The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1891-02-11
THAT MYSTERIOUS MURDER.
Coroner Myers Returns to H~elena-SherinF
HouKton to be Sent out.

Coroner Myers Returns to Helena-Shorin
Houston to be Sent out.
News reached Great Falls last night
that a man, supposed to be a Mccarthy
Vile murderer, had left Shelby Junction
and was headed toward this place. He is
a man about 90 years of age, about five
feet six or seven inches in height, weighs
about 1872 pounds; wore blue Machinaw
shirt, had no coat on. had a Wide brimmed
SLOUGH hat, red Germsu socks, straight
black hair, small black mustache, dark
eyebrows, even teeth, etc. Should he
reach this vicinity he will no doubt be
nabbed iustanter.
Coroner W. H. Myers, of Missoula
county arrived In Helena last night from
Great Falls. Coroner Myers started
from Missoula to go to McCarthysville,
the scene of the recent reported hold up
and double murder, for the purpose OF
investigating that affair. The coroner
was informed, before leaving Missoula,
that he could get within eight miles OF
McCarthysville by construction trains on
the Great Northern railway. Arriving al
Great Falls, however, he learned that the
shortest possible route to Mc~Carthysville
was eighty mile, and that the route
would have to be travelled on foot, with
the chance of a possible lift on a passing
wagon. Coroner Myers is lame and uses
two crutches still, as he says, off it had
only been eight miles, l would have
walked the distance" As it is he will
90 back to Missoula this morning and
start Sheriff Houston to the scene.
The McCarthysville murder occurred
about Jan, IS. Up to this time the Mis-
soula authorities are IN possession of only
the most ineager details. The informs
ton brought by Coroner NJ, ers i,
the most complete yet received. 1t comes
IRON a man who wa on the scene al
hour after the shooting and the deput,
sheriff of Choteau county and others
While 1t reduces the number of mel
killed from two to one, and eliminates
the masked highwaymen story, 1t adds t.
the mystery which has hitherto sur
rounded the affair. When the first new
of the shooting was received 1t said tina
five men gambling in a tent were attacked
by two maskeu men; that two men were
killed and the others wounded, and tina
the highwaymen made off with the stakes
some 800. The next account said the
gamblers had been compelled to stant
with their faces to the wall and were
then shot down In cold blood. Coroner
Myers information does not agree witt
either of the previous accounts. 1t is al
follows:
McCarthysville Is a rough railroad
camp on the line of the Great Northern
railways western extension, in Missoul,
county. The man XII led was a grader
With four others, also supposed to b,
r graders, he WAS gambling in a tent. H,
! had about $1,000 when he started ant
won about 800 from them. Whethe
they quarreled or whether 1t was a sim
! pie case of premeditated robbery is no
=, known. The clrcums stances, however
point to the idea that the lucky grade
was attacked by the other four; that b,
started to run and was shot. When fount
the body was lying about sixteen fee
from the tent, with four bullet-hole
through the back. The balls were cvi
iently from a Winchester rifle. Insid,
the tent, when the first person arrived OF
the scene after the shooting, were the
other four men, each slightly wounded
by bullets evidently from a pistol o
thirty-twn caliber. They told til,
story about the masked mel
holding up the entire party, and a
once left the place, in spite of thei
wounds. This led to the general belle
that tney had tried to win the grader,
81 800, hut losing their own money in
stead, killed him and robbed him, anC
5 then, fearing the vengeance of the otheI
railroad men, inflicted slight wounds or
, themselves and told the masked mel
story. The fact that they have left til.
country and that no trace Of them cal
2 be found makes this version of the muir
der more than a theory. The report tina
one OF the murderers was the nOtoriOu.
Jim Cummings, of Jesse James old gang
Is, Coroner Myers says, only a suspicion
based on the fact that the noted desperate
had been seen in the vicinity shortly be
fore the murder and disappeared imme
diately afterward.
Deputy Sheriff Grant, who is located
in Missoula county near McCarthyville
has gone to that section to look into thu
matter, but nothing has been heard from
him.