The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-05-15
FARGO PAPER IN
PLOT. .T'0CREDIT
FRAZIER I Man
League Sheet Would Have Read
ers Believe Governors De-
tective Solved Mystery
DELIBERATE FALsEH00D
Official Claims Investigator"
Did Not Know Murderer
+ Had Been Arrested

considerable Indignation is being
expressed among atficials here and at
Washburn over the claim in the Fargo
league newspaper that a detective
named John P. Hoy, employed by
Governor Lynn J. Frazier, had been
responsible for the arrest, confession
and conviction of Henry Layer, the
slayer of the eight murder victims on
the Wolf farm near Turtle Lake last
month
The Fargo league organ stated yes
terday that Hoy, after comforting
with Sheriff Ole Stefferud of Mclean
county, following Hoy's two days ''in.
vestigation' at Turtle Lake, decided
to arrest Layer because evidence
considered important to Justify Lay
er's arrest had been discovered by
the governors private operative.
Deliberate Falsehood
Nothing could be further from the
TRUTH said one high official today,
who has been closely identified with
the murder mystery from the day
the murders were discovered. "It
looks like a deliberate falsehood and is
offered the league readers of the Far
go newspaper as propaganda to bols.
ter up Frazier's fast dying hopes.
LAS matter of fact the governors
private detective made fool of him
self when he arrested young boy,
locked him up in the Washburn Jail
for three days, and then forgot he
was in the Jail. The governors de-
tective did not even have a warrant
to justify the holding of the innocent
boy. At no, time did the governors
detective cooperate with the Mclean
county authorities for the simple
reason that the Mclean, county all.
thorities had the mystery practically
solved when the governors detective
appeared on the scene."
States Attorney ]. E. Williams of
Mclean county, who has been active
ly connected with the case from. the
day the eight dead bodies were dis
covered, gave full credit for the ori,
ginally suspecting the murder to
Chief of Police Chris Martineson of
Bismarck. Chief Martineson, at the
request of Mclean county authorities,
went to Turtle Lake the day the
bodies were found and, with the ex-
ception of one or two days spent in
Bismarck, has been working con-
tinuously on the case.
Iav>r onn cuana~%ad
Sheriff Stefferud and Chief MARITIME
son, assisted by States Attorney Will
iams combed the country to build
up strong case against the suspect
ed man. who nnally confessed. Mar
tinesOn gave Layer stiff grilling at
the coroner's inquest. the day after
the bodies were discovered. At the
funeral, almost a week after the MUIR
ders were committed, Martineson
and the sheriff, who on this day were
joined by detective representing the
attorney generals Office, piled Layer
with so many questions that the muir
derer said, "For Gods sake don't ask
me any more questions"
It was Martineson, Stefferud and
Lne attorney StHGld uolcCllVS wiz
were in the party that arrested Layer
at the latter's home last Tuesday
afternoon. Governor ~Fraziers de.
tective, Hoy, was nowhere on the
scene. The governors detective, as
matter of fact never was admitted
to the confidence of the authorities.
He did not even know the murderer
had been arrested. confessed, con-
victed and sentenced to the peniten-
tiary for life until hours after the
party with the prisoner had left
Washburn Thursday afternoon, the
authorities stated.
Poor Record
The only thing the governors de-
tective did, as far as can be found
out, was to arrest an innocent eigh-
teen year old country boy, without
warrant, place him in the county jail
without charges and without the
slightest grounds for suspicion, and
then go away and leave the boy in
Jail for three days, it is said.
And yet the league organ at Fargo
would have it's readers believe that
Governor Frazier's private detective
was the real sherlock Holmes" in
the Turtle Lake murder mystery.