George Haneckeyk was born in Denmark in 1886 and came to North Dakota in 1910. In 1916, he had a run-in with the law when he attacked and tried to kill a girl in Minot. He was found guilty and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. After being discharged in 1918, he opened a painting shop in Bismarck. It seemed he had changed. He was a quiet man who kept to himself and caused no trouble. He did some painting at the police office and even became friends with some officers. While he was never a police officer, he was occasionally sworn in to assist the department when extra help was needed.
When Haneckeyk’s past became known, Bismarck residents objected to his involvement with the police. He was asked to stay away, and shortly after, he left the city. He found work as a handyman on the Albertson farm near Baldwin. Mr. Albertson described him as morose and said he wouldn’t eat with the family. He added that his daughter didn’t like having him around, but insisted he hadn’t made any advances on her. Neighbors, however, said he had annoyed her.
It all came to a tragic end. Albertson had left the farm to get a load of coal, leaving his daughter alone with Haneckeyk. Ellen was sitting at a desk, writing a letter to a boy she knew at Valparaiso University in Indiana when Haneckeyk killed her. There were signs that she fought back, but she was no match for him. Haneckeyk must have realized Albertson would be returning soon. He took a shotgun and rifle from near the door and retreated to the hayloft of the barn. He may have planned to make a stand when a posse came for him, but likely knew he wouldn't be able to defend himself. When the posse discovered Haneckeyk, he was already dead.
On this date in 1923, the Albertson family, along with neighbors, gathered at their home for the funeral of Ellen Albertson. It would have been her twentieth birthday.
Dakota Datebook by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Tribune. “Slayer Planned Stand.” Bismarck ND. 3/31/1923. Page 1.
- Bismarck Tribune. “Funeral of Slain Girl.” Bismarck ND. 4/3/1923. Page 3.
