The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1922-01-16
FOR GUNNER TRIAL
IN BARNES DISTRICT COURT
Fargo Hotel Murder Case on
Calendar to be Called For
Trial There Tuesday
HAGEN TO BE WITNESS

| -.
HAGEN TO BE WITNESS
Valley City, N. D., Jan. 16-Prepara.
tions are under way here for the trial
CT William GUNNER, charged with the
murder OF Miss Marie Wick in a Far
go hotel, which is expected to open
in the Barnes district court here to-
morrow.
Among the states witnesses will be
H. j. Hagen, former president of the
Scandinavian-American bank, VIII O
occupied the room adjoining that in
which Miss Wick was killed. during a
part of the night of her death. Mr..
Hagen is said to be on his way to
Valley City from Seattle, Wash.
Fargo, N. D., Jan. 16-Ths Staying
Of Marie Wick at hotel here in June
1921, for which William GUNNER, the
hotel clerk, is to be tried at Valley
3ity, Jan. II, created sensation in
he northwest and city and county Of
icials characterized the crime as one
# the most brutal ever committed in
'is section
The body Of Miss Wick, who was IS
years old, was found in Room No. 80
If the Prescott Hotel about z a. m. on
une after she had registered at the
lotel the previous night She was on
her way to Pettibone, N. D., from her
home in Grygla, Mimi, to spend a va
cation with an aunt and had stopped
in Fargo to make train connections.
Gagged with parts Of the bed cloth.
ing and trussed to the bed with blood
soaked pillow cases, investigation
showed that the girl had been attack
ed before being beaten to death with
the nozzle Of fire hose. She had
been dead from four to six hours, ac-
cording to DR.. p. III. Burton, county
physician, who made the examination.
Authorities Immediately plunged in
to the work of attempting to find the
slayer who apparently left no clues,
and after eight days Of investigation,
GUNNER was arrested June Is on a
charge Of murder in the first degree
on complaint of William Green,
states attorney for Cass county.
Is 22 Years Old
GUNNER, who is % years old and
the son of farmer, living near May.
vile, N. D., strongly maintained his in.
nocence, but after the state at pre-
liminary hearing had submitted what
was termed discriminating evidence"
he was ordered bound over to- the Cass
county district court for trial in No..
vember. =
When his case came up at the No
vember term of county court, GUNNER
through his attorneys, asked for a
dice against the crime was so great in
Fargo that selection Of an impartial
jury would be- virtually impossible He
was granted the change by Judge C.
H. Cooley of Grand Forks, presiding
in the county district court and the
case ordered transferred to the Barnes
county district court at Valley City
to be heard during the January term.
The case was expected to be the first
heard from the Barnes county docket
early in January.
The hotel clerks preliminary hear
ing began June % after having been
from June 2l at the request
of the state, and ended after four
days when he was ordered bound over
for trial before a cOroners verdict
was returned holding him responsible
for the slain girls death.
Coroner's Jury Verdict
The verdict reached by the coroners
jury, withheld until after the prelim-
mary examination, was that Marie
Wick came to her death on the sew
enth day Of June, 1921, in Room No.
80 in the Prescott HOTEL in Fargo, N.
D., by reason of having been choked,
strangled and struck upon the head
with a fire hose nozzle; that her kill
ing was felonious and was committed
by William GUNNER, according to evil
dence presented and to the best of our
knowledge"
At the time Coroner E. F.. Moore
said the verdict, which was returned
July 2, after GUNNER was bound over
for trial, had been previously reached
but it was thought advisable not to
make it known until after the hearing.
Gummers preliminary hearing, which,
according to officials, was to prove
that there was probable cause to be.
lieve he had committed the murder
ended July 2 without the hotel clerk
taking the stand
Claim Admissions
At the hearing States attorney
Green introduced a statement which
he alleged Gunner made to him adj
mitting that he had visited the girls
room about 6:30 on the morning of
June Z, a half hour before any one
else knew of the crime. GUNNER said
that Miss Wick had left a call for 6
o'clock and that he made his way into
her room with pass key only after
he had failed to receive a response
to repeated telephone calls. Shocked
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