Pleads Guilty to Charge of Murder
Joseph McPeek of Stanley Sentenced to Serve 20 Years in Penitentiary
Stanley N.D. Feb 3—Joseph McPeek, charged with the killing of his wife last spring, changed his mind and pleaded guilty to the charge of murder in the second degree, and was sentenced to serve twenty years in the state penitentiary.
Crystal McPeek, the bright little 8-year-old daughter of Joseph McPeek, took the witness stand late yesterday afternoon in the trial of her father on the charge of murdering his wife.
She testified that she and Royal lived with her mother and that she had been with her father on March 22 and 23, that in the evening he took her over to her mother's house, but Mrs. McPeek was out, that they then went back to the restaurant and stayed awhile—that while there Mr. McPeek said "I don't want anything serious to happen, but if she does not come home with me tonight something serious will be done."
She testified that she then started with her father toward Mrs. Shaw's residence again and stopped in at Judd Wood's confectionary lunch, then went on — that when a couple doors from Mrs. Shaw's residence McPeek took his revolver from his inside coat pocket and put it in his overcoat pocket, that they first went into Mrs McPeek's kitchen and then into the bedroom that Mrs McPeek said it was retiring time and he said, "Yes, give me a kiss before I go."
According to the child's testimony, she replied "No, you are not my husband now." Then she testified he stepped back towards the door, pulled the revolver and shot her, saying "We will see whether you will kiss me or not." The little girl said that her mother shortly after the scene died.
Bismarck Daily Tribune, 2-6-1915
(The story seems to have been poorly edited down from a larger description of the testimony, leaving things out. I transcribed it exactly as it appeared in this paper)
