The Bowbells tribune. [volume] (Bowbells, Ward Co., N.D.) 1899-1969, 1919-03-28
ROBERTS HELPED
BUCK KILL OEvANEY

DUN Mill UtVAntI
Minot, N. D., March 27.-Arthur
Buck, lifer, In court for two days
stood by his confession, made In
the prison at Bismarck to Attorney
General LANCER, in which he charges
that r. e. Roberts, his alleged COM
panion in the theft and handling of
automobile tires, was with him ON
the night of April 2 /, 1918, when
Kersey GOWN and Pat Devaney,
Minot police officials, were killed in
attempting raid on the plant
used by the tire-stealing> gang north
Of Minot. -
On Bucks confession, the third
he has made since he was arrested,
Roberts faces charge of first de-
gree murder. s
All day Friday and all day Satur-
day Buck, brought to Minot by Har-
ry Dunbar, state transportation Of
ficer, was on the witness stand be-.
fore Justice Lynch, where he re-
reated the story of the nights
shooting in which the two officials j;
gave up their lives in the discharge
of their duty. :.
When court recessed Saturday
evening till Monday, Buck, who Is
about "a years old, was still on the
witness stand under cross examtna-
tion at the hands Of Attorney e. r.
Sinkler, counsel for Roberts. d.
O. B. Herigstad, states attorney
Of Ward county, filed the charge of
murder against Roberts, and II
prosecuting the case. Z.
For the murder of GOWN and De-
vaney, Buck pleaded guilty and
was sentenced to the penitentiary
for life. !. .
Whole Gang is Broken
The double murder and subse-
quent investigation resulted in
bringing into the hands of the au-
thorities. J. E. Shirley, who pleaded
guilty to burglary and was sentenc-
ed to five years in prison, and 1t
also brought into the hands of the
authorities James Ticknor, at one
time accused by Black of being his
companion the night of the shoot
ing, but whom he now claims was
not with him, and J. A. Parriott,
these two being charged with burg
larry.
In a confession that he has since
repudiated Buck said that Ticknor.
was with him when the shooting
took place, but in explanation of
that confession he contends that he
was intimidated, and made 1t only
because the Minot police didn't be-
lieve Roberts was the man.
II made that confession to get 1t
over WITH" said Buck In court un-
der cross examination on Saturday.
II knew 1 was in for life, and
wanted to plead guilty and get
state protection just as soon>as pos
sible."
Time and again Buck gave that
as his reason for various of the
statements that he had made In the
Ticknor confession, which followed
by only half an hour the confession
he made on the night Of April 28,
two nights after the double murder,
is the office of States Attorney Her
igstad in Minot. 2,
Jimmie" Ticknor. as his name is
given in the evidence, also Ia known
as. Clark M. Ticknor. r... ...
Ticknor and Perriott have stated
to the authorities that they will
plead guilty to charges of burglary.
and informations charging burglary
will be filed either today or tomor-
row in the district court.
Theft of Tires the Cause
A series of automobile tire thefts
at Donnybrook, Makoti,, and other
small towns around Minot. led up to
the double murder and the break
{,,rr ~
covered the plant" In pasture
vaney went there to arrest MEM
bers of the gang and seize the
cache.
Kersey Gown was a we'll known
detective, being employed by At
torney General LANCER at the time
of the celebrated Minot raids. and
Pat Devaney formerly resided at
Bowbells, N. D.
Made Two Confessions
According to evidence adduced at
the preliminary hearing Of Roberts.
Buck on the night Of April 90 made
two confessions. It wasn't till he
was in prison at Bismarck that he
repudiated that confession which
implicated Ticknor, and said that
Roberts was the man who was with
him. fsE
1t has been established, too, that
It was Roberts automobile that
was used by the two murderers,
whoever they were: This Is estab- ].
lished by the testimony Of the driv-
er Of the police car, who Identified
the machine used by the murderers
by reason of the fact that it was q
Ford with leaky radiator, and had
no top: The Identification Of this
car led to the arrest of Buck. Rob
erts and other members OF the gang.
While Buck has admitted in court
that Ihe told lies In his two confess
sions made here, and also lied IN
the third confession in some in-ss;
stances; he sticks to the propost-s
ton that Roberts was his compan-$
ion the night Of the murders. On
that point he has not budged while:
in court. Il
,rs :. NJ, - -, -