Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-04-30

ne ordered MS WlIo out OF DeQ. S10
demonstrated and he took his rifle
which he kept in the house and. load
ed it. Fearing he would do something
rash she screamed for help and ran
out of the house. John Batterberry
who was staying at the Wright place
as helper in the gravel pit, and who
was at the time sleeping upstairs,
awakened by her screams rushed
down, but before he could prevent it,
Wright discharged the gun thru the
window. The shot, it would seem, was
fired at random out into the night,
but the bullet sped as unerringly to
its mark as If its victim had been in
view and the rifle had been aimed
with care. The woman was hit in
the neck and shoulder and the soft
nosed bullet, fattening as it hit the
window pane, inflicted an awful
wound. She fell about twenty feet
from the house, but managed to crawl
back to the house. Batterberry 'phon-
ed for the doctor and ran to get Mrs.
Wright's brother, Joe Pelky who lives
down the road a short distance. When
Mr.. Pelky arrived the husband was at
the side of the woman in a dazed way
asking her what the trouble was The
brother pushed him aside and took
his sister in his arms. She spoke to
him in French, saying that she was
cold and dying and desired him to
send for a priest. He laid her in the
bed and covered her with blankets.
At this time Drs. Oppegaard and Han
son, accompanied by Edward Gustaf-
son and DR.. Myron Cramer, arrived
S~s
woman to Sunnyside Hospital where
she died few minutes past three.
An attested ante-mortem statement
was secured from her before she died.
Shortly afterwards Sheriff Bonde and
County Attorney Chas. Johnson ar
rived on the scene, took the husband
into custody and made a preliminary
investigation. The man who had COM
mitted the awful deed was found in
his auto sound asleep. 1t is thought
he had made an unsuccessful attempt
to crank his car. He was taken at
once to the county jail at Willmar.
Later in the morning the officers
again went up from Willmar with
Coroner John c. Jacobs and a steno-
grapher, and an inquest was held at
which five witnesses were examined,
and the jury found a verdict impli-
eating the husband with the death of
the woman.
Tuesday morning at eleven o'clock
the prisoner was arraigned before
Judge Geo. Muller of the Municipal
Court at Willmar, charged with muir.
der in the second degree. He waived
examination, and was bound over to
await the action of the grand jury and
was not admitted to ball.
The Murdered Woman.
Mrs. Annie Wright the murdered
woman, was the daughter of Moses
Pelky, one of the old time residents
Of Roseville, in which town she was
born on the 9Th day Of June, 1874.
She was married to John Wright when
she was sixteen years of age. There
are no children.
She leaves father, two brothers,
Joe Pelky of New London and E. j.
Pelky Of Minneapolis, and two sisters,
Mrs. H. A. Townsend of Donnelly and
Mrs. H. T. Larson of DeGraff.
The funeral took place yesterday
morning at Paynesville and was con-
Quoted by Father Schollenberg Of the
Catholic church.
3. ]. Pelky was in Lake Williams
on a business trip when he received
the telegram telling of his sisters
fate. He arrived yesterday but too
late for the funeral