Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1893-04-20
TOOK HIS own LIFE.
James E. Moran, the Well Known
Freighter and Old Timer Shoots
Himself With a Revolver.
Domestic Troubles Said to Be the
Cause of the Rash Deed.

the news o! the suicide Of james Z. Moran,
better kno~n to most OF our readers as
Jersey" Moran. Coroner Hanson was
advised OF the shooting and left for Maiden
in the AFTERNOONS. returning Sunday even
ing. The particulars as gathered from the
coroner's inquest and general report are az
follows:
II appears for some little time past there
has been domestic infeiicity in the Moran
household. which eliminated in the awful
tragedy of Friday night. \ short time
since Moran brought suit against Thos. c.
McKoin for a gambling debt and the latter
watching his opportunity to retaliate and
thinking Moran was running a gaming
place without "A license, made complaint.
Sheriff Deaton on Friday last brought
Moran to Lewistown to answer to the
charge, when it was shown that Moran had
made application for a license prior to the
date OF the complaint. This fact being
established Moran returned to his place at
the mouth of Maiden gulch, reaching there
before nightfall.
Several days prior Mrs. Moran stated
that she was going to secure the Denner
building at the Spotted Horse mine and
open a saloon herself. and the absence ol
her husband at Lewistown gave her the
oppurtunity.to carry her threat or propo
sition into effect. AS Mr.. Moran ap,
preached his place he found a wagon load
of furniture before the door, his wife gone,
and the place the picture of desoltaion
What followed next can best be told by
! Tnaaph Tbaratta Who 1iyaa in a 20 hin naar
the Moran place. and whose testimony is
verified by others in the cabin at the time.
Joe Charette, first being duly sworn, tes-
titles as follows: my name is Joe Char
cite and live in Fergus county, Montana.
Am acquainted with Jersey Moran; have
known him during the last summer. | saw
him on the day Mr.. Deaton took him to
Lewistown. saw him when he came back
from Lewistown. l saw him about sun
when he came back. My cabin is about
800 yards from his place of business. He
went right on up to his stable. He then
went to Mrs. Moran's house. | could not
say whether he went in the house or not.
He then came back to my cabin. He came
horseback. He told his wife to bring to the
house the stuff she moved that day from
there. That was all he said. John Mathe-
son had a team load of Mrs. Moran's stuff
in front OF Jerseys saloon. Mr.. Dohn and
his wife were at Jerseys saloon when Jer-
sey moved the wagon load of household
furniture from the front OF the saloon
around to the kitchen. took one of the
horses off from the wagon. AL Sellers took
the other one off. 1t was not quite dark
yet. Al Sellers and / went back to my
cabin. We met Mrs. Moran on our way.
| next saw Jersey Moran at my cabin
about two or three hours after. He did
not come horseback. Mrs. Moran, AL Sell
lers, my wife, Mr.. Sutton and myself were
there. Moran asked his wife when he came
in the cabin, What did you do with my
six-shooter and where are my cartridges? p
She answered, In the house there He
told AL Sellers to bring that stuff back.
They got into a quarrel and fight. Sellers
hit Moran in the face two or three times.
Jersey then quit and went outside. Moran
was not in the cabin quite hall an hour.
Sellers had a gun on him that time. Moran
stayed outside about ten minutes. The
door was open all this time and during the
fight. Mrs. Moran stayed in front of the
door outside during the fight. Moran came
back to the door and took Mrs. Moran
out to one side to talk to her. They were
talking about half an hour. Mrs. Moran
came back in the house leaving the door
open. Jersey called back to her saying:
We'll, goodbye AunieI Goodbye Busterr
| Ruat., - his Et t1a how Iaroay N,ra, tkaa
went away. | did not see Moran again un-
til he was dead We all went to bed about
half past ten. Before we went to bed we
heard a pistol shot. When we heard the
hot Mrs. Moran said, I'll bet a hundred
dollars Jersey is dead There was only one
shot fired. Job Matheson, about dark,
said he was going to the post"
1t appears that Moran had had some
trouble with his partners, Sellers and
Sutton, over a coal mine in which the three
were interested, and fearing that Moran
had fired the shot to draw them out. the
latter did not approach the cabin during
the night but went over early Saturday
morning, when they found Moran lying
dead on the floor. He had partly removed
his clothes and when discovered lay at full
length, with his feet crossed, a CHASTITY
wound on the head, back of the right ear,
where the bullet from n forty-four revolver
had entered. The weapon. strange to say.
lay on the left side Of him about three feet
away. BY his side was found a note in
which he willed all Of iais effects to his wife
and requested that his remains be laid by
the side of his twins which had died in in
fancy and were buried near by.
The position OF the revolver when found
aroused "A little suspicion. but the coroner
jury, which consisted OF W. H.. Burgess,
Frank Pick. J. b. Washburn, VIM. Van
denburgh. j. W. Dougherty and w. p.
Brainerd, after careful Investigation rem
dered a verdict that the deceased came to
his death by means of ~ gun shot wound
through the head, inflicted by himself with
suicidal intent"
When in Lewistown on Friday, Moran
was laxative and cheerful and gave no
sign or intimation that he was in serious
trouble. He had been getting his freight
tea ms together and had taken wood con-
tracts for the Spotted Horse. and was
looking for "A busy season in which he
would make money.
No doubt upon returning home and find
ing everything torn up and partly moved
away, his wife and child gone and quar-
tered with those unfriendly to him. he be.
came desperate and gloomy. and regarding
the battle unequal resolved to end all
strife by taking his own life. The evidence
of Charette and Others at the cabin, and
his farewell to wife and ehild leads to no
other conclusion.
The deceased was well known in this sec.
ton and bad a good many friends, who
we're greatly surprised at the rash act that
Terminated his life