp about the death of Welch. He
did not know who brought the news
to camp. It was stated there that a.
man who had worked for Fortune was
suspected of having killed him. This
talk was being had while Chilkoff was
there. The second night Chilkof
went to bed, after some talking about
the matter had been had in his hear
ing. After the men had left the tent
Chilkoff had gone to bed, and Dense
followed him to bed. Dense had
been asleep only a few minutes when
the. foreman came to the tent and
asked if the man Chilkoff was there.
They looked and Chilkoff was missing.
having left the tent. Dense said
Chilkof had had money, he had seen
him have several dollars in silver, as
he had paid him for some tobacco. He
described the purse that Chilkoff had.
Chilkof asked the witness several
questions, asking him if it was not a
fact that he had only had fifty cents.
Chilkoff also said the witness did not
give the right description of the purse,
and to prove his statement asked Sher-
if Bogue to bring the purse down from
jail, the same purse he said he had at
that time. The purse was exhibited
in court, a little black purse with half
a dozen OF SO silver dollars in it.
States Attorney Allen asked the wit
ness if the purse when he had seen it
at the camp had as much money in it
as there was in it this morning and
the witness said he thought there was
as much if not more. ~
Thomas Fortune testified as to Chill
koff having worked for him in the
spring of the year. He said Chilkoff
had worked for him several weeks and
he had paid him some 500. He had
paid him within a few days after he
had quit work. Chilkoff had bought
some clothes and shoes, and on the
Sunday before the crime was discov-
cred had come to him and asked for
work as he said he was nearly broke.
Fortune said he had known Welch for
over 80 years and him to have kept
large sums of money in his house, he
thought three or fo~urthousand dollars.
On one occasion he had seen Welch
take out a tobacco sack that he kept
in the cellar of his house and take
some money out of it to send to town
for food. and the smallest bill he had
was a hundred dollar bill and the sack
seemed full of bills. He had urged
WEIGH to deposit the money in the
bank, as it was dangerous to leave so
much money lying around Mr.. For
tune also gave testimony as to hav-
ing been at Welch's place after, the
murder and described what he had
seen there.
DR.. w. A. Bentley testified to having
made a post mortem' examination of
Welch after his death and testified
that the cause Of death was a gun
shot wound. which entered the mouth
and came out through the base Of the
brain. He did not think the deceased
could have been capable Of any rational