The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-10-06
BRUTAL ATTACK
on AN OLD MAN
Sensational Testimony Brought
Out at Attempted MUIR
der Trial.
occuRREDiN DAY COUNTY
Aged Man Who Had Sold His Cattle
and Had the Cash with Him Was
Attacked by Hired Man and
His Own Daughter.

Webster, S. D., Oct. 2.-The de-
tails of the case of attempted mur-
der for which Charles Alberts, aged 1S,
and Mrs. Belle Davis, aged %, have
been held for appearance in the state
circuit court of Day county, show it
to be one of the most sensational in.
the criminal history of South Dakota.
The aged father of the woman was the
victim of the alleged conspiracy.
:, Albcrts came to South Dakota from
South Boardman, Mich, about the
middle of last July and secured en-
ployment on the farm of Albert Bryant,
near Webster. A few weeks after the
appearance of Alberts Mrs. Davis ar
rived from the same town in Michi-
gan. She. was accompanied by her
little daughter, aged 3.
The testimony submitted at the pre-
liminary examination of the accused
proved that the father of Mrs. Davis,
Albert Bryant, was selected as the vic
tim of the alleged conspiracy and had
furnished his daughter the money for
the trip from Michigan. The UNDER
standing was that Mrs. Davis was to
make her home with her father and
aid in the work of housekeeping.
Had Large Sum of Money.
On the day of the attempted MUIR
der MIR. Bryant, Who is 60 years of
age, sold cattle to the value of $165
and gave the money to his daughter
for safe keeping. Bryant was engaged
in milking when Alberts entered the
barn. Alberts waited until the old man
had completed his task, when, after
demanding that he surrender the SI65
to him, he drew siX-shooter and
opened fire on the old man.
Bryant at the preliminary hearing
testified that just as he finished milk
ing he heard a voice say: Kill him!"
This caused him to look around, and
he discovered the forms of two persons
near at hand TO the inquiry of the
old man as to who was there, Alberts.
with an oath, replied:
Its me, and you give me that money
or I'll kill you"
As he said the last word he fired, the
bullet striking Bryant in the right
breast and knocking him down. Bry-
ant scrambled to his feet and Alberts
kept on shooting. The second and
third shots missed Bryant, one of them
killing the COW which Bryant had been
milking.
The fourth tore a hole through
Bryant's left arm, the next shot missed
and the sixth struck the old man IN
the right leg near the hip. Albert's
revolver being empty, Bryant staggered
out of the barn, and, as he did so. he
heard Alberts ask:
IF the old man gets to the house,
is there anything there he can shoot
with?"
The old man recognized his daugh-
ter's voice When she replied:
mo have taken care of that"
Bryant learning from this that the
two rifles and the revolver which he
kept in the house had been hidden,
made his way around the barn, hitched
up a team and drove hastily to the
town of Andover, where he notified the
authorities of what had happened and
secured medical attention for himself.
Assalant Then Fled.
After the attempted murder Alberts
fled, but was captured at Pierpont.
Since his arrest he has stoutly main
tanned that Mrs. Davis was not i'm
plicated in the least in his attempted
crime and that she had no advance
information of what he was about to
do.
Albart's defense will be based upon
the ground that the old man attacked
him in the barn when he demanded a
sum of money which Is alleged to be
due him. According to Albert's testi-
mony at the preliminary hearing, the
old man threw a stool at him, after
which the defendant drew his revolver
and commenced to shoot at Bryant.
He stated he did not intend to kill
him, but only wanted to wake him
up" Alberts declared the old man had
previously driven him from the place
because he found Mrs. Davis sitting on
his lap rubbing one of his arms, which
had been injured.
In striving to make his escape, All
berts rode grey pony, which he sub
sequently turned loose upon reaching
the outskirts of Pierpont, where he
was found in bed at hotel and ar
rested. In her testimony Mrs. Davis
stated her father, after her arrival In
South Dakota, had informed her that
he intended leaving all his property to
her when he died.
After the attempted murder, how
ever, the old man changed his mind,
for after arriving at Andover and re-
ceiving medical attention he made a
will leaving everything he possessed,
in case of his death, to his son, w. A.
Bryant, of South Boardman, Mich.
PRAIRIE FIRES CAD.
Great Stacks of Wheat and Other Small