The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1916-08-10

Dickinson, Aug. 7.-Frank Lang,
who was convicted this morning in
the Mott court Of the murder of l.. H.
Larson, farmer living two miles from
Regent, was sentenced this afternoon
to life Imprisonment at the state peni-
tentiary.
Dune McGillis, state transportation
agent is expected on No. l to bring
the prisoner to bismarck.
Lang was arrested Friday evening
at Dickinson. He was brought back
to Mott for trial and then returned
to Dickinson to receive sentence.
According to Lang's story, he and
Larson were en- route to a hay field,
when they quarreled over the use Of a
whiffletree. Lang claims Larson hit
him over the head with rock and
called him ugly names. In the fight
that ensued, Lang is said to have ad-
mitted grabbing scale weight lying
on the wagon and crushing Larson's
skull.
Both were on the hayrack at the
time, and as they fought, the team
ran away, Larson's body being thrown
from the rig. Lang returned to Lar
sons body, tied the hands and feet,
so he couldn't give an alarm, the
prisoner maintaining that he didn't
know Larson had been killed.
Mott, Aug. Ives, l did it, but he
hit me with rock first" was the ad-
mission made by Frank Long, alias
Lechowsky, to representative of the
Mandan Daily Pioneer. He followed
with full confession, saying: Larson
and had a fight and he picked up a
rock and hit me on the head with it..
L picked up that old weight from a
scale and hit him on the head with it.
l killed him in self Defense"
States Attorney Crane and the sher-
iff worked with Long yesterday trying
to get him to make statement on the
murder of farmer Louis H. Larson last
Thursday night, but it was not until a
Daily Pioneer representative was ad-
mitted to the cell with Long that he
finally broke down and made the con-
fession. He admitted that he was a
member of the I. w. W., and that he
had three brothers in Chicago and a
sister in Kansas City. He had ap-
pealed to the latter for money with
which to help him out of the trouble.
Armed guards all Saturday night
and Sunday surrounded the Hettinger
county Jail prepared to resist the at
tempts of two different parties bent
on laying their hands on Long. I. w.
w. members threatened to mob the
Hettinger county Jail and free the con-
fessed murderer. The sheriff swore in
a large number of deputies, armed
them, and then rounded up 80 Of the
I. w. w. and Saturday night chased
them out of Mott. Sunday seven more
were rounded up and started trekking
for different fields However, the I. w.
w. have appealed for aid from head
quarters and seek not only reinforce
ments but money with which to wage
the fight for Longs release.
Saturday it became known that a
band of some $50 farmers from the vi
entity of Regent had armed them
selves and prepared to come to Mott
to batter in the jail door, seize Long
and stage lynching bee. The terrific
rain which came up late in the after
noon prevented the crowd from driv-
ing across country and the plan fell
through. However, officials Of Hettin-
ger county expected further demon
stration and as a result continued the
armed guard. The l. w. w. had been
concentrating their forces at Regent
and at other points near Mott, and it
was believed were preparing to rush
the Jail and deliver Long.
AS result of the organization of the
I. w. w. and the farmers, it is feared
hot jer hot sc,1 1ioh1o fN hrooE 011f