Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-01-09
FOR SHOOTING FArAER.,N-LAw.
R.,oh Murdoch ls Held at Minot on
Serious Charge.

Serious Charge.
"I'll see my children If I have to see
them in blood. Goodbye boys. I am
going to see my children; you may
never see me standing up again"
This is the statement Of ]. G. Hursh,
the aged man who accuses his son.in-
law. Ralph Murdoch of attempting to
kill him by shooting him in the back,
according to the testimony of Lloyd
Hursh, son of ]. G. Hursh,- who testt-
fled among others, in the preliminary
hearing before Judge Davis at Minot.
At the conclusion of the testimony
Murdoch was bound over to the dis
trict court under $500 bonds to an
swer to a charge Of assault with a
deadly weapon with intent to kill.
Lloyd Hursh. Roy Hursh and Joe
Strong were placed on the stand by
the defense, which is being conducted
by William Murphy and M. ]. Barrett.
The testimony of Roy and Lloyd indi-
Gated that Hursh and his family have
not got along for many years. Both
sons said that Hursh blamed Ralph
Murdoch, the son-in-law for the d.
vorce proceedings instituted by Mrs
Hursh. Lloyd testified. however, that
the real cause of the separation was
not Murdock's attitude, but the
"meanness'' of their father. Lloyd
said that his mother was afraid to stay
in the house with her husband.
The most sensational testimony re
lates to the statements of ]. G. Hursh
on the morning of the shooting. Lloyd
and Roy said that their father came
up to them as they we're at work on a
threshing machine. Roy said that his
father, who had left North Dakota
some time previously, after the separa
ton last July of husband and wife
asked him where the children were
and particularly where Raymond, the
boy who was staying with Mr.. and
Mrs. Murdoch, was. Roy said that he
did not tell his father where Raymond
was because he feared his father
would not like it II he knew Raymond
was at the Murdoch home. Roy said
that his father appeared as II he was
intoxicated, and that he was going tc
see the children to get settlement
that the time would come when Muir
dock would have to answer for what
he had done in separating husband
and wife.
Lloyd said that his father told hin
that he was going to see the children
If he had to see them in blood. HI
said that his father said they would
possibly not see him alive again. Botf
boys said that their father had a re
volver in his pocket at this time.
Strong, who runs a coal mine twenty
miles east Of Minot, told of a converse
ton he had with Hurst on Dec. 10, af
ter the shooting. Strong said that the
old man told him that there wouldn't
have been any trouble II he, Hursh
had aimed straight when he shot al
Murdoch"
"Hursh told me that he shot a
Murdoch first and that If he had no
made a mistake in aiming, there
would never have been any settlement
to make with Murdoch. He said tina
he ran to get behind granary aftel
he shot, so that he might get better
chance at Murdoch and protect him
self"
Hursh testified in rebuttal that hi
never made such statement t.
Strong, that Strong asked him why HI
did not make Murdoch pay for thu
shooting and that Strong said that hi
knew of case where one man got {
good chunk of money out of fellow
who shot as Murdoch had shot.