The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-01-28
BODY
~ is UNEARTHED
J. NiWI6C ONSIN
(Continuedst4 lpdea onal

ANssvVANGNA NAAA
Continued 1som ip1ss one,
bigamous wife, Mrs. Hattie Hales
Coffey, he will today view part of q
woman's' torso and abdomen wrapped
in a sack which was last night dug
from shallow grave in the woods.
A corOner's inquest was scheduled
for today.
An early morning search will be
made in the woods for other parts Of
the woman's body, especially the head,
which it is hoped may establish a
corpus delecti and materially aid
plans to file murder CHARGES against
Coffey.
Head Needed for Identification
If the head is found, officials be-
lieve Identification will be possible.
In his confession, the slayer MAIN
tanned he struck his wife accidental
" with baseball bat during quar-
rel. He said he then cut up the body
and buried it in a woods.
It was nearly twilight last night
when one of group of curious peo-
pie, which, gathered there after read
ing Coffey's confession, stumbled
over a mound Of, soft dirt under
which the torso was found.
Frank Olson, a farmer, kicked aside
the snow and ice and few minutes
later the sack was found two or three
inches beneath the surface. = Acting
Coroner J. A. Lewis and DR.. Carl An
drews conducted q preliminary cx-
animation.
Other Parts Missing
It was evident the woman's body
had been servered across just below
the arm pits and again just below the
hips. The torso had been cut un-
evenly in half. The discovered Sec
ton was the right side Of the Torso
and abdomen. But being the larger
half, it also contained the heart, the
liver and sex organs.
The woods in which the body was
found is known in this neighborhood
both as Riters woods and Pennypack-
err Ridge. 1t is one Of the densest
pieces of forest in southwestern Wis
cOnsn.
Travels By Motor
YTandcuffed to a deputy sheriff,
Coffey arrived here early today in a
motor caravan which fought its way
over roads filled with snow as the
result of blizzard which ragged last
night throughout southwestern Wis
consin. He was accompanied by Dis
trict Attorney R. NJ. Orchard Of Grant
county, scene Of the killing and bur.
ial, and Sheriff Lyall Wright Of Jun
eau county, who obtained the confess
sion from the prisoner.
Coffey had just finished dinner al
Madison, where the motor caravan
stopped on its journey to Platteville
when he was informed Of the finding
of the torso.
ut is probably part Of her body
he said. ~ am relieved. At last
there is evidence that / am telling the
truth. / will be glad to tell authori.
ties where the remainder Of the body
is buried"
Coffey, as he rode along the coun.
try roads, appeared to be happy and
engaged his guards in, conversation
He regarded as foregone conclusion
that he will be a prisoner for long
time and spoke with interest of op
portunities that q prison would hole
for him.
Would Like to Be Trusty
al would like to establish myself
as a trusty," he said. "There would
be able to help convicts and also fine
time to finish my book, Hard
scrabble
Shortly before he left Maustoh
Coffey was served with notice that
his wife at Madison had instituted
suit for divorce. She charged deser'
ton and non support.
Relatives of Mrs. Hales also have
notified officials that they will star
civil proceedings against him to re-
cover property which Mrs. Hales was
known to have possessed at the time
she went through q marriage cere
mony with Coffey at Winona. Mimi.
last September.
Coffey, officials expect, will clear
up many details Of the killing whsr
he is taken over the ground where
he maintains he buried the body Of
the woman. He insists, however, tina
he killed her accidentally with base
ball bat during an argument which
took place in their camp on the Wis
consin side Of the Mississippi river
east Of Dubuque, Iowa, on October 9
and that he concealed her body in hi!
automobile for day before adismem
hnr;ro ~ With n butcher knife.