The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1908-08-14
SENTIMENT CHANGED
Story of Young Wife Reverses Senti.
ment of the Public.

Story of Young Wife Reverses Senti.
ment of the Public.
Coffeyville, Kas.. Aug. 14-Now that
the first excitement of the tragedy is
over the sober sentiment of the peo-
pie here is beginning to turn strongly
against William Hill, who shot and
killed David Alexander near here last
Friday night This change is caused
by additional facts which are COM
mencing to come to light. Hill shot
and killed Alexander in the public
road five miles northwest of the city
where Hill lay in wait for the buggy
in which his victim and Mrs. Hill were
returning to the home of Mrs. Hills
mother, Mrs. Mcfarland. He asserted
that Hill had ruined his home.
At first his story was generally be-
lieved, but Mrs. Hill, his young wife,
tells quite different one.
''In the first place." she said to-
day, "Hill had no home which could
be broken up by anyone. We were
mtr::ed in Sept"mbe-. 1904, and with
In SIX weeks he attacked me when
drunk. These drunken attacks contin-
ued until June, 1905, when left him,
or rather compelled him to leave my
mothers house, where we had been
living. Since then have been help
ing my mother run her boarding
house.
"It was not until last September,
three years after we were married,
that l first saw Alexander. He came
to our doors perfect stranger and
asked for board. Thus he did not
separate me from my husband or in
any way break up our home for my
husband had left the place long be-
fore. Dave Alexander was not 30
years old; he was only 21 and l am
only 10. He was not my sweetheart,
and was not in love with him. He
was a brother to me, and he protected
me from harm. l feared Hill would
try to kill me and felt safer when
Dave was with me. My husband Is
27 years old.
The funeral of Alexander was held
at the home of his father yesterday.
Country people from far and near at
tended,and it was one of the largest
funerals ever seen in this part OF the
country. THE Uncertainty of Life"
was the preachers theme, and he CEN
sured Hill numerically for killing his
fellow man. Mrs. Hill. living four
miles from the Alexander home. at
tended the funeral, being swathed in
bandages and helped from the car
rfo %
body to the little cemetery at Valeda
but drove back home with her mother
and is again confined in bed. There
are thirty-four shot in her body and
no effort has been made yet by the
physician to remove them. The doc
tor is waiting for her to get stronger.
but he says she will recover unless
blood poisoning should set in.
First Refused to Run.
II would have gone to Dawes fu-
neral II it was my last move on earth"
said Mrs. Hill today. He was the
best friend I ever had or probably
ever will have. When Bill Hill first
shot ut us l told Dave to run, but he
said: No. I'll never leave you
Then when the next load of shot
struck him he said: oh, my God, Sis
Then he ran, but instead Of going
into the farmhouse near by he turned
down the road and was killed. Bill
shot at him twice while running and
one OF the loads hit him as he was
going down the road and tore one
of his hands off. The other load
killed him."
1t now has come to light that Hill
has been fined in police court here in
the city for disturbing the peace. This
was for one of the attempts that he
made to injure his wife when he mel
her on the streets here. Mrs. Hill
says that she never tried to get
divorce, but she could have easily
proved her case if she had wished to
take it into court.
Hill was arraigned here before be-
ing taken to independence and held
for murder in the first degree. His
bond was fixed at $4,000 which he
could not give. Mrs. Hills family is
very bitter toward Hill and desire
him sentenced to Imprisonment for
life. He can expect no help at all
from them.
Hill had recently boarded as any
other boarder at Mrs. McFarland's
country boarding house. He left ow-
ing Mrs. Mcfarland SIG. She garni-
sheed his wages at the brick yard, but
the company declared that 1t owed
him nothing. Saturday morning, If
teen hours after the killing OF Friday
night, she had garnishment papers is-
sued against him for the money due
him from the farmer whose watermel-
on patch he had been guarding. The
brick company garnishment was is
sued two months ago and this embit-
tered the feeling between Hill and his
wife and her family very much.