Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1885-11-21
THE CASE AGAINST KELLY.
Circumstantial Evidence Showing
Him to be the Murderer of Baird.
How the Officers Traced and
and Finally Arrested Him.

1.-THE circumstances surrounding
the case of Kelly are most remarka-
BILE" said A. 6. ". Spragge, queens
counsel at Ottawa, Canada, who is in
st. Paul to assist in the e~xtradition of
Kelly, now under arrest to answer to
an indictment Of murder which has
been found against him in Canada.
I do not think the case has ever been
published. I never read a story which
was more interesting than the circum-
stantial evidence that has been secur-
ed against him. I may as well state
at the outset that I do not think that
Kelly is the mans real name, but
what it is I do not know. He comes, [
think from a good family in Illinois.
But to continue my story. In the lat
ter part Of last November a man
named Robert McGregor Baird was at
a place known as 'Johnson's ranch
It is located on the Columbia river, in
the heart of the mountains, LOO
miles west of Winnipeg. Baird was
q travelling salesman in the employ of
Eddy, Hammond & Co., wholesale
liquor dealers, Of Missoula, Mont.
At that time he was just finishing up
q collecting tour. On the 9th day
of November he left Johnson's ranch
in company with two friends, Manuel
Dainard and Harry Myers, who were
to travel with him to the boundary
line, $50 miles distant. The party
started on the lonely trail, which was
simply a path through the woods.
Dainnard was in the lead, then came
the pack horse, which carried the
camp articles. also S4,1OO in money
which Baird had collected on the trip.
Following in the line were Baird and
Myers. The members of the party
were riding merrily along and con
graduating each other upon the prob
able success of their journey, when
about three miles from the ranch they
were startled by a shot.
H MURDER ACCOMPLISHED.
Turning hastily around, Dainnard
saw Baird reeling in his saddle, and
Immediately after fall. A shot follow
ed, which was evidently intended for
Myers, but it missed him, as he had
jumped from his horse. Another
shot was more successful, for it passed
through his thigh. Myers started to
run however, and reached the ranch.
Before the last shot was fired, Dam
nard had seen a man about twenty
yards away, with a rifle in his hand.
Dainnard put spurs to his horse and
made for the ranch. A party was
formed and a search was made for the
murderer, but without success. Baird
was found shot through the heart.
His clothing had been rifed, and a
short distance from the deadbody was
found the pack horse. The money
had been taken. Now comes the
remarkable part of my story. The
proof that Kelly is the murderer is
based on purely circumstantial evil
dence, and the chain of incidents
which make the proof positive is
more wonderful than any romancer
could weave. The first thing that
was learned was that johnson, the
owner Of the ranch, had seen a man
whose description tailed with that of
the man whom Dainnard saw at the
time of the shooting, pass his ranch,
the day before the murder. The man
carried a Winchester rifle, which he
appeared anxious to conceal. A for
me partner of Kelly's said that the
description would apply to him. We
learned that Kelly had left a pair of
boots with this man the day before
the murder. Soon after the murder
one of the mounted police, accompan-
led by two Indians, arrived at the
camp. Leading from the place where
Dainnard had seen the man with the
rife, were footprints, into which
helly's boots fitted exactly. We
we're now pretty certain that Kelly
was the guilty man, but we found
another important link. Two days
before the murder Kelly stopped at a
hotel, and he was unable to pay the
bill. Three days after the murder we
discovered that Kelly was at a place
Known as Second Crossing, which is
about twenty-five miles soute of
Johnson's ranch.
KELLY FLUSH WITH FUNDS.
Here we found that Kelly had
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