The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-01-20
GOSSIP CAUSED ! J! ] MURDER
OFFICERS NOW WORKING 0,
THIS THEORY IN THE
HATCHER Ease.

/ Laredo, Mo-, Jan. 20.-Two theories
were advanced this afternoon for the
murder Of James Hatcher; whose
body was found this morning in a
field near Lindley. One was that he
had been killed, FOR the purpose Of
robbery and the ether that the killing
resulted from causes about which the
neighbofhood has beep4gossiping. The
finding OF $50 in ,.1aaher's pockets
disproved the rabbery theory and the
officers are now working On the 9TH
er. The sheriff and coroner were told
this gossip. but they warned their in
formants to mention no names
The Murderer Knew His Habits.
Hatcher was a hard working man
and highly respected in the neighbor-
hood. Floods had ruined the crops
on his own farm and he had been
working for neighbors. This week he
had been employed on the farm of
Thomas Humphreys. Apparently the
! murderer was we'll informed as to his
movements and lay in waiting for him
as he returned home from his work.
Hatcher left the Humphreys farm
about o'clock yesterday afternoon,
and when he did not arrive at the
usual time the family became alarm
ed. Mrs. Hatcher and her daughter,
Alice, went to the home of Frank
Knott, neighbor. and learned that
Hatcher had started home at the
usual hour. This morning his SON
in-law, John Clark, and several neigh
bors began q systematic search for
him, but learned nothing until about
8, O'Clock Harry Mantelow, a boy of
about 13 years of age, who was hunt
ing, found Hatcher's body near a
grain stack ON the G. H. Cook farm.
Officers on the Scene.
Sheriff ]. R. Dillon, George H. Hub
bell, prosecuting attorney, Coroner
Samuel Sheldon and Constable Clar-
ence Showers at Trenton were noti-
fled and came here this afternoon.
They made an exhaustive search of
the route Travelled by the murdered
man, tracking him from where the
body was found to where he had been
shot, fully q quarter of a mile away.
The murderer had used shotgun
and one or two of the loads struck
Hatcher in the face, SO mutilating his
features that they scarcely were rec
ognizable. Apparently, he also had
been struck just back of the left ear
with a club or some such weapon,
although the officers could not make
certain of that.
A Mr., Brown, who lives about half
a mile from the scene of the murder,
heard five shots in quick succession
about o'clock. He said the shots
could only have been fired from a
repeating shotgun. The number OF
shots tallies with the number Of
shells found at the scene of the shoot
ing.
A Second Trail In the Snow
A quarter Of a mile from where his
body was found the searchers found
Hatcher's hat The belief is that the
shooting took place there and that
Hatcher staggered through the. fields
trying to find his way to his home,
more than mile away. His wan
dering footprints could be seen In the
snow, beginning where the hat was
found and ending where he fell. An
other set of tracks started and ran off
through the fields and woods. The
officers and posse took this trail
about 3 o'clock and followed it a
considerable distance before it was
lost.
sss.s
THE WEATHER. =
~ North Dakota--Fair tonight and "
Friday. Colder tonight.