Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-17
PARK CITY'S TARGEDY.
ASSESSOR LEWIS SWEET MEETS A
A VIOLENT DEATH.
The First Impression of Suicide Gives
Way to a Belief That Lewis Was AS
sassinated-A Shot Fired, Probably,
From the Outside of the House-The
Deceased One of The Best Known
Citizens of Yellowstone County.

From the Outside Of the House-Tht
Deceased One of The Best Knows
Citizens of Yellowstone County.
Says the Billings Gazette OF October II
Considerable excitement was created on
tine street yesterday morning when the news
was circulated about town that telegram
had been received by the coroner summon.
ing him to Park City to hold an inquest on
the body of one OF the best known citizens
OF Yellowstone County, Assessor Lewis
Sweet. The first impression seemed to be
that Mr.. Sweet had committed suicide, bet
from the most reliable information that
can be obtained at the hour OF going to
press, and probably all that can be learned
before the result Of the coroner's inquest is
made public, seems to indicate that Mr..
Sweet came to his death at the hands Of an
assasssl, and that the deed was onss oi the
most cold -blooded murders imaginable.
It appears that ON Tuesday afternoon Mr..
Sweet loaded his shotgun and stood it
against the wall in his bed room, and at the
same time asked his son where the revolver
WAS. At about 8 o'clock in the evening,
aftersMr. Sweets two sons had retired for
the night, and as Mr.. Sweet was preparing
for bed,
A SHOT WAS FIRED,
and the boys, jumping up, ran into their
fathers room, which adjoins their own and
is separated from it by doorway but no
door. in time to see their father fall to the
floor.
One of the boys Immediately went to
Park City and told that his father had
killed biniself. The shot was also heard by
one of the neienbors, who went to Mr..
Sweets house and found him lying on his
face and side at the foot of his bed. His
face had been scratched when he fell to the
floor, and his left side was riddled by q
charge of buckshot. Mr.. Sweets gun was
found with both barrels loaded, where he
had placed it in the afternoon, and the
revolver was also found with every cham
Der containing an unexploded cartridge.
a wire screen in the window OF the room
occupied by Mr.. Sweets SONS, has hole
through it, and is
COVERED WITH BURNT POWDER,
which would seem to indicate that the
shot was fred from the outside of the
house, through the window and doorway
connecting the two rooms, these two
points being in line with the position in
which the body was found. IN the second
room. Mr.. Sweets sons also say that
their room was full of sparks when they
first sprang out of bed, and there are
tracks near the window through which the
shot was fired, but they will probably
have been obliterated by last nights
rain.
What the motive for the shooting was,
or who did it, is at present mere matter
of conjecture, and until the mystery is
solved by the authorities must remain SO.
Coroner Kelly continued the inquest un-
til to-day, and it may be some days before
much light is thrown on all the facts and
circumstances surrounding the death of
Mr.. Sweet, but it seems probable that the
truth will eventually be known.