The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-03-16
cTague To
Be Eligible
For Parole
Indictments Against Man Con-
victed of Murder of Mar
shall Williams, Nolled
NEAR S. C..
Local National Guardsmen
Surrounded Them East of
City-One Escaped

Bierney McTague, convicted of
murder of Marshal Williams, Long
Prairie, early the morning of July
80, 1922, is eligible for parole.
He was convicted to serve from
seven to thirty years.
Here is the history of the case
which was very familiar to Herald
readers at the time:
Three men attempted to rob the
bank at Hewitt on Saturday night,
July 20, 1922, but were frustrated
and fed toward Long Prairie. Will
liams and S. e. Adams, another
officer, learning of their fight, post
ed themselves at the bridge in Long
Prairie. The officers approached
the car of the bandits, which stop
ped. Williams, showing a pistol in
to the face of the driver, demanded
an account of his and his COM
panions' activities. Cold-bloodedly,
his answer was given in the form
of shot which MORALLY wounded
him. Adams wounded one of the
bandits as they escaped. The trio
abandoned their car later and then
began a man-hunt which brought
into the picture Sank Centre Ma
tional Guardsmen, and hundreds of
citizens in huge posse which
secured the country. Several days
later Capt. Roy Scott and posse
of his Guardsmen surrounded the
men near Cedar Lake, east of this
city, and effected the arrest of two
men, brought them to Sank Cen
ire and lodged them in Jail. The
third member of the crew escaped.
The prisoners gave the names of
Williams and McTague, both
claiming to reside in Minneapolis.
They denied any connection. with,
the murder, of course.
Shortly after being brought to
this city it was discovered that Will
liams, whose real name later turn
ed out to be McHugh, was found to
be suffering from a bullet hole in
his back.
Sheriff Johnson, of Long Prairie,
was notified and he took the pris-
oners to Long Prairie where they
were placed In jail.
In a sensational trial prosecuted
by County Attorney William Wood,
assisted by the late w. F. Donahue,
Williams was convicted of murder
in the first degree and sentenced
to life imprisonment. This trial de-
veloped that MuHugh was the man
firing the fatal shot.
McTague's trial followed and he
was sentenced from seven to 80
years at saltwater. He received
his sentence Oct. II, 1922.
To guarantee that the murder
ers would serve the full sentence,
indictments were secured against
McHugh and McTague, charging
them with grand larceny in the Sec
ond degree, possession of burglar
ious tools and burglary in the sec
ond degree.
These indictments were carried
on the criminal calendar of the
Todd county district court until
they were nolled by Judge .Roeser
in January of this year. In discus
sing the case recently Judge
Roeser said:
Refusal to noll the indict-
ments was sustained for nearly
eleven years, and that lately de-
PENDANT attorneys began insist
ing on a trial. 1--WE gave them
to understand" the statement
reads, that after ten years
were up that we would have no
objection to discussing them.
The county attorney talked it
over with me and I told him
that did not believe there was
anything to be gained in keep
ing those cases on the calendar,
especially not if a trial was
| insisted on" The statement
concludes: 1--WE did this from a
sense of justice for the man
and his family and also to save
the taxpayers of Todd county
| the expense of prosecution,
/ one of which is doubtful be-
cause of the time that has
passed and the witnesses are
no longer available.
| mC1d Sue has peeu DeIOre the
Board of Pardon and the Board of
Parole on several occasions asking
for release. In each instance his
petition has been denied.
Now that the outstanding indict-
ments have been nolled he will be
eligible for parole his case will come
up before the Parole Board again
June 10, and it is generally expect
ed that his release from Saltwater
will be ordered.
McHugh is still serving time with
no evidence that he will be released
in the near future.