The Dickinson press., 1916-08-12
REGENT FARMER
IS MURDERED BY
FARM EMPLOYEE
Continued from Page One)

team about a half a mile and DUMPED
out all the stuff he had in the rack.
He later also dumped off the rack
from the wagon, and drove in the
direction of Regent. While on his
way to Regent he attempted to dis
pose of the team, either by sale or
trade for a horse and buggy, saving
he was a horse trader. Failing in
this he finally tied the team to an
old shack about a mile and a half
from Regent and walked into town,
where he caught a train for New
England.
When Larson did not return at
supper time, his mother became
anxious and called her brother and
neighbors over the phone. A search
was made that evening for the mis-
sing man, but without avail. Early
the following morning the search was
again taken up, with the result that
the body was found in the swale,
where it had been left. By this time
the team had also been discovered,
and this gave every evidence that a
murder had been committed.
The sheriff and coroner were mott
fled, but only a meagre description
could be secured Of the missing hired
man. Two neighbors, who had seen
him, Joined in the chase which fin
ally led to Dickinson, the man evil
IDENTIFY having walked overland from
New England to this city.
The searching party secured the
aid of Policeman McDonough upon
their arrival in the city, and they
set out for the jungles in attempt
to find their They finally To-
Gated a man who answered the de-
scription Of the murderer except that
he wore a cap. One Of the party ex-
pressed himself satisfied that he was
the right man, nevertheless, and the
arrest was made.
When examined at Dickinson, the
accused mar was found to be carry
ing an I. w. W. card bearing the
name of Frank Long. However, in
the Regent district he vas going by
the name of Frank Laskowski, which
later proved to be the mans real
name. Blood was found on his coat
and trousers and also in the pockets
of the garments.
During the questioning; one of the
stories told by the accused murderer
was that the clothes were given him
by his brother, who left hurriedly a
couple of nights before for Canada,
as he had killed a man.. The officers
put no credence in the story and
took the prisoner to the county Jail
at Mott, where he later signifed his
intention Of pleading guilty to the
charge.
In making his plea of guilty, Long
said that he killed Larson in self
defense, following a quarrel over a
set of forgotten sing etrees. He
stated that Larson first threw a
stone at him, and he came back at
him with the scale weight. He. had
no explanation to make, however, as
how he came into possession of the
strapped scale weight. When asked
by States Attorney Crane what he
thought his sentence ought to be,
Long answered: Anywhere from one
year to life in the pen."
On Monday afternoon the self-con-
fessed murderer, who is only % years
of age, was brought before Judge
w. G. Crawford at Dickinson to re-
ceive sentence. When asked by the
judge if he had any statement to
make, Long answered that he had
nothing to say. The judge then
passed sentence-that Long should
spend the remainder of his natural
life at hard labor in the state peni-
tertiary at Bismarck. He was taken
to the pen the next morning on No.
8 to begin the serving Of his sentence.
Larson, the murdered man, was a
popular young farmer of H%ettinger
county, moving to the Regent vicinity
from Wisconsin some ten years ago.
He was unmarried and made his home
with his mother. He first homestead
ed, made money, proved up on his
claim and later purchased more land.
No Motive For Crime
No motive has been a~scertained
why Long murdered his employer. 1t
is generally believed, however, that
robbery was the incentive, while 9TH
ers advance the theory that the
murderer planned to return to the
house and attack the dead mans aged
mother, but lost his nerve. It is
thought by many that he intended to
| shoot the old lady when he called for
the gun, but changed his mind.
Long talks in the ver1acular of q
city tough. He was born and raised
in Chicago, and has evidently fol-
lowed the path Of the underworld.
His parents are dead. He joined the
l. w. w. organization in Omaha last
month and then drifted to North Da-
kota, where he was employed by
Larson a couple of days before the
murder was committed.