The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-01-19
R0LETTE COUNTY
SCENE Of CRIME
Jealousy Cause of the Horri.
BILE Deed-Story of Do
mestic Trouble

Rolla. N. D., Jan. 19-One Of tho
most dastardly murders and suicides
in the history of North Dakota. was
cotlmitted at an isolated claim shack
twenty miles west of this place Sun
day evening when Henry H. Bentley
killed his wife and then committed
suicide. The only witnesses to the
horrible affair were the six children
of the couple, the oldest of whom is
nine years old. The story itself Is
one Of domestic difficulties and in
sane jealousy on the part of the hus-
band.
Bentley and his wife had been sep
arated for some time but in order to
comply with the law in reference to
holding down and proving up on a
claim, they were living together in a
small claim shack. Sunday some
neighbors called at the Bentley home
and during the time one of the gentle
men engaged in a game Of cards with
Mrs. Bentley. The husband became
jealous of his attentions and after he
had gone. charged his wife with re-
ceiving attentions from him during
the game of cards. This she stoutly
denied and violent quarrel ensued.
At bed time she refused to OCCUPY the
same couch with her husband and pre-
pared a bed for herself on a couple
of chairs in the room. Her husband
demanded that she sleep with him and
upon her refusal to do so declared
that he would make her do so. He
entered the room adjoining and pro-
cured razor which he placed in his
pocket and then entered the room
where his wife had already retired.
He knocked her from the couch and
while she lay ON the floor stunned, he
slashed her throat with the razor,
killing her instantly. He then cut his
own throat severins the jugular vein
but not sufficiently to produce instant
death. He walked into the yard and
threw the razor into the .cistern and
returned to the house where he fell
on the floor.
The eldest child a girl years Of
age, ran frantically screaming to the
mouse OF the nearest ne.ghtor, about
800 rods away and gave the alarm.
ance of the wounded. but when they
reached the shack. the woman was
dead and the man unconsc cious. He
dld not rally and died before medical
attention could be procured.
A Horrible Sight
The sight which met those who
sought to aid the family when they
reached the shack was horrible one.
On the floor in a pool OF her own blood
lay the mother of the frantic children.
In the same room his life blood
swiftly ebbing away lay the father.
The ten by twelve room was covered
with blood and the floor was so Slip
perry that 1t was difficult to keep on
the feet. The children the youngest
OF which is mere babe, were terror
stricken at the awful scenes which
they had just witnessed. They SEEM
ed not to realize the horrible crime
which they had Just witnessed and
were ealing for their mother to
come to them, to speak to them and
to waken up.
Officers Acted
AS soon as neighbors reached the
scene Of the murder, messenger was
dispatched for medical aid and an
at Rolla. The drifted condition of the
roads prevented speedy trips and it
took some time to reach the authoh-
ties. Sheriff Taylor and Deputy
Schroeder went to the scene to assist
Coroner LaFrance in ferretting out
the crime. A coroner's jury was i'm
paneled and late today rendered a
decision that the woman came to her
death at the hands of her husband
and that Bentley had died by his own
hand. The principal witness was the
eldest girl and her testimony left no
doubt as to the details of the crime.
Sheriff Taylor deserves much credit
for the manner in which the crime
was ferreted out and the mystery sur
rounding the same cleared up. It is
seldom that such crime is SO thor
oughly sifted in so short a time.