The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-06-06

Has a father the right to kill be-
cause a man gives circulation to
Iewd stories about his daughters?
Does there exist such a vague in
strument as an s'unwritten law?"
These questions will have to be
threshed out by Chouteau county
Jury in June when a Bohemian
farmer goes on trial on a charge of
murder. The accused man admits
taking a life and his defense will
be that he killed to protect the
good name OF his daughters, it was
stated in Great Falls a few days
ago by a trio of attorneys who
have been engaged to represent
him.
The story of the killing and the de-
PENDANTS account of the motive
which urged him on until he now
stands in the shadow of the gallows
form one of the strange cases of the
kind Montana criminal annals have
known. The story is that of a man
who claims he took a life for the sake
of his family's honor. It's scope is far
reaching, for a prosperous Bohemian
colony of farmers near Big Sandy
and many residents of Chouteau
county know the history of the case
and have an interest in the fate of
Charles Tordick, who awaits trial in
the county jail at Fort Benton. The
trial will open June %. S. J. Cowley
of Great Falls will be the principal
attorney and with him will be asso-
ciated S. e. Peterson and Senator
J. w. Speer.
Hopp, a large Bohemian colony
near Illiad, Mont, the nearest post
office, was the scene of the killing,
which took place April %, 1924. His
attorneys say that after Tordick has
admitted that he killed James Ire
Pine, another farmer who lives in the
community, he will tell the jury this
story:
Trepino was constantly in trouble
with his neighbors. For many months
he had annoyed the Tordick family
and about three weeks before his
death matters came to head when
they learned that Trepino had circu-
later malicious story about Tor
dicks 14-year-old daughter The
rumor charged against Trepino re-
Elected in a most offensive way on the
girl.
When Tordick heard about 1t he
appealed to the county attorney, the
county superintendent of schools, the
sheriff and other officials. These Of
ficials conducted Investigations, and,
according to Tordick, found them ma
1iciously circulated to injure Tordick
and his family. Tordick then ap-
pealed to the county attorney to press |
a suit for criminal SANDER, but that |
official advised him that there is no |
such statute in Montana.
The direct cause of the killing |
came short time later when Tor
dick received letter from his daugh- |
ter, Libby, IL years old, who was at
tending school at Big Sandy, stating
that stories circulated about her had |
caused her so much embarrassment
that she was forced to leave school.
The new rumor was to the effect that
Libby had been robbing Trepino's
mail The father knew the rumor to
be false, for his eldest daughter was
not in the locality.
Frenzy seized him at this latest
gossip, Tordick tells his attorneys.
Bent to correct the injustice by the
only method he saw, Tordick grabbed
| rifle and rushed to Trepino's home,
/ short distance away.
When he arrived there he saw
rrepino blowing in the field, rushed
oward him and commanded him to !
top Trepino, according to Tordick, /,
wore roundly that he would not
top. Tordick raised his gun and I
fred A little squirt of sand arose t
lbove and to the right of Trepino.
Tordick thought that he had missed.
Trepino looked back at his assail- :
mt and told him to 'tcome on
Tordick rushed toward Trepino
nd hit his victim with the butt end
f the gun. Trepino fell and was left
or dead.
and failed to come home, Mrs. Ire
inc went to find him. Approaching
he field where he had been blowing,
he saw the team of horses standing,
nth the pillow still in the ground,
there Trepino had been stopped.
oming closer she found her husband
unconscious.
She summoned aid and the wound
d man was taken to Big Sandy,
here he died the following night
rom the effects of bullet wound
/ the body and the blow on his head
'om the gun butt. AS he was dying
e made statement involving Tor
lex.
Satisfied that he had killed Ire
inc, Tordick returned to his home
tier the shooting and stayed there
ntil officers came to arrest him in
lie evening. He submitted to arrest
ithout objection.
Tordick has not been admitted to
all, though 76 of his neighbors, ac-
'rdfng to Mr.. Cowley, have signed
petition asking that the district
,urt fix bonds at nominal amount.
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