The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1921-06-30

to the testimony Of Richard Picker
ing, member of the Fargo police de-
partment, gave at the opening of the
afternoon session Of Gummer's hear
ing today.
All previous accounts Of the opening
Of the door to the room have been
to the effect that pass key only was
used in opening the door, the pass key
being hooked up with another key
on safety pin.
Miss Wick, on the night that she
was assigned to the room, was given
a key attached to brass plate.
She locked her door from the in
side with that key.
It has not since been found; the
door to her room was locked from the
outside by the man who raped and
murdered her, and took the key with
him.
When States Attorney Green exhi-
bited key attached to brass plate
such as the hotel gives to- its guests,
Pickering said it seemed to be the
same kind of key.
GUNNER, says Pickering, advanced
the theory of suicide when the officer
arrived in the hotel. Pickering was
the first official on the ground. He
asked GUNNER in the office what the
trouble was, and GUNNER was quoted
as replying that "the girl in No. 30
is covered with blood and it looks
like suicide"
Pickering asserted that it Cooked
like murder, he told the court.
GUNNER was quoted as replying
that ut couldn't be murder as the
door was locked.
Pickering said he made search Of
the room for the key given to the
girl but did not find it.
He said he did not see from whence
GUNNER produced the key he used,
nor has he seen it since.
Testimony by which the state ex-
poets to directly connect William
GUNNER with the murder of Marie
Wick probably will not be introduced
at the preliminary examination OF
GUNNER until tomorrow.
Today the state proceeded with its
inquiry tending to account for every
other occupant of the hotel on the
night of the murder.
Late today it lis expected that the
state will offer in evidence pair OF
trousers, found in the basement of the
Prescott hotel several days after the
murder. Spots on the trousers have
been analysed by an agricultural col
lege chemist as being caused by the
blood of human being.
Today the state also is expected
to call Miss May Melaas, chamber
maid, who occupied the room directly
under No. 80, the room occupied by
Miss Wick the night she Was slain.
Miss Nelaas will testify to noises
that she heard about q. m, on the
night of the killing. These, she says.
resembled blows and at one time she
said she thought somebody was hitting
a shoe against bed. After the noise
Of the pounding subsidized, she heard
q person walk around room 80, and
finally leave, walking down the hall
toward the front stairs that lead into
the Prescott hotel office.
Miss Melaas is the maid who enter
ed the room on the morning OF the
discovery Of the crime, opening the
door at the request of Fred Lawrence.
The production of the trousers de-
velops q new angle of the case. 1t
is understood these were found on
Monday, June 10, at 10 a. M, or near
" a week after the murder. They
had been thrown on the floor at the
foot Of the back stairs leading to the
basement, q place that had been pre-
viously thoroughly searched by two or
three persons.
Ownership Of the trousers has not
heen definitely established, it became
known today. GUNNER denied that
they are his.
The state today continued to in
troduce the testimony of witnesses to
establish the manner Of the commits
sion Of the crime, and at the same
time to account for the people in the
hotel. in the second day Of the pre-
liminary examination of William Cum
mer charged with the murder of Miss
Marie Wick Of Grygla, MINI.
Sheriff Ferd Kraemer was called
to the witness stand shortly before
noon, the purpose Of the state being
to show from his testimony the exact
condition of the girls room at the
time Of the discovery Of the murder
ON the morning Of June z. Sheriff
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der the direct examination Of Stated
Attorney Green when the afternoon
session began. States Attorney
Green said today that he had hoped
to complete the introduction of evil
dence tonight, but now believed that
this could not be done until tomorrow.
Death Chamber Described
A complete description Of the death
chamber as it appeared when they
were called to room No. 80 was given
in the testimony Of Sheriff Kraemer,
even to the number Of knots tied in
strips Of the bed sheet which bound
both wrists on the slain woman to
the posts at the head Of the bed. He
testified that the right arm was fas-
tened with eight neatly tied knots,
and that there were few knots In
the portion Of the sheet used to strap
down the left arm.
During the testimony Of Sheriff
Kraemer, the state offered in evidence
number Of exhibits, including the
electric liRht bulb in the girls room