Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-02-13
No Session OF Court Today
Because OF Legal Holiday;
Arrest OF Brown Seems
Certain If GUNNER Is Con-
victed By Jury; Trial To
Be Resumed On Tuesday
Morning.
(By Staff Correspondent.)

Valley City, N. D., Feb. 1S.-There
was no session today Of the Barnes
county district court, where William
GUNNER, aged % Of Fargo, is being
tried on charge of numbering Marie
Wick of Grygla, Minn., at the Pres.
colt hotel in Fargo June Z last. The
recess was taken on account of Lin
coins birthday.
The trial will be resumed at 10
o'clock Tuesday morning, and 1t is
possible that GUNNER himself, or his
room mate, Andy Brown, may be
noon. It is thought more likely how
ever that they will be reserved until
Wednesday, when it is expected that
the defense will finish its case.
An Enigma to Spectators.
There is no doubt that the fate Of
GUNNER will depend largely on the
impression he makes upon the jury
while on the witness stand. So far he
has been very decided enigma to the
spectators who have attended the
trial from day to day and have watch
ed him sitting silent, and generally
motionless at the table with his at
torneys. '-'
So far as the general public is con-
cerned GUNNER has been and. still is
a name. a lay figure or an abstraction
rather than a real personality. He was
unknown before his arrest, and when
he suddenly leaped into state wide
notoriety he had already disappeared
behind the doors Of the Cass county
Jail.
So far the only clues to his person.
ality have been his appearance in the
court room which has added to the
mystery rather than solving it, and
the admissions he is alleged to have
made to the Cass county officials
which were read from the witness
stand during the present trial by
States Attorney William Green OF
Cass county.
So tense curiosity prevails as to
what will be. revealed when he breaks
the silence which he has maintained
for the last six months.
Browns situation Different. "
In regard to Brown the situation is
rather different, He has already been
on the witness stand twice although
only for a few minutes on each Occa-
sion. What the spectators at the trial
saw ,thaRs Was}:as man who was very
evidently ilabpfi Ing under = great ner-
voB strain which wasFtaxing his en-
durance to the iuttermost.
{ His hatred Of the officials who have
Z kept him in Jail as a witness since the
time of the murder also showed plain
ly through some of his answers.
His nervousness is natural. The
GUNNER trial is as important to him
as to GUNNER himself for no one
who has followed the evidence thus
far presented by the state can doubt
that If. GUNNER is convicted, Browns
arrest on charge of completely in
the crime must be expected to follow
But while GUNNER has been in the
court, room every day watching the
progress Of the battle on which his
fate depends, Brown has been kept in
close confinement ignorant of what is
happening in. the trial which means
so much to him. 1t Is no wonder that
the strain.
Shows Sign Of Strain.
Even GUNNER, whose self control
have watched him during the tria
showed signs Of the strain he was un.
der when the court reconvened last
week after it's two weeks adjourn.
ment. During the first day of the re.
sumption of the case he was plainly
. nervous, frequently moistening his
lips with his tongue, but as the days
wore on he quickly recovered himself
When States Attorney Green read
the discriminating admissions he IVA.
alleged to have made while in the
Cass county Jail, GUNNER was able
to listen to this testimony with only 8
slight smile showing on his face Al
evidence Of his feelings.
So how he will appear on the wit.
ness stand, and especially how he will
bear the searching cross examination
to which he will doubtless be subject
ed by the states attorney are ques
tions the answer to which may be ex
pected to have an important bearins
on the final outcome Of the case.