The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-07-06

be sure and break his neck. The above
facts were sworn to by Mr. Hamilton at
the coroner's inquest held over the body Of
Stewart and before Judge Ta,tan. MIR. Ham
ilton swore that he did not recognize any of
the party, and would not be able TO identify
any Of them, and the coroner's jury brought
in a verdict that Stewart ''came TO his death
by hanging; that said hanging was commit
ted by persons to the jury unknown" And
50 closed the earthly career OF the peTpetratcr
OF one of the most tiendisn and deliberate
murders that disgrace the history OF our Ter
ritory, the particulars OF which, as gathered
from the deposition Of Witnesses, are as fol-
lows:
Stewart came to Morgan's ranch two days
before the murder. lie told Morgan some
thing about horses, and he aud Morgan went
out That DAY looking for horses. The next
day he stayed around the house, evidently
preparing The robbery and murder. 1t is not
known whether he slept up stairs with Nor
gan the night preceding the murder, or
whether he slept ii the stable where be stayed
the hrst night. Morgan slept up stairs, The
steps leading 70 his room being on the outside
OF the house, and Mrs. Armstrong occupied
q room down stairs, in which also were Mag
gle Houseman, q little girl Of II, and Annie
Keogh, aged 6. The murderer first shot
Morgan, the report Of the gun waking Mrs.
Armstrong, who asked, ''What is lhat."
Stewart, who by this time must have come
down stairs, said it WAS q coyote among the
turkeys. Mrs. Armstrong told Maggie 10 get
up and look after the turkeys. Wnen Mag
gle got outside she saw Stewart with o gun,
and asked him not to kill her, to which he
answered son, no." When she returned he
stood at the door Of Mrs. Armstrong; room,
with q gun in his hand. He fired two shots,
the bullets striking Mrs. Armstrong behind
the right shoulder. Maggie ran away then,
but came back to get Annie Keogh, and
at that time Mrs. Armstrong as lying IL the
sitting room, dead, and the murderer Was 60
ing through the trunks end boxes. The litlle
girl went upstairs and saw Morgan lying in
bed, his mouth open and his eyes partly open
and apparently dead. She got afraid and
took Annie and ran to the brush opposite the
house. While they were in the brush they
saw the house burning, and saw a mare Near
by, and Maggie went back to the house and
got a saddle, which she put on the mare, and
her and Annie RODE toward II. l., Kennerly's
on the way met that gentleman and old
Of the murder. This was The substance
Of Maggie HOusman's testimony, which was
corroborated by Annie Keogh.
From the description given 10y the little
girl Mr.. Kennerly recognized Stewart as the
and he and BIZ. Hamilton arrested
Stewart was standing in front Of
the store with about fifteen other men, and
Immediately recognized and singled out
from the others by Maggie, and was also
identified By Annie. A pair of blankets then
in the possession of Stewart, and which be
had not had a few days before, were proved
to have belonged TO Mrs. Armstrong.
There is nc doubt, from the ~corroboratiye
evidence, that Stewart was the murderer, and
lynch law is to be deprecated, the
community will hardly find fault with the
swift retribution melted out TO the fiend in
human shape who could thus deliberately
commit such an atrocious crime for motives
Of gain, and the prompt punishment viii go
Jar toward preventing q similar crime.