The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-05-19
HARD FIGHT TO
free JOHN STAFF
To Place Guilt on Man Who
Shot Wife Will be Big
Task For State.
WAS JEALOUS AND
CHARGED INFIDELITY
Various Details Surrounding
Affair Are Confusing as
to Intention.

Their are many peculiar features in
connection with the case of John
Staff, the Ward county man charged
with murder as a result OF the death
of his wife from Il bullet fired by him
while she was hiding in a barrel OIL
the farm premises near Minot.
r.. A. Nestos. states attorney OF
Ward county. who is in Grand Forks
today, is prosecuting the case. and he
most interesting in the history of the
state.
Hardest Point.
The greatest difficulty that the pros
ecution will have will be that OF prov
ing that Staff knew his wife was in the
barrel when he fired the fatal shot.
Mrs. Staff had concealed herself in
the barrel, about forty feet from the
house, after a quarrel with her hus-
band, during which he is said to have
threatened her with death by shoot
ing.
Staff claims that he had absolutely
no knowledge of her presence in the
barrel. He Went in the house, he said,
and not finding her there, went out
again.
Said She Had Gone.
To John Pekios, a hired man, Staff
Is said to have remarked that she had
left the place. Then he made the re-
mark about his ability as Il marks
man, and fired the bullet into the end
OF the barrel. Staff had, a few min
utes previous. walked around TIL.
house. n had gone within about
twenty feet of where tho barrel was.
The testimony of the children was
to the effect that they could see their
mothers skirts outside of the barrel
from the house, and the state will
make the point that Staff must have
known that she was in there when he
fired.
Talked Seeding After Shooting.
After firing the bullet Staff talked
with Pekios several minutes. They dis
cussed seeding operations and general
WORK around the farm. Then Staff
went to the house, and soon hurried
out again, going to Pekios and saving
that he had shot his wife, and that he
must hitch up u team and notify the
authorities.
Jealousy Caused Quarrel.
Jealousy was the cause of the quar-
rels between Staff and his wife. Staff
mad, on several occasions. charged her
with being u%ntaithful to him, and on
Sunday morning when he threatened
w o'iooI ucI, SIc ndQ SAID tI1at she
was going to the home of IL neighbor.
There was testimony to show that he
had stopped her and had hit her with
a board.
Staff charged that she was going
there to meetia man. He had, two or
three days previous. discharged a hir-
ed man with whom he several times
accused his wife of having Illicit re-
lations.
Jus shortly after the shooting Staff
saw the hired man walking in the field
several hundred feet distant. He had
slept in n of the barns and was lust
leaving the place. Staff is. declared to
nave called to him "to take her with
him."
Staff is about IS Years old and his
wife was about % years. She was
good looking and attractive.
The had six children. The eldest
~ Years and the youngest S months,
Applications have been made for the
adoption of the children and it is en-
pected that they will be placed in
Q homes as soon as possible.
If tried in Ward county the case
will come up in July.