The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-05-13
Signed Confession Made by
Murderer in Early Morning
Hours; Describes Horrible De-
tails of Crime
y Staff Correspondent
(Bulletin)

(By Sta1f correspondent
(Bulletin)
Sentenced to Imprisonment at
hard labor for life, Henry Layer,
self-confessed slayer of eight
persons at Turtle Lake, N. D.,
April %, started serving his
prison term at 4 o'clock this aft.
ernO0n, less than 48 hours after
he was arrested. Layer was
brought from Washburn, where
he pleaded guilty before Judge
' w. L. Nuessle in district court:
to Bismarck by automobile and
committed to the state peniten-
tiary here,
At no time during the brief
trial or the trip to Bismarck did
the slayer express the slightest
concern over the eight persons
he murdered exactly three weeks
ago. Given every opportunity to
change his plea or repudiate his
confession, and warned by Judge
Nrassle Of the seriousness of the
ck tge to which he confessed
al6 later plead guilty, Layer
staically refused the services OF
a lawyer and only asked that
''let it be over with as fast as
possible
Washburn, N. D., May 13.
Henry Layer early this morning
confessed to the killing Of Mr..
and Mrs. Jacob Wolf, their five
small daughters and the chore
boy, Jake Hofer, on the Wolf
farm three miles from Turtle
Lake, N. D., on April 2.
III feeling Of long standing
eliminated in a quarrel over in
juries administered one of Lay
er's COWS by VOLTS dog.
Layer went to VOLTS farm
home shortly before noon, and
heated words, followed by VOLTS
demand that Layer leave the
place Immediately, were the
events leading up to the murder
of the eight people, according to
Layers confession to the au-
thorities.
Used Shot Gun
When Layer refused to leave the
place Wolf went into the sitting room.
got his double barreled shot gun and
loaded two shells into the breech.
Layer grasped the gun and attempted
to wrest it away from Wolf. The
struggle took place in the entrance
to the kitchen during which the gun
was discharged twice.
Two Deaths Accidental
Layer claims in his confession that
one of these shots killed Mrs. Wolf
and the other the thirteen-year-old
chore boy.
By this time Layer had succeeded
in wrestling the gun away from Wolf
the murderer dalted into the sitting
room, got a handful of shells from
the bureau and hurried back to the
kitchen entrance.
Wolf was running towards the barn
and Layer fired the shots striking
Wolf in the back. Wolf fell to the
ground and Layer ran up to him and
placed the muzzle of the gun against
the wounded mans side and fired
again, tearing huge hole in VOLTS
body.
p Frightened Girls Run
Two Of the smaller daughters,
frightened at the fighting and seeing
their mother and the boy fall dead
in the kitchen, ran into the adjoining
bedroom and escaped from the house,
running to the nearby COW shed. Ar
rested by the screams of two girls,
Layer rushed into the barn, firing
one shot which cut a furrow in one
of the girls head.
The shot. splintered the wall. Layer
jammed the muzzle of the shotgun
against the head of the other girl
who also was screaming and pleading
for mercy, and pressed the trigger
He then placed another shell into the
gun, put the muzzle against the head
of the first child shot, who was now
dead. and fired again.
Deliberately Kills Three
The three little girls in the house
were screaming. Layer returned to
the kitchen and deliberately killed the
children, two Of them with the shot
gun. placing the muzzle against the
curly heads. and the third with a
smashing blow of hatchet.
After seven members of the family
and the chore boy had been killed
Layer went to the cowshed. covered
the two bodies of the girls with hay
dragged VOLTS body into the COW,
shed and covered it with hay.
4 Al l. sA.l.-