The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-06-17
WOMAN SLAYER
SENTENCED TO
30-YEAR TERM
Charles j. Wire, Alias Alex
ander Samuel, Admits Kill
ing When Arraigned
WILL GO TO SALTWATER
Charge Resulted From Death
Of Mrs. Anna Nelson of
Fargo 10 Days Ago

Moorhead, Mimi. June 17.--tHD-
Pleading guilty to third degree mur-
der for beating to death Mrs. Anna
Nelson, Fargo, Charles J. Wire, also
Of Fargo, was sentenced to SO wears
IN the state penitentiary at Still
water, Mimi. by Judge G. A. Nye to-
day in Clay county district court In
Moorhead.
Under the indeterminatc system
OF sentences in effect in Minnesota.
Wire may be released any time after
seven years by the state board Of par
dons or the state parole board. Judge
Nyc's sentence provides that Wire is
to be confined in the state prison for
the 3O-year period unless released
before that time by operation of law.
Degree Of Crime Lessened
Before making his guilty plea,
Wire withdrew a plea of not guilty
to first degree murder made Thurs
day. An indictment charging him
with first degree murder for Mrs.
Nelson's death had been returned
against him Wednesday.
Wire was sentenced IL days after
Mrs. Nelson was found fatally beaten
and cut on side road south of
Moorhead. Suspicion pointed to Wire,
an acquaintance of Mrs. Nelson, and
he was arrested in his rooming place
in Fargo an hour after Mrs. Nelson
was found. He returned to Moorhead
immediately with the officers and
was lodged in the county Jail.
Wire stoutly maintained his inno-
cence. despite net Of circumstantial
evidence which pointed to him as the
slayer. until he pleaded guilty today.
After sentence was passed County
Attorney Steining of Clay county
made statement praising the efforts
Of Sheriff Whaley and Chief O'Laugh-
lin and the officers under them for
their rapid gathering of mag Of
evidence pointing to Wire as guilty
Of Mrs. Nelson's murder"
Goes to Prison Saturday
Preparation Of transcript of the
record in the case and commitment
papers is expected to be completed
to allow for taking Wire to Still
water sometime Saturday.
Before sentence was passed Wire
was sworn. after which he said he
was born in 1886 in Springfield, Iii.
His victim was 81 years old.
The contention of the state in
building up its case against Wire
was that he slew Mrs. Nelson when
she refused to sign an affidavit alb
solving him from blame for the al
legged stealing of $1,000 from her.
A blood stained auto mobile wrench,
found near Mrs. Nelson's body, was
believed by the authorities to have
been the weapon used in the attack.
A coroner's jury verdict in the case
charged Wire as being Mrs. Nelson's
murderer and said that she died from
fractures of the skull and accompany
ing wounds made with wrench or
other flat ins)rument.
Woman Was Horribly Beaten
Mrs. Nelson was horribly beaten.
Her skull was crushed in in two
places, her nose was broken and her
head, body. arms and legs were a
mass of bruises. Her scalp had been
cut SO that it was nearly severed
from her body.
The attack occurred on road lead
ing west from state highway No. 6
two miles south Of Moorhead. The
trunk highway, which runs within
SO feet Of the point Of the attack.
is one Of the most heavily travelled
roads in the Moorhead vicinity.