The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-24
WITNESS IS GONE,
CROWN MAY LOSE
PROSECUTION WORRIED IN DOYLE
t. &:. MURDER CASE.
Ernest Bailey, Whose Evidence Con-
nected a North Dakotan with the
Murder of Vincent Weller, Has Dis
appeared and May Himself Be Foul
Play Victim.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal. .I~f ...-
Grand Forks, N. D., Oct. Painless Ernest
Bailey cen be located before Oct. so. the date
on which Martin Doyle is to be placed on trial
Weller, Cavalier county settler. it is feared
that the prosecution will be unable to convict
Doyle Of crime for which it is believed he
should be punished. '-' 49,.
Vincent Weller, living on farm at Mount
Carmel, Cavalier county, disappeared Nov.
20 last, and his dead body was found near Snow
flake, Man.. IN the early days of April last
On Nov. 20 Doyle and Weller were at Snow
fake together, and both visited livery stable,
where Doyle asked Ernest Bailey for quart Of
kerosene. handing him black bottle at the time,
accompanying it with the request that he go
down town and get 1t filed. Bailey took the
bottle, scratched a label off with his knife and
then remembered that he had some bottles filed
with kerosene In the office attached to the liv-
cry. He handed one of these bottles to Doyle,
who paid him for 1t. This bottle was an ordi-
nary white whisky bottle, and had label on 1t.
This was between and 3 o'clock the af-
ternoon of Nov. 20, and Bailey says that when
Doyle and Weller left the place they started in
az easterly direction, taking lantern with
night when they returned. Two hours later
Bailey met Doyle coming from a more north
erly direction than that taken by him and
Weller earlier in the afternoon. He was alone.
First Arrested for kidnapping.
thoro investigation by the Cavalier county au-
thorities. and the Offering of several rewards by
relatives and authorities. The story that Weller
had last been seen with Doyle Mt Snowflake
and the further fact that warranty deed run
ming from Weller to n son Of Martin Doyle
transferring the farm of Weller, resulted in
the arrest of Doyle on a charge Of kidnapping.
He was held to the district court on that charge,
Doyle asserting that Weller had gone into the
| Saskatchewan country to locate a claim.
Weiler's body was found short distance from
Snowflake early in April. Near the body was
found an empty whisky BOTTLE showing ev
dences Of having contained kerosene. This bot
tie answered the description given by Bailey
Of the one which he had sold to Doyle.
The; body was covered by heavy coat, and
wounds showed that a revolver had been used II
the killing; The presence of the kerosene bottl.
was explained by the fact that the body hat
probably been saturated with kerosene and sci
on fire, the blaze being extinguished by the rai1
or snow at that season Of the year.
Bailey appeared at the inquest as witness
and it was largely on his evidence that Doyle
was held for trial on a charge of murder in thu
| first degree Bailey remained at the Snowflake
livery barn until July II last, when be suddenly
Disappeared To fellow workmen he had talked
| OF the Doyle case claiming that 1t would e
hard with any witnesses who appeared agains
| Doyle should lie be cleared of the charge brough
against him. This was about the only refer
| ence he made to the case while in Snowflake
| and the last trace Of him when he drov,
from Snowflake to Hannah with butcher from
| the latter place.
W. B. Dickson. prominent attorney of Lang
don, has been engaged by relatives of Weller t.
assist in the prosecution
One thing that leads to the belief that Bale.
did not intend to remain away from Snow1ak
permanently is the fact that he left horse ant
] buggy, in the livery bnrn in which he was EN-
| ployed prior to his departure. This property il
! still there, and his failure to make his where
abouts known has led to the surmise that h
may have been victim Of foul play himself.
| In Cavalier county, where Doyle and Weile
were both well known, the outcome Of the tria
at Morden will be watched with the greatest in
terest Weller was an industrious and respecte
settler, we'll along in years, and this fact wa
| taken evidence sufficient that he never lef
I his claim Of his voliton.
| Patrick Theron, as guardian of Ellen Theron
has brought action in the district corr
against Sophia Theron for damages of $4,000
claiming that IN the presence of witnesses tn
defendant accused the plaintiff of stealing 81
from bedroom in Sophia Theeron's residenc
near East Grand Forks. The principals to tn
suit are relatives, and it has resulted in
merry row. East Grand Forks attorneys are Ell
gagged in the case. which will be tried at the Dc
cember term of court.