Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-06-19
A PISTOLS FATAL WORK
ONE NAN KILLED AND TWO OTHERS
a# SEHERELY INJURED.
The Murder of Saloon-Keeper Mccoy at
Silver Lake, Sunday yAfternoon-Several
Shots by the Heavy Villain Perry. One
This he Escapes-Incidents Leading to
the Murder.

|. ANACONDA. June 17.-[special to The
Miner by the Rocky Mountain Telegraph
Line "Details OF the melancholy affair al
Silver Lake, Sunday afternoon. have been
furnished by e. p. Thomas, proprietor ol
the stage line from Anaconda to George.
town, who was an eyewitness of the eevents
leading up to the murder Of one man and
the woundiHg OF two others. ..t.....
Silver Lake is small village about three
miles from Georgetown and, in early Mon
tana days. was noted for it's placer dig.
gings. It is now the site of email quartz
mine or two. and is contiguous to several
logging camps of the Montana Lumber &
Produce company. - .fs
About year ago tvs Swedes, brothers,
named Biornstorn, located a mining claim
in the vicinity. Three or four months ago
four loggers, among them one named Rice
and another Scalep Perry, =.
JUMPED THE CLAIM. - azss-s +-
They were bitterly opposed to Wm. Nc
Coy, q saloon-keeper and prominent sport
of Georgetown, who had espoused the
cause of the Bjornstorns. Bad blood en-
sued between Mccoy and the loggers, and
the latter have been heard to threaten to
'do Mccoy up in horse race"
Sunday it had been wildly heralded
throughout the country that this would be
the appointed day for a match horse.race
at Silver Lake, between local scrub"
celebrities. A rife shooting match was
also announced for the occasion, the prin.
cipal candidates for the prizes being Willie
Thomas, the 17.year.o son of E. P.
Thomas of Georgetown, and an unknown,
who was to have been entered by F. G.
Brown OF the Blue-Eyed Nellie mine.
1t was a
.= RED LETTER DAY FOR THE SPORTS
in the country around about, and the pro.
gram attracted hundreds OF men from the
neighboring towns of Gable, Pyrenees,
Georgetown and Southern Cross.
k The schuetzenfest was postponed indefi-
nitely on account OF the non.naturaliza.
tion OF Mr.. Browns dark horse, but the
horse race took place, in due time, to the
great edification OF the assembled crowd.
Immediately after the regular events OF the
program, a "shake-back" race for small
purse was arranged between horse owned
by Rice, one Of the loggers, and flly
owned by Ola Anderson OF Georgetown.
The race was for 800 yards, and with f.
Thomas, the stakeholder. After some
jockeying the horses got off to pretty fair
start, ridden by their owners, with Ander-
sons cayuse in the lead to the home stretch.
Here the Rice horse forged to the front,
but in passing Anderson, the latter caught
the Rice horse by the reins, and
PUTTING WHIP AND SPUR
to his own nag won easily with hands down
at the finish. A foul was claimed and al
lowed, and another race ordered by the
judges, resulting in more bitter feeling.
The crowd then adjourned to neighbor-
ing saloon. where hostilities were renewed
in front OF the saloon door. Anderson and
Rice soon came to blows: and Rice was
soon down, being terribly pommelled,
when Mccoy, standing near, leaned over
the writhing comba tants and cried to An
derson, "Stay with him, old boy; I'm your
friend"
At this juncture Scalep Perry, who had
ridden off to an adjacent house, returned
to the scene OF the melee, and
WHIPPING OUT A sIx-sHooTER,
first knocked Mccoy down with it's butt,
and then began his deadly work with the
business end OF it. The first shot, aimed
at Mccoy, missed him, but passed through
the window of saloon, and struck Ed.
Baxter OF Butte City, inhicting a painful,
but not fatal wound. The second shot was
more deadly. 1t struck Mccoy in the fore
head, penetl ating the brain and killing
him within few minutes. A third shot
grazed the top OF the head OF Mr.. Freedom
OF Georgetown, telling him to the ground,
but producing only scalp wound. Mr.. F.
soon recovered.
Perry then, with Il yell OF defiance,
mounted his horse. and with farewell
shot, made for the dense timber bordering
the lake, hotly pursued by friends OF the
dead Mccoy, escaping the hot fusjlade OF
shots. The fugitive plunged into the intri-
cate mazes of the forest and
ELupED FURTHER PURSUIT,
and when last seen his little Indian pony
was climbing the foot hills beyond the
woods with the speed and agility of a
mountain goat, and quickly disappeared
over the range.
Sheriff Moore, of Deer Lodge county, and
a posse are securing the country for the
murderer, but apparently with little
chance Of effecting his capture.
The murderer is about 33 years OF age,
wearing large white hat with large
leather band around it. He has a light
moustaehe.
Four loggers we're arrested for completely
in the crime and have Just been brought to
Anaconda. There is telegraphic communi'
cations with GEORGETOWN. and there may
be more particulars later.