12-12-1930
Chas. Bannon
This letter that I have that says Colton, Oregon, and contents which you all know -- this stranger wrote or dictated this letter and I traced over it.
Started doing chores about 7 or 8 Sunday eve. Mr. Haven, Dan and Chas. Bannon were doing the chores. There were one team and saddle horse in barn at time -- 8 milch cows were in barn.
It did not take us very long to do chores. Mr. Haven separated the milk or part of it and I finished it. I carried the skim milk out and fed two calves.
We had lunch after the chores were done. Mrs. Haven cooked supper or we had hot meal. Mrs. did not wash supper dishes, the dark man ate supper with us. He showed up when I was feeding the calves.
I saw this man in 1928 in pool hall and at Ole Berg in 1928 when we were threshing as I was working there at the time. I haven't seen him since this deal.
Mr. Haven appeared to know this man. He might have called him by name but I did not hear his name. In their talk he seemed to be sore at Mr. Haven it seems as Mr. Haven had promised him work and instead hired me. He called the old man a bastard.
This man slept with boys in bedroom. Mr. and Mrs. Haven slept on davenport. I slept with boys too. We went to bed at about 11 o'clock.
Mrs. Haven killed the child and Mr. Haven buried it by the light of the lantern.
This man showed me his gun when we were in the barn early in evening. My rifle was on my saddle hanging in barn.
Daniel was shot first as he was milking cow. Leland was shot second. He was milking cow. He was second cow from Daniel.
Fawcett backed in by harness and waited till Mrs. Haven came to barn. She called two or three times and finally came in barn. As she came thru door I hollered 'look out' and Fawcett shot her twice, once behind the ear and once in the forehead.
Chas. was milking second cow east from drive way -- stranger was milking 5th cow east from driveway -- Daniel was milking 1st cow west of drive way, Leland milking 3rd cow west.
Fawcett came in south drive way door, took rifle from Chas. Bannon saddle on first peg east of door, then Fawcett moved to alley way or end of alley way on west side of drive way -- shoots Daniel in right temple. Leland stands up at report of gun and Fawcett shoots him twice, once in forehead and once in side of face or right side of face.
Five minutes after Leland was shot Mrs. Haven came to gate by house and called Daniel, the second time she came and called from behind or near grainery and called Daniel and no answer. She walked past the door and went back towards house and came back the third time and came in door to the south.
Fawcett was standing back of harness on pegs east of door. Fawcett shot her from behind and to her right. Think first shot hit her in back of head and shot her in forehead when she was about half way to house and her running and looking back over her shoulder -- she was looking over her right shoulder, she went to house and fell inside of kitchen door. She was not dead when I got to the house.
Mr. Haven came out of house and got just outside of yard gate when Mrs. H. was shot the third time. Mrs. ran past Mr. and stranger standing by manure pile near door of barn shot Mr. Haven with revolver, shot Mr. in back and when we got up to him Fawcett hit him over the head with my rifle as he was not dead yet. Shot Mrs. Haven twice, once in barn and once on north door step.
I shot Mr. Haven when he was at northeast corner of house, shot him in back, he had the 3 yr. old in his arms at time he got in house, was standing just south of cook stove and near door to dining room when I shot him the second time, it was in back or in head, the 3 yr. old was standing by him at the time, he ran in dining room.
I killed him on a small rug that laid just northeast of cream separator. I killed the baby as it laid in baby buggy in front of heating stove which would be west.
Mrs. 2 shots and clubbed
Mr. 2 shoty and clubbed
Dan 1 shot
Leland 2 or 3 shots and clubbed
2 Babies were clubbed with gun bbl. as others were clubbed.
The text above is from State v. Bannon, 62 N.D. 517, 534-536, 244 N.W.1 (1932). The text is broken into paragraphs for readibility -- the original confession was non-paragraphed.
January 29, 2003