Amanuensis Monday - The Villers Saga, The Final Newspaper Chapter

Bismarck Daily Tribune, 19FEB1898

Under "State News"

"The Jamestown Alert says the prisoner Villers is reported growing weaker but it is possible that he is shamming to gain sympathy.  He has constant services of a physician."
 

Under "State News"

Bismarck Daily Tribune, 23FEB1898

"Judge Fisk at Jamestown today hears the motion for a new trial in the case of M.J. Villers convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in the penitentiary.  If the motion is denied, Villers will probably be brought at once to the pen, where he will remain unless the supreme court should grant him a new trial.  It is stated that Villers health is poor and that his life sentence will be no more of a punishment than the ten years sentence under which he was formerly held, as he is not likely to live that out."

I noticed that this article already says that he has been found guilty.  I don't have the article with that "breaking news" so maybe the search engine missed it and I'll need to go back and manually search.  So the above "shamming" (gotta love seeing that phrase in an old newspaper) was to gain sympathy for the sentencing portion.

Bismarck Daily Tribune, 25FEB1898

"Villers Sentenced.

No New Trial is Asked in the Villers Case and He is Sentenced for Life.

Prisoner Declares He is Innocent of the Crime for Which He Has Been Convicted.

Various Items of Local News Gathered in and Around the City of Bismarck (doesn't pertain to Villers so will not be transcribed).

Villers Sentenced.

Martin J. Villers, convicted at the January term of court in Stutsman county of the murder of August Tromer, was Thursday sentenced to confinement in the state penitentiary at hard labor for life.  Sentence was pronounced by Judge Fisk of Grand Forks who tried the case, because of inteligibility of Judge Glaspell.  The prisoner heard the announcement unmoved.  No application for a new trial was made.  Since his confinement and trial the prisoner has grown visibly weaker.  He is an old man of 60 or more, and it is thought by his friends that he will not live out the year.  But it is believed the regular habits and work at the penitentiary will bring the old man back to his former health.  The absence of employment in the county jail was a serious disappointment to him.

This is the first and only "lifer" Stutsman county has ever sent to the state penitentiary.

A peculiarity of the Villers case is that all of the precautions that were taken by the murderer to conceal the body of his victim, were set at naught by the burrowing of a badger.  One of the little animals dug its hole just over the place where the body of Tromer had been buried, and its burrowing threw out pieces of bone, and shreds of clothing, which attracted the attention of a farmer who was plowing in the field, and who made an investigation which led to the discovery of the body.  Had it not been for this little animal, the body might never have been discovered and the disappearance of Tromer have always remained a mystery.

When Villers was arrigned for sentence, Judge Fisk asked the prisoner if he had anything to say or had legal cause to show why judgment should not be pronounced against him and it was with an effort that Villers controlled himself.  His face grew white and his mouth twitched as he rose and replied "No." He stated the jury had found him guilty.  He said he was innocent of the crime charged against him but supposed he would have to suffer for it.

Attorney Ellsworth made a merely formal motion for an arrest of judgment which was denied and then asked that the time in which to prepare a statement of the case, to be used in a motion for a new trial, also the time for making such motion, be extended to June 1.  This the judge granted.  An appeal of the case, it may be stated, may be taken with within one year after sentence, according to law.

The court directed, in view of the weakened condition of the prisoner stated by his attorney, that the prisoner be kept at Jamestown until the sheriff considered his condition proper for removal to Bismarck."

Gotta love the mentality that hard labor would make him healthy again.  Martin Villers did manage to live until 1904.  Whether he was ill at the time he was sentenced isn't known.  I guess putting his death certificate on my "To Do List" is next!  I also find it interesting that even though they acknowledge that this case was special, it didn't make the front page.  It was on page 3 of a 4 page paper!

All errors are intentionally left in the transcription.

Sunday's Obituary - Raymond Rosbeck

"GI Returns

PFC Raymond Rosbeck, 19, of Kewaskum, seriously wounded in action in Korea Feb. 5, has been returned to the United States and is at Percy Jones General Hospital, Battle Creek, Mich.  A former employe of the Kewaskum Creamery, Raymond is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Rosbeck.  He enlisted in the Army last June and went overseas last October."

I have a large number of newspaper clippings passed on to me from my Mother-in-law's side of the family, but sadly they don't tell me which Wisconsin newspaper they were taken from and many don't have complete dates on them.  This first clipping had no date on it at all so I didn't realize until finding his obituary (below) in my collection, just how long he was hospitalized.  I was able to reason that this first article must have been published around April 1951.

"Cpl. R. Rosbeck Dies at Percy Jones Hospital

Cpl. Raymond Rosbeck, son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Rosbeck of the town of Wayne, who since April 4, 1951, had been a patient at Percy Jones hospital, Battle Creek, Mich., died suddenly on Monday afternoon.  Death was caused from injuries suffered in action near Chip(long), Korea, on Feb. 5, 1951, while serving with the 8th Cavalry Regiment.  He was first treated in a hospital in Japan, and was then flown to the United States for further treatment.  Cpl. Rosbeck was schedule to be released from the hospital on Sept. 11, and was awaiting arrangements for this transfer to Wood, Wis., when he was stricken.

He was born Nov. 20, 1931, at Milwaukee and came to the town of Wayne with his parents in 1938.  Cpl. Rosbeck enlisted on June 5, 1950, and arrived in Korea in October.  He was awarded the Purple heart in April of 1951.

Surviving are his parents, a sister, Margaret (Mrs. Wm. Brill) of Milwaukee; three brothers, Robert and Norbert at home, and Ralph of West Bend; a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law.

The body will be in state at the Miller funeral home in Kewaskum after 2 p.m. today (Thursday).  Funeral services will be held Friday morning at 10 o'clock at St. Kilian Catholic church, st. Kilian, the Rev. John B Reichel officiating.  Interment will be in the parish cemetery.  Military rites at the grave will be in charge of Robert J. Romaine post of the American Legion, Kewaskum."

I makes me wonder what his injuries were.  To be hospitalized for so long and so far from home and then to suddenly die of his injuries as he was preparing to be transferred closer to home had to have been particularly traumatic for his family.

I found in the "Korean War Casualties, 1950-1957" database an entry for Raymond that lists him as being "seriously wounded in action by missile".

To do list:  Request the death certificate and military records for Raymond.

Funeral Card Friday - CPL Raymond Rosbeck

I thought I'd stick with the Rosbeck theme this week and post the funeral card for Raymond.

Ray Stevens - I'm My Own Grandpa

This was sent to me by my dear friend and God-brother, Chris, on Facebook.  It made me laugh and while it was incredibly silly, it made me think of some of the interesting family trees out there!  

Does your family tree branch out? ;)

Wordless Wednesday - Gold Star Mother

 

Martin and Theresa Rosbeck lost their son, Raymond, due to injuries sustained in combat during the Korean Conflict in 1952.

CPL Raymond Rosbeck

Tombstone Tuesday - Barrett Marker

I don't know who's buried here.  That's a common theme sometimes with surname markers.  Sometimes you can't even be sure that they belong to your family.  I'm lucky though because despite the common name on this marker, I know it belongs to me.  My mom would put flowers on it every year for Memorial Day as did her relatives before her.  She doesn't know who's there either, just that they are ours.  Time to write away to the church and see how good their records are!



Any suggestions on how to fix the marker?  As you can see it's sinking into the ground, but unlike other areas of the cemetery (Saint Gabriel's Roman Catholic, Hazleton, PA), it's more than just the marker...the entire area is sunken.  It is a city with a deep coal mining history, but I know of no subsidences in this particular area.  I don't know if it's a lost cause to fix it.  I would hate to think so.  Now that I've started making the annual pilgrimages to place flowers, I want to ensure that my children can find it when it's their turn.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!  Our long journey is over and while family will be missed it's time to get back to work!

Merry Christmas!

We left Texas on Saturday morning and arrived in Green Bay Sunday night.  Time for a little time off with family for the Holidays.  There may be a stray post here and there, but for the most part, I'll see you all in the new year!