Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-05-28
When Taken Before Muller Saturday Night lie StrenuOusy
Denied the Crime but Broke Down Sunday
Morning and Made Clean Breast Of it
s#@.% <--------------- -. ,s#sI @@@<E-
Taken to Scene Of Shooting He Said He Feared Muller
Would kill Him for His Money, Therefore
He Shot Him in the Back H..
Fired Again and Missed Then Hid the Pistol and Ran to
DepOt--PStOl FOund--Muler Resting Easy,
With Chances Against Recovery

Z
j The man who shot Muller has made
a clean breast of the whole miserable
affair. .&z>
) His true name is John Judovitz, but
when he came to America to evade
Austrian military duty he changed it.
to- Joseph Lach, by which name he
has been known in this country.
Tie story he related to Sheriff
WEIGH and written down by a Tribune
representative folloys: A.
Lach's History. e..
Ii He was born in Austria near
Vienna, and came to this country
three years ago, stopping first at Ap-
pleton, Wis, where he bought the,
revolver used in the shooting. Then
he worked in the paper mill of Kim.
berly & CLARK at Neenah for two
years. Drifting to St. Paul, he
worked a while for the Milwaukee
road cleaning cars, then went to
Wyoming, Mimi, where he remained
two days, met and loved Mary Shot,
a domestic, several of whose pictures
and letters he had upon him when ar:
rested. Returning to St. Paul he was
sent to Garrison by w. J. Feeders &
Co, st. Paul employment agents. to
work on the 500 railroad grading con-
tract of Smith & Co. at Garrison. He
did not take kindly to the job and was
told there was plenty of work at Bis
marck, so came here, making the ac-
.qusintance of Muller, or Miller, on the
train. After having several drinks
Saturday morning at a local blind pig.
Lach suggested a walk down on the
bottoms and they wandered south on
the section line road leading to
Gottlieb Huber's place. They went
about an eighth of mile beyond the
last house and entered the first clump
of willows on the left hand side of the
road. Following is the story of what
happened,sa LAS told by Lach at the court
house after his return Sunday morn
ing from the scene of the shooting:
ii History Of Shooting.
II f.We talked of the chance of get
ting work here and I decided to go to
Casselton, but Muller said he would
stay, that he had SIG which would
keep him until he could get work
told him had $1s, though / really had
$186. When in the thickest part of
the brush Muller asked again how
much 4 had and began feeling around
in his pants pockets, front and back,
and made up my mind he was go
ing to shoot me for my money, SO I
concluded would have to shoot first
to get away from him. So i got be-
hind him and put the pistol close. to
his back on the right side there he
went through the act of the shooting
with one Of the spectators present.
and fired. Muller threw up both
hands, made some kind of an ex-
.clamation and turned around facing
me; then fired again and missed
him though only four feet away. AS
that was all the cartridges / had in
the pistol started to run went
about so feet, then stopped. threw
open the pistol to let the shells out
and hid the gun In the ground, COW
erred It with leaves, and then hurried
to town and took the train to Gasse1-
tom,
Being asked why he hid the pistol
he said he did not want it found on
him Il he should be caught. He had
no idea how badly Muller was hurt
as he hurried away did not attempt
to rob the man and never looked. hack
after he left him He expresses
no sorrow for the deed but seems
rather dazed.
Search for Pistol.
Sunday morning he said he would
show the sheriff where the pistol was
found and he was taken over the