The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-06-06
Searching for Cause.

The Inquest upon the bodies OF the muT-
dered young men, JObst and BUrrell, be
gan last night before Justice WOOdman,
acting coroner, and a jury consisting OF
W. l.. Hutchins. John Heldt, J. W. Bar
ker, Malvin stone, George Gibbs and L q.
| RallsbAck.
Louis DeLestry, John Richards and f.
i b. kayer were sworn. Louis DeLestry tes-
tined as To having gone To the scene OF the
murder on the FIRST special. He went into
the station mousse, through two rooms into
back room where be saw a man lyiu z
upon bed spread upon the
hOor. There was large bullet
hole in his right cheek from
which blood was flowing pr0fuSely.
The man was unconscious. DR. Cole ad-
mInisiered some medicine, buL said he
could do nothing for the man. He made
an examination Oi the premises and was
satisfied that the window had been broken
from the inside, a. the glass lay upon the
ground underneath the window. He went
10 the section house and found the body Uf
Burrell lying upon the kllchen door. lie
examined The ground between the section
house and station house, and saw that
man going from the latter t. the former
woulG be IN a direct line with the window
in the ticket Office. Tins window consisted
OF two paDes, the lower one of which had
been broken from q blow from the in
side, and there was a stain ON a portion
OF the window sash which reSembled q
gun-pOwoer scOTch. 1t looked as II a man
had punched gun through the glass and
bred at the same instant Mr.. Simpson,
the express messenger, and himself were
the Ouiy ones present when JObst died. He
was led to infer that JObst and Burrell met
their deaths at the hands-Of the dead rob
berS, for the reason that the robbers had
been positively recognized as the men who
were hanging around SILVER on Tuesday.
A revolver known 10 have been in JObsts
possession was found 10 tue possession OF
one of the dead robbers. IL was of a
peculiar make, hammerless, and the only
one of the kind in that place. Another
thing was that section man who went to
work early that morning said be saw q
man crOucned under the depot platform.
+. b. Hayes took the special " Silver
and saw the dead bodies OF JObst and Bur
rell, although JObst was not dead when he
arrived there. He knew both the young
men we'll BurTell WAS a friend of Jobst
and had been stopping with him since last
May. JObSt mad charge of the station and
had two rooms back OF the freight office,
one OF which be used for a sleeping room.
There was no safe in the building, and
Jo0st, had 70 make his remittances TO the
general Office every day. From what be
saw he WAS positive that Jobst was shot
while lying IN bed, as there was blood ON
both SIDES Of the bed clSthes around his
bead. Wells Fargo * Co. furnished their
men revo.vers and the one found upon the
dead rObber was similar 10 the ones used
oy express messengers He knew that
Jobst mad a revolver but Il could not be
found yesterday. From what he could
find out, and from all circumstances con-
nected with the affair he was Of the belief
that that they had met their deaths at the
hands of the dead ROBBERS.
John Richards, line repairer, knew |
Burrell when he was night operator at |
Great Falls and Jobst when he |
had been quite intimate with the |
latter while he was at Silver.
He knew Jobst did have bullion in his pos
session at times which he could not ship,
but such cases were isolated. IL was his
invsriabie custom 20 make his remittances
every day. He examined the desk in the
station house yesterday and found the lock |
had been broken, but, strange to say, there |
were three packages of coin which had not |
been touched, but cigar box which was |
used 20 keep small change in was empty.
A Package containing bills was found in
the waste paper baskeS. A number of 1
nlcsels aud dimes was found IN the pockets |
OF one or the rObOeTsl There was also kept |
ia the money drawer a b. ckskin pocket |
book, and one Richards saw taken from
one OF the dead robbers, he thinks Is the |
book he often saw there. The revolver
was a Smith & WessOn, self acting, but he
could not say whether &c was OF the ham
merless pattern or not. IL was always
kept In the money drawer and never in the
bs room.
A section man named Beard slept in the
room With JVbsJ ana Burrell. IL was his
custom To go out on the road early in the.
and Burrell used TO wake him
He slept there as usual Tuesday night. Mr
Richards and Mr.. Simpson found S25 IN
bills in BurrelPs vest pocket The vest
was found under his pillow. lie no iced
hat Burreifs hands were cut, aud Ia
noticed blood stains around the b.d room
window. Mr. Richards thought that per
haps Burrell was shot through the left arm
befaOe he leaped through the window. and
was shot through the back while running
From surrounding circumstances he is
,onfident that the two unknown men
Killed by the sherItfs posse were the assas
iins of JOhst snd Burrrll
At the conclusion of Richars evidence
The inquest was continued to 10 O'Clock |
to-day.