Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1905-09-21
And Had Come from Michio an
To Keep House for Him and
Get the Old Mans Prop
erty at His Death.
THE HEARING BEFORE JUDGE RATHBUN
Results in Binding Chas. Alberts
and Bella Davis over to the
February Term of the Cir
cult Court for Assault
With Attempt to
Kill.

one OI Tie HlOsU udsUdruly attempts
at murder that ever occurred in this
county was that made on the life of A.
S. Bryant at his home farm, six miles
from Andover, last Friday night, by
Mrs. Bella Davis (Bryant's daughter by
a woman he never married) and her
paramour, Charles Alberts The man
had been driven away from the house
some days before by the father, who
thought he was too intimate with his
daughter, who was married woman
and the mother of little girl Alberts
returned to the farm about noon the
day of the assault, secreted himself in
the cellar, and when darkness came
went to the COW yard where Bryant
was milking and shot at him six times
with revolver three of the shots tax
ing effect in Bryant's body. The story
as told by the witnesses in Justice Chas
Rathbun's court yesterday was as fol-
lows:
A. S. Bryant was the first witness
sworn. His testimony was as follows
Several years ago he lived in Michigan
where he met a woman named Nettie
Avery. He never married her, but the
defendant, Mrs. Bella Davis, was his
daughter and the daughter of this
woman, and was born about twenty
two years ago. He had not seen the
girl since she was three years old. He
heard of her again last winter, and
learned that she was married. He was
getting old and in poor health so he
wrote Mrs. Davis if she and her hus-
band would come ont 10 Andover-she
to do the homework and her husband
to assist in the farm work-that when
he died he would leave her everything
that he had Several letters passed
between them when finally in July she
consented to come if he would send her
the money. He sent her thirty dollars
expecting soon to see his daughter and
her husband. About August 6, the
defendant, Charles Alberts, showed up
at Bryant's farm and said he came
from Michigan and that he knew Bry-
ants daughter. Bryant being short of
help tried to hire Alberts to work on
the farm. The young man refused to
do anything except help with the cook
ing and the dishes until after the girl
came but just laid around the house
and slept After the girl came Alberts
started to work in the field but spent
most of his time "monkeying" around
the girl and became so obnoxious
and objectional and really officious with
the men around the farm that two of
them quit and the others threatened TO.
Alberts and Mrs. Davis were very init
mate and Bryant objected seriously, at
last one night he went into the house
and found the room DARK and Mrs.
Davis sitting on Alberts' lap. He imme-
diately ordered Alberts and the woman
to their rooms and told Alberts if he
saw him on the place again after the
next morning he would kill him, and
told his daughter that she was a wife
and mother and would have to behave
herself and stop her monkey business"
with Alberts. This was the last Bry-
ant saw of Albert's except as he was in
Andoyer and once when he passed him
on the road going to the farm. On the
day of the shooting in the morning Bry-
ant and Mrs. Davis went to Andov er
where he collected sl65 for bunch OF
cattle which he had sold to one Biglow.
This money he gave to Mrs. Davis to
take care of for him. After the woman
had got the money he noticed her go to
the back of Toys store. Bryant went
to the rear door of the store and looked
out aud saw her in earnest conversation
with Alberts. Shortly after this Bryant
and tn, woman started home. On the
road home Bryant told the woman that
they wonld 60 to Pierpont in the AFTER
noon and deposit the money he had got