The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-06-16

W "oSo SOHHltleu ltile MURDER With
out premeditation was not given out.
Hornfeck was in the city several
weeks ago and at that time It was
stated by the police that he is not
normal mentally. He is a man about
hve feet seven inches in height and
when he was in the city recently wore
a dark suit Of clothes, was clean
shaven. with light hair and blue eyes.
His face is not strong one and had
the appearance of a man who might
give way to fit of rage. Two resi-
dents of Oak Bluff district were
with him at the time, one of them be-
Ing Mr.. Wastle, the man for whom he
worked.
So far as can be learned there was
no attempt at that time to bring
Hornfeck in touch with any of the
parties who claimed to have seen a
man coming from the James house
on the afternoon of the murder.
Whether any of them have since seen
him and connected him with the par
ty who was seen near the house, is
not disclosed.
May Be Hallucination,
Ii 1t is claimed that Hornfeck COM
mitted the murder, the first objective
of the police will be to bring forward
a motive as explanation of his act. In
the past there have been many in
stances in criminal annals where a
person suffering under an hallucina-
tion has claimed to have been guilty
of some murder which had excited the
public mind, but on examination of
the story 1t has been proven almost
invariably that the man who made the
confession could not have been in the
vicinity at the time; the confession
or statements must have corresponded
with the details of the crime, but the
man making the confession has not
been able to complete the details or
others have proved an unquestioned
alibi for him.
1t is understood that several of
those who gave evidence at the James
inquest will be called for the examin-
alton this afternoon and that their
stories will be matched up with the
Evidence now held against Hornfeck.
James Had Heard Nothing.
Lewis James was seen by a
reporter last evening, and when
asked IL he had been informed of an
arrest being made in connection with
the murder of his wife, said he had
heard nothing about 1t.
The circumstances were related by
the reporter and James was naturally
very much Interested but said he did
not know Hornfeck and had never
heard him spoken of as far as he could
remember, either by his wife or any
other person.
James stated, moreover, that he
had received no notification from the
police that he would be needed to give
evidence this afternoon. but explained
that he left the home of E. G. Davis,
where he is staying, at seven in the
evening, and did not return until after
one this morning, having spent the
evening with some friends.
Clues as to Suspect.
Mr.. and Mrs. Davis were also out
for the greater part of the evening,
and 1t was quite possible that an Of
ffcer had been to the house but had
been unable to learn James where
abouts.
Mr.. Davis, who was present at the
interview, said he and other friends
of James had followed up number
o. clues which they thought might
lead to the solution of the mystery of
Mrs. James murder. and had recently
placed information in the hands of the
crown prosecutor, H. w. Whitla, as to
their reasons for suspecting man
employed on farm in Manitoba, but
Hornfeck was not the man who was
the subject of that investigation.
James was Informed by one of the
city detectives whom he met casually
on the street that officers had been
working in the country. but he sup
posed that this was in connection
with the clue referred to by Davis.