The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-02-14
A HORRIBLE MURDER.
A Recently Pardoned Jail Bird Kills His
Companion and Burns the Body,
near Glendale.

| GLENDALE, M. T.. February 8.-A
murder was committed near here Oh
Tuesday. The murderer burned the
| body OF his victim. The supposed MUIR
| derer has been caught He is named
John a. Jessrang, alias Chas Merrill.
lie is suspected OF being implicated in
| the murder OF John Denn. LosEE.
Jessrang will be remembered as hay-
ing been one of two men who kept a
butcher shop at the upper end of Main
street at the time John DEM was MUIR
dered. Jessrang's partner left suddenly
the next spring, and q few months later
Jessrang quit business. He was after
ward arrested for larceny and sent to the
penitentiary, from which he was releas-
ed two or three months ago-Independ-
eht. .s
The Inter-Moaneta52a gives the follow
ing account of the murder: ''On Sun
day of this week two men, named Day-
idson and Merrill, arrived in Glendale,
and on Monday left together and afoot
with the avoWed Intention of going to
Wnnderlich's. It was ascertained dur
ing their stay in Glendale that Davidson
had on his person about $500 in cur
.rency. On Tuesday morning Merrill
returned alone, with his feet badly froz-
en-, and hired a team, stating that he
had left Davidson on the road, and that
the two proposed to ride to Wunder-
lieh' III few hours Merrill returned
with the team, still alone, and made sew
eraI contradictory statements about his
object IN coming back a second time
He then hired another team and started
again for Wunderlich's. Soon after he
had gone, two citizens OF Glendale began
to suspect foul play from the very suspi-
cious actions of Merrill, and, hitching
up team, they drove down Canyon
creek in the direction of, and following,
the trail first taken by Davidson and
Merrill. At a point six miles from the
camp they struck trail leading off from
the main road, which they followed for
a few rods into the brush, where they
met sight which absolutely froze the
blood in their veins. On the ground be-
meath the tall willows were the remains
OF fire, IN and around which pieces of
human bones and human flesh could be
seen. Fragments of wearing apparel
We're also lying around, and moments
reflection showed the aWe-stricken be-
holders that the remains of A. Y. David
son were before them. That he had
been murdered, and then burned for the
purpose of concealing the crime, there
could be no doubt, and but for the fact
that the assassin had neglected to com
plete his hellish deed by destroying all
evidences OF the murder, it would have
been impossible to obtain any clue to the
perpetrator. The discoverer of this foul
crime-Me Messrs. 'Merriman and Bateman
at once proceeded to Wunderlich's,
where they overlook Merrill and arrest
ed him. Taking him back to Glendale,
they gave him into the custody Of the
officers, and he is now in jailn
The Miner says: Passengers WHO ar
rived on last nights train report that
Merrill has confessed to having stolen
Davidson's money, butsays 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 returned to Glendale. He became
nervous about the matter, and hiring
team, went back to the place and at
tempted to destroy all trace Of his crime
by burning the body and covering the
bones with brush. y
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