The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-06-25
Proof Of Guilt Complete.

| lVOl Vi uulll UOulplele.
If There Remained any Doubt, it is
Removed.
Direct Proof That WILDER Murdered
the Families.
Supposed to Have Secured Plunder
Amounting to $4,000.
Emery A. Huson, who owns ranch
on the Judith near where the bodies of
the five murdered persons were found
reached the city Sunday. It was Mr..
Huson, who, seeing team threading its
way along the river bank where was no
public travelled road, went down to see
who it was and was met by the driver
some fifty yards before reaching the
wagon. He talked with the driver and,
impressed by his manner that something
was wrong, eyed him closely. A few
days afterwards the bodies were found
in the river. Then he was reminded of
the strange conduct of the driver. When
he heard of the arrest of WILDER he was
satisfied he was the guilty man. When
he heard of Wilber's suicide he tele-
graphed that, if the body could be kept.
he would come and identify the body as
that Of the driver he had talked with.
Upon his arrival here he was taken to
the county Jail and shown the body,
whereupon he at once recognized it as
that of the same person he had spoken to
and who was driving the team in that
unfrequented place along the banks Of
the Judith.
Having fully satisfied himself of this
fact he made the following affidavit be-
fore Judge Dyas:
TERRITORY OF MONTANA,
County OF Cascade. 30
On this 2nd day Of June, A. D. 1889, appeared
personally before me- Jno. P. Dyas, probate judge
in and for said county and territory Emery A.
Huson. who having been first duly sworn accord
ing to law, depOses and says as follows: That OH
the 8th day Of June, A. D. 1889, l was on one Of
my ranches on the bottom Of the Judith river
about 2la miles above Samples crossing Of the
Judith. The ranch In question is in all out Of
the way place, used as winter sheep camp.
There are but two ways Of approaching the ranch
one above and one below. Twas working to
gether with hired man OH a water ditch just
above this ranch on the day above mentioned.
saw a team f0rding the river, above the ranch
1t was distant from me about one-fourth Of Il mile
first heard d wagon and went around the brush
a short distance to get view Of the ford. Aftel
the team had crossed the ford it disappeared be
hind the brush and I went back to my work
After few moments l started again to look at
the outfit, wondering who could be travelling ii
that direction as it was entirely off the road ant
never travelled by anybody but myself. l got int
my cart and started down towards my ranch ant
had probably gone 80 yards when again saw thu
outfit at the lower end of the ranch, Il distance
from me of about one-half a mile. drove rap
idly towards the team and when near enough
saw man tucking down wagon sheet clost
around something IN the wagon box. The man
left his team and came forward to meet me
which he did about 50 yards from the team. Whel
first saw the team the sheet was on the bow!
and when I met the man 1t was of the bows AM
tucked tight down around something III TIL
wagon, which seemed to fill up the wagon bo
pretty well to the top. spoke to the man frs
and asked him where he was going He said h
was going to Clagett told him that was no
the road to Clagett. He wanted to know If tina
was the end Of the road told him it was.
asked him If he could pull my grade, an
showed him a grade up the hill, leading up on t
the bench, and at the same time asked him ho'
much load he had on He said that he had ten Q
fifteen hundred pounds. looked at his load an
team from where stood and told him | though
he could pull the grade all right. then directe
him to the Clagett road, by the way OF the grade
which was in an eastery direction.
He then pulled out down the river toward tn
grade about quarter Of a mile distant, and dis
| appeared in the brush. l afterwards saw til
wagon tracks turn off OH dim road before th
grade was reached. Other parties traced til
wagon tracks from this point down to the river,
distance Of about a quarter of mile, where tn
bodies were found.
The next morning sent out man to look fc
some work horses. When he came back he tol
me that he had seen an outfit camped at tn
mouth af Allen coulee, on the bank Of the rive
which answered the description Of the one see
the day before. This was Sunday morning, JuT
9th.
At this camp on Allen coulee is the place whel
they afterward found in the Judith river tv
Watches. one large tray, some soup plates tt
irons Of two satchels, recently burned, two pal
of scissors and various other articles. The out
was see, W III, s4oep ~, ~. sa.,,as ,.,a,,,,
co'i''ls run 'n's polAs ". ,a,, :. ,.a .,..,o,
pach osel VIC '""e ioa. ',, "n's .,.a. .a. 4,
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tailce Vi ANU. io''i "H.e'' ."'e's - o,'.