The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-03-09
EVIDENCE STRONG
AGAINST FARMER
GIRL WHO WAS ASSAULTED SAYS
FARMERS VOICE is SIMILAR TO
THAT OF MAN WHO ASSAULT.
ED HER-oEFENDANT SEEMS
TO Be WORRIED sY EVIDENCE.

Pursuant to an adjournment from
last evening, the hearing OF Jack
Farmer. arrested Monday night as an
accessory in the assault upon the young
girl Selma Erickson. in Moerheas
Feb. 13, was again In progress before
Justice Malloy this afternoon II be-
gins TO look as though County Attor
ney Johnson was winding a rather
close net about Farmer.
During the hearing late Yesterday
afternoon, an important witness ex
amined by the county attorney was
Ella Conroy, a waitress at the Ex
change hotel since Feb 9. and who has
been keeping company with Farmer
and also the defendant. Shepherd the
frst man arrested in connection with
the assault The Conroy girl and Farm
er were together on the night Of the
assault outside the Exchange hotel
and 1t was shortly bsfor- the assault
when they parted. Witness identifled
three letters, two of which she stated
positively were letters written to her
by Farmer and alluded to Frank shen
herd. The two letters were written IN
stationery from the office OF a bottIinr
concern in Fargo. A third letter writ
ten in a disguised hand, supposedly bv
the defendant, was not ABSOLUTELY
identified. Miss Conroy ,lso toi6 about
the alleged threats which had been
made by Farmer. that he would t1sbt
Shepherd If ella" turned him down
and she also told of remarks by Farm
er in Fargo that he did not want 70
be seen in Moorhead as he might he
hn a
mixed up in the Erickson affair. Dur
ing the relating of this evidence the
defendant displayed considerable per-
turoance and heavy beads of prespi-
ration rested on his brow.
Miss Erickson on stand.
Miss Selma Erickson. the principal
In the case was the next witness. and
told of being in Fargo the night she
was assaulted, the time she left her
friends at the Columbia hotel and of
alone up Eighth street south
to go to her sisters home near Sew
enth avenue and Eleventh street. She
said that she saw a man on the oppo-
site side of the street, that when she
found it was not the man she thought
1t was she became nervous and felt
she was being followed. She told of the
attack and that the man who struck
and beat her said when he took hold
of her, now you little devil r have got
you" She explained the afterrcircum-
stances and the reaching of her sis
ter's home in bleeding and battered
condition.
Erickson Girl Recognizes. Voice.
After detailing all the circumstances
of the assault, Miss Erickson was ask
ed plainly If the figure and general
makeup Of the defendant resembIed
the man she noticed was following her
on her way home on the night she was
assaulted. She said 1t W as and more,
the voice of Farmer is. exactly like the
voice which said, now you little devil,
/ have got you" -
Editor Richards testified to CONVEX
sation with the defendant and police |
on the night of the arrest and the con-
fession of Farmer that he wrote the
letter to the chief of police which cor
responds exactly with the letters writ |
ten to Ella Conroy At the latter part
OF the hearing the defendant plainly
said that he wrote the letters but had
to do with the assault