The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1922-03-02
GUNNER s., FENCED
TO LlFfN PRISON

-
Convicted Man Shows Very Littl,
Evidence Of Emotion When Sen
fenced To Life Imprisonment.
William GUNNER, who has been cor
victed Of having murdered Marie
Wick on the night Of June 9Th, 1921
was sentenced at II o'clock this morn.
ing to serve the balance of his nat.
ural life within the walls Of the state
penitentiary at Bismarck.
Thefsentenee was to have beep pass.
ed at 1000 o'clock but, owing to the
fact that Judge Barnett, his attor-
ney, was unable to be present at that
time, he did not receive his sentence
until 11:00.
When brought to the courtroom just
before 1000 o'clock, GUNNER seemed
his usual self with the exception that
he was slightly paler than at any
time since he had been confined in
the Barnes county Jail and his coun-
tenance showed the strain he had
been under since the verdict was read
to him at 1920 Saturday night.
When brought into the courthouse
he stopped and shook hands with his
father and brother who had been
awaiting his appearance at the foot
of the stairs. His mother and sister
had been visiting him in his cell at
the county Jail and came in just af-
ter him. He merely said "good morn
ing" when shaking hands with his
father and brother.
After waiting for some time it be-
came evident that Judge Barnett
would be delayed in arriving and the
prisoner was returned to his cell. He
was brought back at 1850 and SEN
tence was passed at 11:00 o'clock.
Judge Chas. NJ. Cooley made no re-
marks in sentencing GUNNER other
than the usual formula in telling him
that he had been tried and found
guilty by twelve men who had rem
dered verdict of guilty of murder in
the first degree, which verdict car
ried the sentence Of life imprison-
ment, and that, therefore, he sentenc-
ed him to serve the balance Of his
natural life within the walls of the
state penitentiary at Bismarck.
The convicted man showed very lit
tie sign of emotion when sentence
was passed. He blinked his eyes two
or three times and cleared his throat,
brit made no effort to make any state
ment.
Sheriff Larson said that GUNNER
said nothing from the time ne was
taken from his cell until he was re-
turned to it after sentence had been
pronounced.
Judge Barnett announces the inten-
tion of the defense to appeal the case
to the supreme court with the request
that the convicted man be granted a
new trial. He will base his appeal
on the admission of the evidence re-
1atinq to Gummer's relations to 9TH
er women, and on certain decisions OF
I,,dpe Cooley's admitting this EVIL
dence.
ANDY Brown, Gummer's chum, is to
be arraigned on the same charge, IN
Fargo. tomorrow. Assistant States
Attorney Wattan said this morning
that Brown would not be tried until
the appeal of Gummer's case had been
decided by the supreme court, as that
case would be based on practically the
same evidence as that which convict
ed GUNNER.
At the request Of Judge Barnett
for the relatives of the convicted man
William GUNNER will remain IN the
Barnes county Jail for a few days, no
definite time, for his removal being
set as yet. ....... -~
Gumner's father, mother, sisters
and brothers were in the court room
when sentence was pronounced. The
sentence effected them to a greater
degree than it did the convicted man.
They were not in court at the time
the jury returned their verdict as
thev were not informed that YER
dict had been reached.
FIRE ROUTS HOTEL GUESTS
c+ p,r1 Fob oS-One woman was