On this date in 1908, the Hope Pioneer set readers’ minds at rest when it announced that two dangerous criminals were no longer a threat. Local citizens could breathe a little more easily with the news that Joe Bassanella and Alfred Woolen were accounted for.
The Bassanella brothers came to the attention of North Dakota law enforcement when Jacob shot a farmer in Grand Forks in 1901. Jake and his brother Joe fled, but were apprehended and held in the county jail. They escaped, but Joe was arrested three weeks later in Montana. He was returned to North Dakota where he was tried and convicted. The jury was out only half an hour before sentencing him to life in prison. He was put on a westbound train and sent to the penitentiary at Bismarck.
Shortly after, a man calling himself James Smith appeared in Washburn and found work doing odd jobs. In March 1902, he murdered a wealthy farmer. He was arrested within days. He escaped twice, but was caught, tried, and convicted of murder. At his sentencing, he surprised everyone by identifying himself as the fugitive Bassanella brother, Jake. He almost escaped again, but was finally executed by hanging.
Brother Joe Bassanella continued serving his sentence until 1908, when he and fellow convict Alfred Woolen escaped through a tunnel Bassanella had dug. Police assumed the two headed north on stolen horses, but then they came to believe that the men had headed to the Missouri River where trains slowed, making it easier hop on. But the two convicts had split up, going their separate ways after stealing two horses. It was fortunate that posses were sent out in different directions. Woolens was wounded and apprehended fifteen miles west of Mandan.
On March 16, the McClean County Sheriff caught up with Bassanella after an all-night chase. When confronted by the Sheriff, Bassanella opened fire and a gunfight ensued. About twenty shots were exchanged before Bassanella was hit in the head and killed instantly. North Dakotans were relieved to read their newspapers and learn that a murderer was no longer on the loose.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
Sources:
Hope Pioneer. “Manhunt Ends, Murderer Killed.” 19 March 1908. Hope, ND. Page 1.
Jamestown Weekly Alert. “Taken to the Pen.” 20 June 1901. Jamestown, ND. Page 1.
North Dakota Supreme Court. “Capital Crimes and Criminals.” http://www.ndcourts.gov/Court/News/ExecuteND.htm Accessed 14 January 2018.
