The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-03
FIND MISSING MANS
BODY IN DEPTHS
OF A WELL
Mystery Surrounding Disap-
.pearance, a Year Ago, of
Napoleon LeMay, Former
ly of Mendoza, Is Solved
Was Murdered by Ross
and a Companion.

. Napoleon LeMay, of Mendoza, who
has been missing for a year, and
whose family believed he had deserted
. his responsibilities, has been found at
the bottom of a well near Williston,
N. D.
A man named Ross, convicted of
numbering an aged man near Willow
City, n. D.. and now in Jail there un-
der sentence of death, has confessed
that he murdered LeMay, assisted by
man named Hansen. LeMay was
shot by these two tramps and his body
dragged to the well, near the scene
of the murder, and rolled in. Ross in
his confession, gave all the details of
the crime. Hansen has been arrested
and given hearing. He will be tried
ON the charge of murder at Tarsus, N.
D., during the present month.
LeMay was one of the best known
Frenchmen of this state. He lived at
Mendoza up to 1884, having been one
of the early settlers there in 1858. Aft
er he went to North Dakota the family
established large farm near Tarsus
Subsequently LeMay sold out and
vent with the family to Buford but
returned alone to wind up his affairs
He was murdered and robbed by Ross
and Hansen, being shot twice and his
body thrown into a well seventy feet
deep.
Ross Describes the Murder.
News of the arrest of Ross, his trial
and conviction has already been print
ed in the dispatches from North Da-
kota. The man was sentenced to hang
for another murder, and it was not
suspected that he had any connection
with the disappearance of LeMay.
While the murderer was awaiting ex-
ecution he confessed that he and Han
sen had shot LeMay as he stood in his
barn doorway, that they had attached
rope to the body and dragged it to
the we'll
Upon the confession of Ross rela-
tivcs of LeMay went from Tarsus in
company with officers and found the
old mans body bearing just such
wounds as the murderer had described.
The arrest of Hansen has been an
nounced. The authorities believe these
two men to be guilty of many other
crimes. Hansen will be tried in jan
uary. Ross, the other murderer, is in
Jail at Willow City awaiting eXecu-
ton. He will be granted a stay in or
der that his evidence may be heard in
the Hansen case.
Napoleon LeMay had a great many
relatives in st. Paul and Minneapolis
and in various parts Of the state. None
of these had the slightest suspicion
that the announcement in the press
dispatches a short time ago of murder
had any reference to Napoleon LeMay,
though the latter name was mentioned
as having been borne by the murder
ed man. The st. Cyrs, of Minneapolis,
and others are taking measures to in
sure the most rigorous prosecution of
Hansen, the accomplice of Ross. The
latter is certain to swing for the other
murder which he has confessed.
Mystery Is Cleared Away.
The finding of LeMay's body clears
away a public as we'll as private
mystery. For nearly a year that
elapsed between LeMay's disappear
ance and the discovery of his body his
wife and family kept up a persistent
search for him. After he returned
from Buford to Tarsus to settle up his
affairs there he lived for brief time
with Mrs. F. Bergoan, his niece. He
left Tarsus late in October. driving a
wagon loaded with potatoes and agri-
cultural machinery. Trailing behind
was a buggy followed by three led
horses. After LeBIay babe good-by to
his niece, Mrs. Bergoan, she never saw
him again.
When Mrs. LeMay wrote from Blu
ford some days later, asking for in
formation of her husband, none could
be given. An investigation was set on
foot, but nothing could be learned of
the absent man or his property. 1t