The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1923-10-24

asked Mrs. Sprouse twice if she did
not want some wood, to which she re-
piled that she thought she chad
enough until Jack came home" By
this time darkness had fallen. Some
one in a passing car hollered and
Mrs. Sprouse, thinking it was her
husband in trouble, ran to the road
followed by Danner and Mrs. Danner.
Upon their return to the camp, Mrs.
Banner, who preceded her husband
and Mrs. Sprouse, saw him pick up
the hand axe and as she went into
her tent heard a thud, as from a blow,
and turning back saw Mrs. Sprouse
lying PROSTATE on the ground with
Danner on her body. He had his left
hand at her throat and his right hand
grasped the axe. He shouted to Mrs.
Banner to bring a "whang" string,
a cowhide thong, with which he tight
ly bound his victims throat, at which
a sort of grunt came from the body.
Banner said nothing for Is or 20
minutes while the body lay on the
ground outside the tent. After he
lifted the body and placed it in the
Sprouse tent he said: "Now l reckon
she'll know where Jack is now. Some
time during the night, which was
sleepless for both her and her hus-
band, she heard him leave the tent
and start digging outside. He then
returned to bed and about A o'clock
got up and dressed and went away re-
turning about 5 o'clock with the body
of Sprouse which he placed on the
bed alongside of his dead wife.
Banner then asked his wife if she
wanted to see Jack and she went into
the tent and viewed the bodies of Jack
and his wife, Florence Sprouse. A
gunny sack had been tied around the
mans head; his boots had been re-
moved; . there was icicles on his
clothes and there was blood on the
collar of his mackinaw.
She said that non of the children
saw what had transpired as they were
unable to leave the tent because OF
not having shoes. Danner went
through the effects of the Sprouses
most of which he burned the follow.
ing day, with the exception of an orna
ment, a 2O-guage shot gun and
kodak. The following night Dame,
, placed the bodies in the crude gray,
which he covered with rocks ant
brush.
The Danner family departed tn
next day for Old Town near Thre
q Forks where Danner traded tn
: Sprouse car, which had been drive.
west by Mrs. Danner, and where Oar
D ner secured employment from Et
D Avery, the garage man Mrs. Dame
upon being asked by n of tn
: Jurors, testified that before leavin
f camp, her husband killed Sprouse'
t dog with the same hand axe.
She said the reason she had nc
reported banners crime to the auth
critics before she did, was because {
d fear of him, for he said to her thu
q if she ever told anyone of the Grim
4 she would "get the same"
d Mrs. Danner, at the conclusion {
her testimony, all of which w;
plainly drawn out through the adro
i questioning Of Attorney General Raj
h kin, said that Banner told her he hs
killed Sprouse for his money and TIL
1t he had later killed Mrs. Sprouse
h. keep her from reporting him (Da
ID ner) to the authorities.
lie Resume Of the Case
he This mornings session opened wi
r. the cross-examination of Mrs. Damn
in by Attorney Justin M. Smith, W
carried her through her previO
testimony and tried to bring out e.
ly dence that would tend to prove t
f. truth of banners line of defense tn
er Mrs. Banner and cprouse had be
to intimate and that Mrs. Sprouse, fir
er ing it out, had killed her own husba
IN and was later killed by Mrs. DanT
who had became incensed at t
death of her alleged paramour.