The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1913-07-31
MUCH EVIDENCE POINTS
TO STAff'S GUILT
Continued from page 81


Continued from page 81
"They are for mamma. / will shoot
mamma with them," Urban says Staff
answered.
On stormy day they were sitting
about the fire and Staff grew angry
and called his wife vile names, Urban
says. Urban's testimony was con-
sidered damaging.
J. w. George, one of the first to ar
rive at the Staff farm after the shoot
ing, told of his conversation with
Staff. He said Staff had told him
that he was using the barrel as tar
get and did not know his wife was
there.
Judge Murray, one Of the early
arrivals at the farm, told Of the po-
-sition of the barrel and noticed that
it had been recently moved. Staff
must have known that it was out Of
it's usual place.
Sarah Hicks, sister of Mrs. staff,
was the next witness called and stated
that she had visited the Stats at in
tervals of year or so for the past
several years and that she had heard
much quarreling when she was there.
She mentioned one time in partic-
ular, about seven years ago, when she
and another sister, Anna Hicks, were
visiting with the Stats. Staff had
been to town, and come home some
what intoxicated. He seemed angry
because the other women were there,
and threatened then to shoot his wife.
He got his gun, and the three women
grabbed the children and hurried with
them to the chicken coop, where they
hid
Staff pointed the gun at the chick
en- coop, which had cracks in it SO he
could see the women within, and they
had to hurry from place to place in
the coop, to get away from in front
of the gun. They finally went to the
barn, and remained there with the
children all night in the haymow. She
mentioned other times when she had
been there the two had quarreled.
Saw staff Day After Shooting.
Mrs. Hicks said that she came down
from Williston the day after the
shooting and talked to Staff in Judge
Murray's Office.
She asked him why he shot his wife
and he replied that he thought she
was playing hide and seek with the
children, and he didn't know she was
in the barrel.
He said also that he wanted to dis
charge the cartridge in the rifle so
that the children would not hurt them
selves with it. She asked why he did
not remove the shell instead of firing
it, and he admitted that he might have
done that.
Anna Hicks, who lives near Minot,
corroborated her sisters story about
hiding in the hencoop, and said that
she was at the Staff farm when Staff
brought home the rifle the first time,
April 9th. They quarreled about mon
ey at that time. Staff went to town
to pay his taxes. He had sixty dol
lars. He came home without the tax
es paid and with only twenty dollars
left. He was somewhat intoxicated at
this time also.
Datka on Stand.
Kizimar Datka, the hired man, was
put on the stand next. He testified
that the couple quarreled on the even
ing preceding the shooting. He slept
in the barn on the hay, that night, he
said, and was awakened about six or
seven o'clock by shot.
He dressed hurriedly and went out,
and started across the field to neigh
bors. Staff was sitting on the drill
and called to him.
''Take Your Woman With YOU
Staff called to him to "take your -
woman with you" Datka replied that
he, Staff, could keep her himself, and
went on.
Had Threatened to Kill Her.
Datka testified that on the way
from Burlington to the Staff farm,
Staff had several times said to him
that he intended to kill his wife.
Datka's testimony was hard to fol
low as it was given through an inter-
prefer.
John Pickles, who had just been
hired by Staff, told Of the shooting
He said that Staff had walked up to-
wards the barrel and exclaimed: "See
how can shoot" He then took care.
full aim and fired. Piekos says he
then walked away not knowing that
Mrs. Staff was in the barrel. He told
of the quarrel that morning. Mrs
Staff wanted to 60 to neighbours ant
Staff ordered her to stay at home. HI
threatened to shoot her if she got :
V ~ p