Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-02-14
A GHOUL.
He Murders ana RObs HIS Partner
and Then Barns the Body.

Butte Miner.
George Z. Tarbett, who arrived from
Glendale on Wednesday nights train,
brings partial particulars Of ono of the
most atrocious crimes, committed in the
vicinity of that town last Monday, which
has ever been chronicled in Montana. On
Monday morning two men came into Glen
dale and put up at the Avery House.
Neither of them registered, but they gave
their names as V. II. Davidson and Chas.
Merrill. They were about the hotel sew
eral hours, during which time Davidson
exhibited a considerable sum of money,
believed to be not less han two or three
hundred dollars. Merrill has been known
in the vicinity of Glendale for several years
past, and was at one time employed as a
cook at the Hecla clearinghouse. Both
men were rather on the tramp order, tray
cling from camp to camp, and engaging in
any occupation which offered a few DAYS
employment. On Monday the two men
left Glendale on foot, saying they were
going to Wunderlich's place, about eight
miles distant. On Tuesday morning Mer-
rill returned to Glendale, having frozen
both his feet in the bitter cold, which it
will be remembered prevailed on that day.
Being asked where his partner was he re-
Piled that he had gone on to Wunder-
lich's. Notwiths landing the terrible con-
dition of his feet, Merrill, on Tuesday
afternoon hired a livery team and started
out, saying he was going to Wunderlich's
after his partner. He had been gone only
three hours when he returned without his
partner, and was observed to act in a sim
gularly constrained and ~reticent manner,
particularly when questioned as to the
whereabouts Of his partner, though his
uniform reply was "Out to Wunderlich's."
These circumstances, particularly his
strange goings out and comings in on the
Wunderlich road, led several persons to
suspicion that all was not right, though at
the time no one thought of the crime of
murder having been committed; and the
next morning Wednesday,, when Merrill
hired another team and again started for
Wunderlich's, A. M. Madison and James
Bateman hitched up a team and followed
after him. Nothing occurred to confirm
their suspicious until at a point near the
mouth of Canyon Creek, about six miles
from Glendale, they noticed in the deep
snow the tracks Of two men leading off
from the road into the brush. Mr.. Madi-
SON left the cutter and followed the tracks
until about ten rods from the road, he
came upon a pile of newly cut brush,
around which the snow was trodden down
in every direction. Removing the green
boughs, M. Madison was Mortified to find
half buried under a heap of ashes and
charred fagots, a skull and human bones,
tieshless n burned almost to a cinder.
lmbedded in the snow, a fragment of the
pants and coat were found, which were
recognized as a portion of those worn by
the missing man, Davidson. Messrs.
Madison and Bateman Immediately drove
to Wunderlich's, where they arrested Mer-
rill and brought him back to Glendale,
stopping OIL the way to gather up the
burned and crumbling bones. Upon being
asked by Mr.. Tarbett how badly the
body was burned, one of the gentlemen re-
piled, Il could have brought all that was
left of the man in my coat pocket" Mer-
rill was lodged in Jail at Glendale. Pas
who arrived on last nights train
report that he has confessed to having
stolen Davidson's money, but says that
the man was overcome by the intense cold,
and they went into the brush to build a
fire, when Davidson became drowsy and
laid down, dying almost Immediately. He
then took the money from his pockets and
to Glendale. He became nervous
about the matter and hiring a team went
TO the place and attempted to destroy
all trace of his crime by burning the body
and covering the bones with brush. After
confession a crowd took the prisoner
out of Jail and endeavored to make him
admit the killing by hanging, but after
him up seven times, and he still
to confess to the murder, he was
taken back to iail.