The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1891-06-13
ASSASSINATION AT BUTTE.
w. j. PenrOse, Editor of the Butte Mining
Iournal. WaYlail and Killed

journal, Waylaid and Killed.
Dispatches from Butte Wednesday
brought the startling information that
w. j. Penrose, editor of the Butte Min
ing Journal, was murdered at an early
hour in the morning of that day. When
discovered he was found lying upon his
back on the sidewalk with his head in a
pool of blood and bullet hole near his
left ear. The shot must have produced
instant death, as the murdered mans
left hand was in his pocket, where it
probably was when the fatal bullet took
effect. A woman named Belle Brown
ing was Immediately arrested on sus-
picion of having been implicated in the
crime.
| Developments tend to show that he
was killed by three men and that it was
a cold blooded murder, carefully plan
ned. Among others Who saw some men
lurking around the scene of the crime
was A. T. Allen, formerly jailer at Hell
ena. A few minutes before a pistol re-
port was heard young man named
O'Donnell passed Penrose, who had just
left his home. O'Donnell says three
men rushed by him and ordered him to
get off the sidewalk. One carried pis.
tol, another threw something into a
yard near by, and subsequently billy,
made from a shovel handle and filled
with lead, was found. The theory is
that Penrose was first knocked in the
head with the billy, and while lying
PROSTATE pistol was placed at his head
and fired. The fatal shot entered just
above the left ear, making small hole
The ear was powder burned and the hair
singed, so that the pistol must have
been held very close. Mrs. Penrose,
wife of the murdered man, states that
her husband came home about o'clock;
he was worried about something, paced
the floor restlessly and finally retired
to bed. He got up before II o'clock, and
Notwithstanding her reinsurance started
up town, stating that he would shortly
return. It is stated that he received a
note from the Browning woman Thurs
day afternoon, and it is thought by some
that she hired men to kill him, but as
her only object could be jealousy this
theory is not generally accepted. 9th
ers incline to the belief that the murder
emenated from some of the labor organi-
cations or individuals, whom the Mining
Journal has severely scored lately.
Every possible means is being used to
find the murderer. There is no clue as
yet.
W.. j. Penrose was Cornishman by
birth and was about AZ years of aye. He
was miner from his early youth. On
coming to America he worked for time
in the Vermont mines, next went to
Pennsylvania, afterwards to the Illinois
coal mines and finally went to Nevada,
where after trying mining for a time he
at length drifted into journalism. Mr..
Penrose was shot once while in Nevada
and carried the bullet in his breast to
the time Of his death. This wound was
received while in the discharge of his
duties as deputy sheriff. Leaving Ne
vada he came to Butte in 1885 and for a
time worked as reporter on the Butte
Miner. Later he started the Centerville
Mining Journal, which was afterwards
removed to Butte, where it was owned
and edited by Mr.. Penrose at the time of
his death. During che campaign of
1889 he was elected by the democrats as
representative of Silver Bow county in
the lower house of the state legislature.
Mr.. Penrose was married in Nevada and
leaves wife and one child. His parents
both survive him, his mother having
just returned to her home in New Zea-
land from visit to her son in Butte.