Mexico weekly ledger., 1888-03-08
FOR MURDER.
AFTER Three Months Riliy Mont
gomery 10 Taken in This
clty-His Crime.


When Chief Of Police Lane laid
his hand on the shoulder of Billy
Montgomery in the baggage room
of the Union Depot late Friday
afternoon and told him to consider
himself under arrest, that person
cody looked around, saw the Of
ficerss badge of authority and said.
"All right Since the third day
of last December Montgomery has
successfully eluded arrest for the
murder of his brother-in-la law, j..
w. Davidson, near Carrollton. IL
linois, on that day, The three
months that have elapsed since the
murder have been spent by Mont
gomery, for the most part, near
Martinsburg and Rush Hill, where
the murderer worked in the coal
mines. He first came to Martins
burg, where he worked for Weaver,
going from there to Rush Hill,
where he engaged in the same bus
mess, digging coal, working this
time for George Short.
THE CRIME
for which he is now under arrest
was committed on the public road
three or four miles northeast of
Carrollton early in last December.
A brother-in-law of Montgomery,
Davidson by name, was reported
to have beaten his wife on differ
ent occasions and the man now un-
der arrest heard of it and, to use
his own words, concluded to settle
with him for it," if reports were
true, Davidson's wife being his
sister. On the day of the murder
he met Davidson, who, with a
party of friends, was riding along
the public road. Montgomery
walked up to his brother-in-law and
asked him if the stories in circula-
ton were true, adding:
"You are afraid to strike a
man."
From Montgomery's account of
the difficulty, as related to a LED
GER reporter at the City Hall just
after the arrest, it would appear
that this remark threw Davidson
into a rage. He drew a knife and
was about to cut Montgomery when
one of the party, a man named w.
M. Grow, interfered, grabbing
Davidson's arm. This interference
further increased the passion of
the angry man and he turned upon
Crow, who, in a moment, lay
lifeless at his feet, with a great
knife-wound in his body. David
son was not satisfied with this
bloody deed, and made a lunge at
his brother-in-law, Montgomery.
The latter was too quick for him
and the next minute he lay on the
ground by the side of his victim,
Crow, in the agonies of death from
a pistol shot at the hand of Mont
gomery, who was uninjured save
a slight knife wound on the left
side. The two murders were COM
mitted before the rest of the party
could appreciate the situation, and
Montgomery left at once, no at
tempt having been made to hold
him. No more was heard of the
murderer for some time. Stimulat-
ed by the heavy rewards offered
for his capture, detectives set out
on the trail, but it proved dim.
About a month ago a man named
Bill Ashlock, of Whitehall, I'LL
nois, happened to be in Martins
burg, where he saw Montgomery
who at that time was working
there. Ashlock returned at once
to Carrolton and informed the au.
thorities of the f~ngitive's where.
abouts. When the officers arrived
in Martinsburg the bird had flown:
but the story Of the crime had be.
came familiar to the people of the
village. When they found theil
man gone, the officers gave VI
further search and returned to Hi
nois.
HOW MONTGOMERY WAS CAPTURED,
Theodore Bussen owns a saloor
in Martinsburg and was among
those to learn that Montgomery
was wanted in Illinois for murder
Bussen had thought little Of thu
matter since the murderer's sudde1
departure from his town a month
ago. but the minute he laid hi,
eyes on the man in a saloon in thil
city yesterday afternoon he knew
, him. He lost no time in informing
!. the police and in company witt
Officer Lane and Joe Weimer
formerly of Carrollton, who knew
the murderer we'll, returned to tn
saloon where he had seen him
The man was slippery, though, AM
!, it began to look As if he was gon
again. The party visited all tn
saloons, then went to the Uniol
Depot with the intention of watch
ing the trains. A tour of the oil
fees was made and as soon as Ian
reached the baggage room saw hi
7 man and knew him at once. ii
called 4Weimer and the two ap