The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-05-02


Ticknor, Escaped Convict With
Him-Shooting Occurred
Friday Night at Ma
loney's Farm
Kersey E. Gown, special agent
working under Attorney General VIM.
E. Hanger, and Patrick Devaney,
member of the night police force Of
the city of Minot were murdered in
cold blood by Arthur Buck, aged %
years, who has been following the
avocation of blind pigger in Minot
for two or three weeks, and Clark M.
Ticknor, Montana thug, automobile
tire robber and general burglar, Fri
day night at 1890 o'clock in wheat
field on the John Maloney farm about
mile northeast of the city.
Mr. Gown was taken to the hospi-
tai by Chauncey Jones, a farmer liv-
ing northeast Of the city, who had
hauled the officers to the scene of the
shooting, within very few minutes
after Gown had been mortally wound
ed. He died at 2:53 Saturday morn
ing, remaining conscious to the last.
Mr.. Devaney was killed instantly.
His body was brot to- the city and
placed in Rowan's undertaking rooms
about an hour after the murder took
place, while the body Of Mr.. Gown,
Immediately after death, was taken to
the Van Fleet undertaking rooms.
Arthur Buck Makes Confession.
Arthur Buck, young man from
Canada, who with a woman claiming
to be his wife, was arrested day or
two before the murder, on charge of
maintaining common nuisance in q
house four blocks west of the Normal
school, was arrested and held as wit
ness early in the morning following
the shooting. He was found at his
home and was taken to the city Jail,
where it soon became evident that he
knew more about the shooting than
he cared to tell. He grew very ner-
vous and when accused of being an ac-
complice, finally admitted Sunday
night that he had murdered the Of
ficers himself. He implicated first
Bob Roberts, Minot pigger, whose
automobile the bandits used in going
to the scene Of the shooting, but later
confessed that the man who was with
him was none other than Clark M.
Ticknor.
Ticknor and Shirley Arrested.
Chief of Police Dan Dougherty and
Officer Reed arrested Ticknor and
Shirley in their room in the Rex Ho-
tel. on Second street southwest, about
1890 o'clock Saturday morning, ex-
actly two hours after the murders
had been committed and the officers
deserve great credit for their splen-
did detective work and the bravery
they exhibited in making the arrest OF
the two desperate men. =,
Chief Dougherty had but a small
clue to work upon, but it appears that
he had the right "hunch." Bob Rob-
erts, it is said, came to the assistance
of the police and aided them in locat-
ing the men at the Rex Hotel. While
he knew nothing Of the shooting, ne
knew that request had been made by
Arthur Buck to use his car that night,
and when he learned of the shooting,
he suspected that it was his own car
that had been driven to the scene OF
the shooting. Roberts, it seems, knew
that Shirley and Ticknor were mem
bers of a gang of tire thieves, for it
is said that he had been approached
by them in an effort to sell him some
tires. Roberts, who was just recently
placed under arrest charged with pig
ging, will undoubtedly get off in the
lightest possible manner for the good
work he did in assisting to bring the
guilty men to justice.
When Officers Dougherty and Reed
went to the Rex Hotel, they found
their men in room. AS they opened
the door to the room, they looked into
the muzzles of couple of wicked
looking revolvers. The officers had
their guns leveled at the men, who
closed the door. Dougherty left Reed
to guard the door, then ran outside OF
the building just in time to see one OF
the men crawl part way thru the WIN
dow, A shot from the officers gun
caused the bandit to get back into his
room quickly. Dougherty then ran
back to assist Reed, who had shot thru
the door. The door was forced open
and the bandits, realizing that they
had another fight on their hands,
threw down their guns and with arms
upraised walked out. They were tax
en- to the city Jail:
They were closely questioned during
the early morning hours. Ticknor, the
murderer, refused to give up any cyl
dence whatsoever, but Shirley, who
did not happen to be in on the murder
told the police and States Attorney
Herigstad all that he knew concern.
ing the half dozen robberies in which
he had been implicated in towns in
northwestern North Dakota.
How Gown and Devaney Met Theil
Death.
| About week before the murder o1