The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1922-02-16
CUblNfER'S STORY RECITED
BY CASS COUNTY SHERIFF

Valley City, Feb. 9.-The prosecu-
ton rested it's cause at 4:30 yesterday
afternoon. The last witness was Roy
Murphy, prisoner in the Cass county
Jail, who testified that the week before
Christmas when GUNNER met Andy
Brown in the corridor he heard Brown
say to GUNNER: Bill, you stand
pat" Murphy testified GUNNER an
swered, 81 ann.
E. B. Charlson testified that he saw
Brown come into the hotel building
through back door at $50 a. m., on
June Z, the night Of the murder and
appeared much excited. He said
Brown went to the telephone.
The testimony of Murphy was re-
garded as among the most important
of the state. He is serving six
months sentence in the Cass county
jail for impersonating an officer. Muir
ply did not tell of this conversation
he said he heard between Brown and
GUNNER until two weeks ago it was
brought out.
Spectators Absent
When court convened yesterday
there were but few women in attend
ance, the previous proceedings evil
IDENTIFY soaring them out. Judge Cooley
announced that the proceedings would
not be given in the choicest language
and any ladies present could take ad-
vantage of that time to leave. A few
women left but there were still few
in the courtroom when testimony was
started. The ladies in the GUNNER
party were not in attendance yester-
day. Hans Wick arrived in the city
the night before and took his usual
place in the unused jury box this
morning.
Sheriff Kraemer on Stand
Sheriff Kraemer was placed on the
stand and said that he was present a
part of the time on the afternoon of
June 14th when the admissions read
by Green had been made, but was not
there when the meeting was finished.
He saw GUNNER at 6 o'clock that
evening when GUNNER had supper at
Sheriff Kraemer's home. He had a
conversation with GUNNER after sup
per in the jailer's quarters in the Cass
county Jail atswhich time Mr.. Sydness
was present. The sheriff opened this
conversation by telling GUNNER that
he did not believe the accused had
told them the truth as to his move
ments the night Marie Wick was mur-
dered. GUNNER replied that he had
not told the truth in all particulars.
GUNNER stated that when he had said
that he met train No. about l o'clock
that night he had lied as he did not
meet the train. He also said that he
had called up Marie Wick on the tele-
phone about 1870 that night instead
of Marie Wick calling him as he had
previously stated. He said that he
had called her up to>josh her and see
if she was at all sporty but that she
cut him short and hung up. on him.
He also told the sheriff at this meet
ing that he was the first one in the
hotel, to the best of his knowledge,
who knew that Marie Wick was dead
and stated that he had been in room
30 shortly after 6 o'clock on the morn
ing of the seventh. He said that he
had phoned to the room at o'clock
that morning but did not receive any
answer. After waiting few minutes
he again rang her phone and on re-
ceiving no answer went upsta airs and
raped at her door but received no
reply. He then went downstairs,
swept out the office, took the skeleton
keys which were hanging on a hook,
went back to the door of room 80,
raped and received no reply, unlock
ed the door, went into the room about
murdered, went out, locked the door,
and returned to the office, where he
stayed for several minutes before call
ing up Fred Lawrence on the phone.
Feared to Report 1t
He explained the fact that he had
never told this before to the fact that
he knew a man in Mayville who had
discovered a person who had been
murdered and reported it Immediately
and had been held by the coroner's
jury as being implicated in the mur-
der. The accused, GUNNER, felt that
he might be held in connection with
the murder if it were known that he
discovered the body when alone. Sher-
iff Kraemer testified that GUNNER had
admitted to him that he had sized up
Mary Wick when he had taken her to
her room and had told him that he
felt that he desired intercourse with
her. GUNNER had also told Sheriff
Kraemer that he had told his chum
Andy Brown about finding the body
/, previous to the time Lawrence had
been with him. Between the morn
ing of the murder and June IA Gum
mer had maintained that he met train
the sheriff that he had been awake all
night, that the stairs would squeak
and that he would have heard any
movement on the stairs during the
night. Later he told the sheriff that
he had been doing part of the night
At a o'clock that morning the accused
had said that he had turned off the
light on the second floor and did not
notice anything wrong. GUNNER haC
never told the officials anything about
calling Mary Wick. on the phone al
1880 or being in the room at six ir
the morning until the afternoon anc
evening of June IA.
Gave Officials Help
Under cross examination Sheriff
Kramer said that from the day Of the
murder until the accused was placed
under arrest on the fourteenth he hat
been in the sheriff's office every day
and had seemingly given the officers
every assistance in their search fol
the murderer. Sheriff Kraemer ad