Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-02-20
SUCH Is THE CAREER OF JACOB
BASSANNELLA, HANGED At
WAsHsURN.,
PAYS THE PENALTY FOR THE
MURDER OF ANTON HYLlNGER
LAST SPRING.
Passing as James Smith. He Commits
a Murder. Conviction for Which
Finally Reveals His Identity as
Murder of Axei Anderson in Grand
Forks County Several Years Ago.

Forks County Several Years Ago.
A delegation of officials and news
yesterday morning for that city to
witness the execution of Jacob Bassan-
nella. alias. James Smith for the muir
der of Anton Hylinger. The execution
was set to occur before daylight this
morning. and Bassannella has paid
the penalty for his crime.
The career of this man has been a
romance of crime. Born of parents
who lived in the .Tyrol. of German
Italian ancestry, ~Bassannella came to
this country when a lad. and early
began upOn a career of crime. When
a young man he associated with
thieves. and was frequently in trouble.
He served for some years in the army
and navy of the United States and in
the spring of 1900 started with his
brother Joe. on a trip west.
They came as far as Bemidji, where
they worked for several weeks in the
lumber woods. Returning to Bemidii,
they took passage in a box a with a
numbering outfit returning to Grand
Forks county.
On the train. when within a little
distance of Grand Forks. AXel Ander-
son, one Of the men returning home,
was shot and killed by the Bassannel-
la brothers. 1t is generally believed
that Jake fired the fatal shot. Ander-
son was robbed and the two brothers
dropped from the moving train and
made off.
They were captured the same day at
the city Of Grand Forks. having come
in there on a Great Northern train.
They we're taken to Jail. where they
remained several weeks, finally escap-
ing with a general Jail delivery.
Joe was r%ecaptured. brought back
to Grand Forks and sentenced to life
Imprisonment for murder. He is now
serving his time in the penitentiary.
Jacob disappeared as completely as
though the earth had swallowed
him up.
It appears he had come west as
far as Bowdon. where he had worked
for a time for the Northern Pacific
road. Thence he had drifted into
Washburn, where he remained under
the name of James Smith.
In the spring of 1902 Smith shot and
killed Anton Hylinger. a farmer liv-
ing neal Washburn. There were no
witnesses to the shooting and the de
tails of it will probably never be
known. Hy linger was found with his
head blown off with a shot gun
wound. Smith had also attacked and
shot at Hylinger's brother, Joseph. He
was arrested some days later and
brought to the Washburn Jail. whence
he made his escape. travelling afoot
as far as Fort Yates, where he made
an attempt to enlist in the army.
Here he was recognized. arrested
again and brought to Bismarck. where
he remained in Jail until his trial. He
managed to cap once from Jail
here but was recaptured by EIvis
Wood, before he had gotten a block
| away.
Smith pleaded guilty TO murder a,
~ Nv < III Vi 1o'ifI 'utit
and confessed that his real am was
Jacob Bassannella. This connected
him with the Grand Forks crime
Through The Tribune. Warden Bouch
err was informed of the probable
identity of Smith with Bassannella
n the warden correspondent with
Grand Forks officials. obtained photo
graphs of Smith. and established his
identity beyond question as Jacob Bias.
sannella. Since then Smith has been
identified usually by several officers
who knew him in Grand Forks.
The great interest felt in the exc.
cution of Smith has heen to see
whether he would make any comics.
sion regarding his connection with the
crime in Grand Forks county. Under
certain circumstances. a truthful
statement from him regarding this
matter might help bis brother. who is
now in the ~penitentiary