Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1920-04-29

=. JAMEsToy
States Attorney Williams today. He
said they were clearly innocent of
the crime.
An examination conducted by the
coroner's jury disclosed that all but
one OF the victims were slain with a
shotgun, while the eighth victim
was killed with a hatchet.
. Turtle Lake, N. D., April ,25.-
(Speciai) All but one of the eight
persons found murdered here Satur-
day noon were shot to death with
q shot gun fired from behind, while
the other was killed with a smashing
blow on the side of the head with
the broad part of hatchet blade.
These were the results of the ex-
animation conducted by the coroner'a
jury at the inquest which was COM
pleted late Sunday afternoon. All
OF the deaths but one were instan
taneous. Jacob Wolf, Al, father Of
the unfortunate family, was shot
thru right side from behind, which
shot away three ribs and was wound
ed in the back at long range. The
former shot caused deep wound
and tore away most of the side Of the
body.
Mrs. Wolf, 35, was shot in the
back at close range, the gunshot tear
ing a hole two inches in diameter,
this was the only mark on her body.
Bertha, 13, was shot in the nose
at close range, almost blowing in th.,
entire front Of her face.
The assassin then buried hatchet
across the mangled face nearly sever
ing the head.
Maria, 10, was shot in the back OF
the head behind the left ear, the skin
and hair being badly burned from
the powder charge.
Edna, 8, was shot in the back OF
the head at close range, the shot
tearing q huge cash across the tiny
head.
Lydia, 6, was shot back of the left
ear and the base of the skull deeply
cut by a blow from the hatchet.
7 Martha, 8, frontal bone of head
smashed in by blow from the broad
side of the hatchet.
Jake Hofer, 13, hired hand, shot
thru back of neck, wind pipe and
throat severed and jugiar vein prob
ably. shot away. The eight months
old baby, Emma, the only survivor
of the worst crime recorded in North
Dakota police annals, is today the
owner of a well equipped farm free
from encumbrances and valued at
over $4,000 for at least two days.
the eight murders having been COM
mitted shortly after noon Thursday.
and the bodies not discovered until
Saturday afternoon. The baby scan.
tily tattired in a heatless room, was
slowly starving to death. Her res
cue by neighbors is all that prevented
the entire Wolf family Of eight from
being destroyed.
A number of Investigations ana
searches were conducted by the aut',:-
critics all day Sunday in an attempt
to apprehend the person or persons
who committee one of the most helm
GUS crimes ever perpetrated, but
without success. The finding of a
double barrel shotgun in a slough
one mile from the Wolf farm this at
ternoon is still considered the most
important clue on which the author
tiles have to work. The ownership
Of the shotgun, which had only been
in the water a day or two is still un-
discovered.
The authorities announced tonight
after an all day Investigation Of the
farm home, barn and farm yard, that
Mrs. Wolf, Bertha, Lydia, Martha
and Jake Hofer, were probably mur-
dered in the kitchen of the home and
their bodies then thrown down the
cellar under the kitchen. Mr.. Wolf
was probably killed in the barnyard
as he was rushing to the defense of
his screaming wife and children, hav-
ing evidently been out to. the corral
to attend the stock after eating his
dinner Thursday noon.
Marie and Edna, the two daugh-
ters found under the pile of hay in
the cowshed with their fathers part
lly concealed body, were proba bly,
shot while running into the cowshed
to escape the murderer or murder
ers. Mr.. VOLTS body probably fell
in the farmyard where he was shot
and then dragged into the cowshei
and hid under the same pile of hay
where the f1ends had placed the dead
bodies Of his young daughters. $
Early Story Of Tragedy.
\ Turtle Lake. April 24.-Eight per-
sons were found dead today at the
farm home Of Jacob Wolf, three
miles north of here, the victims Of
=, ,ovs%nr3 n,,x, M - ri az ,srha dood. "