The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-11-18


between 30 ssd IS years Of age. He had ON
. clean white shirt and turned down COL
lar. and wore hiRh-heslsd boots. His linsn
was sll clean and bis clothing In good CON
dition; IN fact he would bs considered a
we'll dressed man. In his pockets there was
nothing that would serve to identify him.
the only articles found being two cotton
handkeTohiefs and two silk ONES, one with
the intilal n worked in the corner, corn
ssb pips.. package wish little tobacco In
u. comb In case. two small keys, one for
Yale look. and 25 cents in money.
The bullet that ended his life entered just
above the right eye and went through bis
hsad, going through his hat. The
powder burned. but there were no powder
marks on his face and il has not yet beon
decided that the ma'ks on tho nose wore
powder burns.
Coroner Peasants was notified Of the
finding OF the body about II O'clock yester-
day morning, and went out. He found il
about i've and half miles south of town,
on the road between Helena and Holmes
goloh. TAe man was lying ON a side hill,
few feet from the road. He was on hia
bsok, with. his hands folded across his
bHeas< his limbs extended. and nothing to
indiests that there had besn any oontrao-
tloA OF tho muscles or struggle nj any sort.
His hat was lying under his head and was
soaked With blood. The snow had drifted
over the body some. but it was evident that
be had not been dead long. because the
blood under him WAS slightly warm. The
coroner looked around for some sign ss to
how the orimo had been committed and
found. almost covered BY the snow,
thirty-eiRht saliber revolver. with thrse
empty shells In IL. On the other side of
the road. and distant seventy hve feet. there
were the remains of fire. Nothing
was found there save . portion OF a sack OF
English Club House tobacco. The bodv
was then brought to town. and in the a.
ternoon Coroner Pleasants hold an inquest,
Tine first witness. +. N. Wosd. testified
that yesterday morning about nine o'clock
he and his son Cha lss leit homo to 40 to
Holmes Rulch TO get some wood; when he
had gotten oat about two miles and q half
Holmes auloh. he found the body Of q man
lying beside the read. He said he looked
at the Lody and saw bullet hole over his
right eye. Wood said he had no idsa who
the man was and that hs had never seen
him before. He testified that there was a
aes down to the lefs or the road. but NO one
near II. bnt he found there . package of
tobacco. He said he saw mons tracks
around tho h's that had been PARTLY COW
cred uH. II looked 10 him as though two
men had left the FIRE and gone to where the
body was. After notifying the coroner,
Mr.. Wood went out again, and saw revol-
yer lying ON the right side OF the man, par-
TALLY covered by snow.
Jno. W. Wood, = son of j. N. Wood,
went out to where the body vas found. be-
fore 1t had been removed. He testified
that the tracks in the snow showed that
they went from The fire to the body and
back again, those leading to the body being
bsr of footprints. looking as though there
had been soutfls. On . log nenr the fire
wss package Of English club house to-
bacco.
Wm. Scare. who went out to help bring
in the body, testified TINT he examined shs
tracks in the vicinity. He said he found
first one track and then another. one going
east and the other going vest. He followed
the track going east for nearly half 4 mile.
Al knoll the track had been blown over.
and hs did not go further; . measurement
Of the tracks showed they were both about
the same. The other went back 10 the
body and from there TO the f,e. There he
10 whore the body Was found. About three
yatds from the f.e. no judged. there was q
scutf1e, or tive men walking in nearly In
each others tacks. Mr.. Ssars said the
tracks leading from tho hre were made by
two p@rssns. one weaii ing hiRh-h boots
ana she other loW-hssled boots
Az the conclusion of SeaHs' testimony the
coroner adjourned the hearing until 10
o'clock this morning. in order to ind out.
if possible. who could identify the man or
throw more light on The manner in which
hs came to his death.
Under all the circumstances some are
not inclined TO the belief that the man
killed himself. leaving aside the question
of the footprints of more than
one maa In tho vicinity. the posi-
tion In which the body was found
would indicate that il had been fixed afte,
death. The ballet that went through thS
mans head meant almoAt instant death. In
such case ii seems vsy peculiar that he
should lay ths pistol by his side. Qnistly
fsla his arns across his breaat, stretch him
self out and bs found in a. good condition
- though he lad been hxeA BY an under
taksr. Another thing that would indicats
there we're two mon At tho eamph's il that
two packages of tobacco wers found.
Lying on . log near the firS was .
package Of Club house: in the dead mans
pockets vac pArs OF . sack of Scal. Sears
followed tAs footprints Of man with low
heels half mile eass from wnsrs the body
was foHnd, aud thsn Lost track of thsm.
The dead man had on pair Of high heel
boots, snd Ais footprints only 90 10 where
the body vas found.
The theory 10 shat the unfortunate man
had sons money On his PEI son, and probably
aoMe 1ewslSy; he ran across some one IN
town who found II ont. and porsuadsd him
10 10 out In The country 10 look at mine,
or ON selno other e.xand. Getting him out
side Of town. he killed him, robbed him.
aud then Hxsd the body 90 il would look AZ
thouRh IA INA n nssa nf aUiodA- Vh0 dead