The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-11-17
WOODS SLAYER
ISSAVED FROM
MOB VIOLENCE
Leonard POrtanO Freely Ad.
mits Staying of Four PeO-
pie in Minnesota
IS LODGED IN JAZZ
Tells Sheriff That He Felt TIE
Whole Country was Against
Him, Explaining Act
SLAYER IS SILENT

Bemidji, Minn., Nov. H.
Leonard Portano, lumber jack of
kelliher, who is held in the
county Jail here following the
killing of four persons in that
city Thursday probably will be
given a preliminary hearing late
today, according to G. M. Tor
rance. county attorney. He will
be tried for murder In the first
degree. The hearing will be held
before ID. H. Fisk, court commits
siOner.
The Beltrami county grand
jury does not convene until
February but the county attor-
ney may ask the presiding dis
trict judge to call q special
session of that body.
Portano, who refused to talk
carly today, has given no indica-
ton whether he will plead gull
ty when charges are preferred.
Bemidji. Mimi. Nov 17.-Confess.
ed slayer of four persons. Leonard
Portano was held in the county Jail
today awaiting preliminary hearing
when he is expected to waive exam
ination and plead guilty to charge
of murder in the first degree.
Surprised in barn two and one
half miles north Of Kelliher shortly
after 8 o'clock last night, Portano
surrendered to Sheriff J. r. Johnson
and three possemen without fight
although he was heavily armed and
had planned to resist arrest.
Authorities today expressed con-
fidence that no further attempt would
be made by men of the Kelliher dis
trict to take the law in their own
hands and seek to take Portano from
the Jail here, despite efforts they
made to take him from the sheriff
last night.
Notified that Portano had been
caught, a score of men, apparently
members of the posse that had hunt
ed him all day, placed telephone
pole across the highway leading into
Kelliher, and lined up on either side
Of the road. seemingly determined 20
take the law in their own hands.s
But occupants of the sheriff's car,
sighting the pole across the road
just as the glaring headlights dis
closed the lane Of armed men, swung
the car, to one side of the road, skirt
ing the end of the pole, and dashed
on down the road with unlessened
speed.
Dozen Shots Fired.
Defeated in. their purpose, the arm
ed men at the roadside fired more
than a dozen shots, but occupants Of
the fleeing car were unable to say
whether they were aimed at the ma
chine or merely fired into the air in
an effort to frighten them into stop
ping the car.
After Kelliher had been passed two
posseemen in the car were dropped
and Sheriff Johnson and Deputy Dan
Rose, a timer cruiser sworn in for
the manhunt, brought PQrtano to the
Beltrami county Jail here, locking
him ina cell shortly before midnight.
Portano freely admitted his guilt
to Sheriff Johnson, that officer said.
and indicated that he desired to plead
guilty to charge of first degree
murder and accept sentence of life
imprisonment in the state peniten-
tiary.
While the immediate cause of the
shooting was Portano's difficulties
with Oscar Timmy, farmer, over
the affections of Is year old Myrtle
Sanders, the slayer said he felt. the
whole countryside around Kelliher
was against him" and that he could
not get "a square deal"