The Bismarck tribune., 1919-03-26
LITER IN PEN
HERE ADMITS
llIN0T KILLING |
Arthur Buck Said to Have Con-
fessed Staying Detective
in Self Defense
TRIAL IS BEGUN IN WARD
Alnbushing of Officers of Magic
City by Auto Tire Ban
dts Is Recalled

ullS h ASSS"S~~
Minot, N. D., March 26.--Arthur
Buck, LITER. IN court for two days
stood by his confession, made in the
prison at Bismarck to Attorney Gen
eral LANCER, in which he charges that
R, r., Roberts, his alleged companion
In the theft and handling OF automo-
bile tires was with him on the night
OF April 26, 1918, when Kersey GOWN
and Pat Devaney, Minot police Off,
cials, were killed in attempting rald
on the plant used by the tire-stealing
gang north of Minot.
On Buc's confession, the third he
has made since he was arrested, Rob
erts faces a charge\>of first degree
murder.
All day Friday and all day Satur-
day Buck, brought to Mlnot by harry
Dunbar, state transportation !o1t-
Ger, was on the witness stand before
Justice Lynch, where he repeated the
story of the nights shooting III
which the two officials gave up their
lives In the discharge OF their duty.
When the court recessed Saturday
evening till Monday, Buck, who IS
about "a years old, was still on the
witness stand under cross examina-
tion at the hands Of Atty. Z. r. Sink
Ter, counsel for Roberts. ..
o. B. Herigstad, states attorney
OF Ward county, filed the charge or
murder, against Roberts, and IS
prosecuting the case. =
For the murder OF GOWN and De-
vaney, Buck pleaded guilty and was
sentenced to the peaitentiary for
life. ., ~.
Whole Gang is Broken.
The double murder and subsequent
Investigation resulted in bringing in
to the hands Of the authorities
J. E. Shirley, who pleaded guilty to
burglary and was sentenced to five
years In prison, and it also brought
into the hands OF the authorities
James Ticknor, at one time accused
by Black of being his companion the
night OF the shooting, but whom he
now claims was not with him, and j.
A. Parriott, these two being charged
with burglary.
In 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 it only be
cause the Minot police didn't believe
Roberts was the man.
Il made that confession to get it
over with" said Buck in court under
cross examination on Saturday. Il
knew was in for life, and I wanted
to plead guilty and get state protec-
ti0n Just as soon as possible"
Time and again Buck gave this as
his reason for various of the state
ments that he had made in the Tick
nor confession, which, followed by
only half an hour the confession he
made on the night of April 2S, two
NIGHTS after the double murder, in
the nffioo of States Attorney .Herig-
"Jilnmie'' Ticknor, as his name is
given In the evidence, also is known
as Clark M. Ticknor
Ticknor and Perriott have stated
to the authorities that they will
plead guilty to charges Of burglary,
and informa tions 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
1T Donny Makoti and other
small towns around Minot, led up to
the double murder and the breaking
up OF the gang. Police had dis )ov
cred the "plant' in a pasture Irth
OF Minot, and GOWN and Devaney
went there to arrest the members OF
the gang and seize the cache.
Kersey GOWN was we'll known
detective, being employed by Attor
ney General LANCER at the time OF
the celebrated Minot raids, and Pat
Deyaney formerly resided at Bow
bells, N. D. He came to Minot just
q few days before he was killed to
take the police position
!. Made Two Confessions.
According to evidence adduced at
the preliminary hearing at Roberts
Buck on the night Of April % made
two confessions. 1t 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.
It has been established, too, that
Il was Roberts automobile that was
used by the two murderers, who
ever they were. This is established
by the testimony Of the driver of the
police car, who identified the ma
chine used by the mrderers by rea
son Of the fact that it was a Ford
iwth q leaky radiator, and had nc
top. The Identification of this cal
led to the arrest Of Buck, Roberts
and ather- members Of the gang
While Buck has admitted in cour
that he told lies in his two confes
sions made here, and also lied in tai
third confession in some instances
he sticks to the proposition that Rob
erts w1s his companion the night o
the murders. On that point he ha
no budget while in court.
MOULD RATHER
EH6ur TIL A N "nRR