The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-05-14

trusted to DO.
Sentenced to imprisonment at hard
labor "for the rest of his natural
life,'' Henry Layer, self-confessed
slayer of eight persons at Turtle
Lake, N. D., April % started serving
his prison sentence at the state
penitentiary at Bismarck at o'clock
Thursday afternoon, exactly As hours
after he was arrested.
This is believed to be the fastest
administration of justice on record
in any state. Layer was arrested
Tuesday afternoon at his home, foul
miles from Turtle Lake, taken to the
Mclean county Jail at Washburn that
evening, confessed to his crimes a:
1890 Wednesday morning, was given
his preliminary hearing in justice
court at noon, tried before Judge w
L. Nuessle in district court at Wash
burn Immediately after the prelimin
ary hearing confessed and pleaded
guilty to the charge of manslaughter
in the first degree and was
whisked away to the state
penitentiary at Bismarck, Z, Sc
miles from Washburn, starting his
life sentence two days almost to the
minute after he had been arrested.
Refuses to Delay
Although no time was lost in giving
Layer his preliminary hearing and
his subsequent trial before Judge
Nuessle, every opportunity was Civ
en- the murderer to obtain counsel
change his plea to not guilty, request
a postponement of the trial and Other
safeguards offered by the law. Tc
all of Judge 'Nuessle's queries, how
ever, Layer insisted that whichever
way was the quickest to the peniten
tiary was the one he wished to fol
low
Under questioning by Judge Nues
sle, Layer confirmed his confession
and related all of the details leading
up to- and taking place during the
killing of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Wolf
their five small daughters, and Jak:
Hofer, the 13-year-old chore boy Al
no time, either during his trial OF
when his confession was wrung from
him, did he express the slightes
sorrow or regret for his frightfu
deed. a-..
Thinks Of Own Family
When Judge Nuessle, in measured
tones, pronounced sentence on the
murderer Layers first thought wa;
his wife and six children, the eldes
only nine years of age. please
judge, let me see my wife and babie:
before l go to the pen,' pleaded tn:
confessed slayer. Judge Nuessle
however, fearing for the prisoner
safety in the vicinity of Turtle Lake
25 miles from Washburn, denied thu
request.
Within ten minutes after sentence
had been pronounced, Layer was
placed in Sheriff Ole Stefferud's au
tomobile. Chief of Police Chris Mar
tineson of Bismarck and Specia
Agent George Mcdowell Of the North
ern Pacific, together with The Trib
une correspondent were the other oc
cupants of the car with Stetferut
driving. The trip to Bismarck wa:
made hurriedly and two days afte'
his arrest Layer was placed in tn:
penitentiary here.
Not a Degenerate
Layer is not a moral degenerate
in any sense of the word. The au
thorities are confident that he nevel
intended killing the entire family o.
any member of it when he first wen
to the Wolf home. although he ha;
at several occasions stated he in
tended to "get' Wolf He claim:
that just as soon as he saw Mrs. VOL
and the chore boy drop while he ant
Wolf were wrestling for the doubl'
barreled shotgun. he did not know
what he was doing.
Fortunately, Layer did not kno"
that Emma, the eight months oil,
baby, was in the bedroom. for h
acknowledged, the authorities state
that he would have killed her too.
The arrest and confession of Laye
is generally regarded as one of tn
finest examples of police work in tn
state. Handicapped by crime tw
days old without any tangible clu
to work on, the authorities could onl.
(COntinued IN Page Tnree)