The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1886-08-21
HORRIBLE MURDER.
Three Butte Pr">l,cctor> Murdered suutl.
0t the National Park.
SCondCnScd from iu,tc Inter Nnun,ain.l

stondcn~ed from itu,tc Inter Mountain,
Messrs. Frank Free and -. G. Ratclih.
who arrived here to-day (Thurs<la>> from
Eagle Rock, bring Intelligence OF the dis.
coverv by them aud two others o. their
party OF the mysterious murder of three
Butte l'rospector> south OF the National
Park. and OF the capture and confession of
the murderer. The bodies were found near
deserted mining camp about $50 miles
from Eagle Rock north of cas-: OF the high
est pinnacle OF the -four Tetons. The bod.
les were SO decomposed as to be past recog-
milton, but examining the camp. papers
were found showing the names of the &C.
Tiggerman, Henry Welter and the third
was afterwards found to be- Gus kelen-
berger, all Of Butte. An almanac found in
the camp goes to show tha, the murder
was committed on the 10Th o! July, as the
dates in the almanac were checked up to
that day. The party left there on the 9Th
towards Teton Basin, and on the l. ,th
learned from Young man who came into
camp that Il man named John Tonnar was
working near by on 4 hay ranch, had ac-
companied II party OF Dutch,nen up the
river. Upon this information the party
determined that Tonnar was the murderer.
They found him working in a hay field and
commanded him to throw up his hands
which he did. Mr.. Free .hcn continues
1--WE searched him and tied him on horse
and took him to Laphams the postmaster.
rIE MuRDERER'> CONFESSION.
Wolf, by whom Tonnar was employed.
came down there and said lie thought
Tonnar was innocent, as he always slept
! SO well and seemed so content. But after
talking awhile to him, Tonnar confessed,
but claimed that he did it in selfdefcnse.
He was kept bound and under guard
The next day the 10Th, he was arraigned
before a justice Of the peace at Roxburg,
where he had been taken.
HIS STORY.
In evidence he claimed that he and the
other three men had quarrel OH the 18th
Of July, that they wanted to get rid of him.
lie said Tiggerman ,the large man) wanted
10 drown him and held him under water.
Next morning he asked Henry Wclter ii
he should so to work (they were building
a ditch with whipsaw lumbcr). Wcltcr re.
piled, mo, Tonnar, we don't want you to
80 to work" "Tonnar said, ''Wel then, |
will take my things and go.' lie claimed
that he was the only moncyed man in the
crowd and owned nearly all they had in
camp. Welter was putting on pair OF
gum boots at the time (which Tonnar
claims belonged to him), and he tried to
take them away from Welter. They got
into scutfie. Tiggerman was coming up
from the river with shovel in his hand,
and called out to Welter,
| KILL THE 81 OF AH--!
Tonnar got away from Wclscr and ran tor
his gun. Tiggerman was off about a
shovel's length when hc shot him. The
others he shot as fast as they came up
one in the neck and the other in the
breast. All were shot dead. 1t took him
only minute or two to kill all three OF
them
The prisoner was asked how he got the
men down from the camp to where they
were buried He said he rolled them up
onto sawpit log, put them on horse,
took them to the edge Of the ,oofoot bluff,
and threw them over. lie then went down
and buried them.
Tonnar was taken over to Eagle Rock
and turned over to the authorities.
All that could be lcarne concerning the
dead men and their murderer at the late
hour at which the above information
reached us is that Tiggcr,nan Cor Digger
man, was 4 miner, Wcltcr was for two
years barkceper at the Butter brewery,
kcllenberscr is not remembered, and Ton
mar was at one time engineer at the Clip
per mil! and also worked awhile at the
Bell smeltcr.
The Cleveland Typographical l'nion
backed by the Trades Assembly and
Knights OF Labor, has decided to institute
political boycott against the Cleveland
Leader during the coming campaign on
account OF TIE refusal OF the managers of
that paper to rein>tate the printers now on
Il strike and to .nase it 4 Union office. The
Leader raised the price OF compositors to
forty cents a thousand as soon as the strik
ers left the office, but refused to allow the
strikers to return is Union men. \
Union meeting was held on the 18th inst