A mystery man, a beloved young police officer, an old fashioned gunfight and an angry mob a recipe for the one and only hanging in Moorhead, Minnesota.
First in a series: It was the first trip she ever took alone, but 18-year-old Marie Wick of Grygla, Minnesota, later was at the center of "the most sensational murder trial in North Dakota history."
Murder in Room 30: The Killing of Marie Wick takes a closer look at the slaying of a small town girl in downtown Fargo 100 years ago
June 7 marks the 100th anniversary of one of the most brutal murders to happen in Fargo, followed by what was heralded as The most sensational murder trial in North Dakota history.
18-year-old Marie Wick of Grygla, Minnesota was killed in a downtown Fargo hotel during her first trip away from home. In the first of a four-part series and podcast, Tracy Briggs takes us through the twists and turns of the case in which justice might have come 20 years too late.
In 1886, Fargo’s first high school graduation was held in a roller skating rink with an early suffragist leading the way
As high schools prepare for graduation, here’s a surprising look back at the first commencement for Fargo High School in 1886. 6:30 am, May 10, 2021 ×
Fargo students in 1885, a year before the district held its first high school graduation. Presumably the five graduating seniors are toward the back. Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum
LISTEN TO TRACY BRIGGS NARRATE THIS STORY:
FARGO It was tucked away in an old file cabinet in the corner of The Forum archives, not much larger than the size of my open hand. The printing is delicate and ornate, and the heavy cardstock paper is weathered by time.
Angry mob of 500 fails to lynch a cop killer in 1888, but he became the one and only person hanged in Clay County
A mystery man, a beloved young police officer, an old fashioned gunfight and an angry mob a recipe for the one and only hanging in Moorhead, Minnesota. 6:00 am, Jan. 13, 2021 ×
Clay County had its first and only hanging in 1888, when a mystery man shot and killed a beloved Moorhead police officer. Photos courtesy of the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County
HEAR TRACY BRIGGS NARRATE THIS STORY:
MOORHEAD We can’t know for sure, but the outrage on that fall day in 1888 in Fargo-Moorhead was most likely palpable. Citizens were up in arms when a beloved, young Moorhead police officer just 26 years old, a newlywed and father of a two-week old baby was gunned down on the streets of downtown.