The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1920-05-20

irving there at about IL 80 a. M, and
walked into the house and there found
Mr.. Jacob Wolf, Mrs. Wolf, the five.
children and the hired hand, jacob
Hofer. I began talking to Jacob Wolf,
demanding damages for the injury
done to my cow by VOLTS dog. 1 told
Wolf to come and look at the dow
and see for himself how much damage
the dog had done to my cow Wolf
then told me to leave his yard and go
away. This conversation took place
while I and Wolf were standing in the
doorway leading from the stormshed
into the house proper.
l then told him not to get mad, and
he (Wolf) got the gum, a double bar
reled shotgun, out of his front room.
/ then tried to take the gun away
from him, and in the fight between
Wolf and myself for the gun, one shot.
went off and then another in quick
succession. One or the shots killed
Mrs. Wolf. l did not see her fall, but
saw her lay there.
l then got the gun away from Wolf
and then got more shells out of he
bureau drawer in the front room.
where l saw Wolf take two shells at
the time he (Wolf) got the gun and
began shooting. l do not remember
at whom l shot first, but believe l shot
at Jacob Molf. who by this time had
run out of the house across the yard
toward the COW shed, and hit him and
I saw Jacob Wolf fall.
l then went out of the house, where
Jacob Wolf lay, and fired another shot
into VOLTS body. I then went into
the cowshed. saw there. VOLTS two
girls and shot them where they stool
in the northwest orn of the shed.
l then returned to the house and there
shot and killed the rest of VOLTS
family.
l then returned to the yard, carry
ing VOLTS coat, dragged VOLTS body
into the shed, first covered the bodies
Of the two girls with hay, which I
took out of the manager, threw VOLTS
body and then also covered his
(Wolf's) body with hay, then returned
to the house, opened the trap door
leading from the kitchen into the
basement and threw the bodies of the
dead laying about the kitchen, one
after another, into the basement. then
put down the trap door.
The reason l did not kill the baby
was, I believe. because l did not go
into the room in which the baby Law.
I then pulled loose the telephone wires
from the instrument. I then left the
Wolf house, carrying the gun, closing
the doors behind me as l walked out.
Before leaving the. house I picked up
all the empty shells, carrying them
with me also.
l then broke the gun, carrying tho
same, walked south through VOLTS
yard toward the slough, which I knew
was there. When I got to the slough
l threw the broken gun and shells I
had In my pocket into the slough. and
then turned east on the north side of
Brekken's lake till I came to the draw
leading north, and followed this draw
to the hill and then crossed the hin
and cut over toward the road north
OF Wolfs farm, and then followed this
road to my house, a distance of about
two miles. I don't know what time IT
was when i GOT homo h,,+ hors,u> a..
was about 2::30 p. m! I will also add
Una after l finished the shooting in
the cowshed I threw about three or
1our empty shells from the cowshed
into the hayloft through an open door.
This is the whole truth.
(Signed), HENRY LAYER.
Witness. Geo. D. Mcdowell.
Sworn and subscribed before mo
this 18th day Of May, 1920.
co.