The Anaconda standard., 1895-11-22
Bad Mrs. Blodgett the Cause of His
Ruinous Conduct. ~
HE WAS ARRESTED AT PAsCc
The Woman Goes West to Meet the
Man-CIever Work of Detec-
tives = He Has a Wife
and Children.

Aioii II ~. rFdnh. was arrested yes
terday afternoon at Pasco. Wash, a
division point on the Northern Pacific
about $50 miles west Of the Idaho line.
The conductor Of a freight train tele-
graphed to Butte yesterday afternoon
from Ritzville. Wash. that a man
answering LeClare's description had
boarded his train at Sprague and that
he would notify the sheriff at Pasco to
arrest him on the arrival of the train
there. He did so and a telegram re-
ceived by Freight Agent Merriman
about O'Clock this evening from f.
w. Gilbert. Superintendent OF the Cas-
cade division Of the Northern Pacific
announced that LeClare was arrested
at Pasco and that he would be held
until an officer arrived from Butte TO
take charge OF him. Sheriff Reynolds
telegraphed to the sheriff at Pasco
last night for a detailed description Of
his prisoner and IL he is satisfied that
he is LeClare he will send for him at
once. Pasco is only about 600 miles
from Butte and II is evident that Le-
Clare has been doing a good deal of
skirmishing since he left Butte to
avoid arrest. From the time he con-
sumed In covering that comparatively
short distance II Is believed that he
rode principally on freight trains in or
der to escape detection. ga
When there Is case OF sudden dis
appearance on the part OF Butte
man to avoid prosection for some dis
honest action, II Is a pretty sure wager
that there Is woman at the bottom
OF his troubles. and LeClare's case is
no exception to the rule. The woman
In his case is none other than the no.
torious Mrs. o. J. Blodgett. and his in
fatuation for her would have undoubt-
edly led to his capture eventually
Mrs. Blodgetts first husband, Felix
Donceil. committed suicide a year or SO
ago on account of her waywardness
her second husband is now serving out
a sentence in the county Jail and her
lover will probably wind up either in
the same place or In the states big
stone building at Deer Lodge. I'm
mediately after LeClare's sudden dis
appearance the officers commenced to
look around for the woman in the case
and they soon found her. They discoy-
cred that LeClare had taken Mrs. ,Blod-
gett out of a house Of ill-fame In East
Mercury street and given her a room
in the Kelly block in East Park street.
He had paid her room rent there for
several months. kept her we'll supplied
with fine clothes and furnished her
with all the money she needed. Le-
Clare Is a married man and has, sew
eral children and the money necessary
to support his family together with
what he lavished on his mistress
proved to be more than his transfer
business could stand.
He was so hopelessly infatuated
with the notorius woman he was sup
porting In luxurious idleness that he
did not entertain the thought of drop
ping her when he discovered that his
expenses were running away ahead of
his profits. and with nothing but ruin
tra terHf a
all the money he could get and skip
out. The collection Of sS2795 from H
L. Frank for the Northern Pacific gave
him the opportunity he had been
waiting for and taking that money
and lot more which he had failed to
deposit to offset his heavy overdraft
at the bank he skipped.
On becoming acquainted with the in
innate relations that had existed be-
tween the missing man and his mis-
tress the officers concluded that 1t
would only be a matter of a very few
days until she would follow him and
join him somewhere. and they kept a
close eye on her. Subsequent events
proved the correctness of this theory
On Monday the woman commenced to
pack up her things and she left over
the Northern Pacific Tuesday morning
for Seattle. Northern Pacific detec-
tives were waiting for her at the depot
when She arrived ther at o'clock yes
terday afternoon and city detectives
were also on hand. A telegram was re-
ceived at the sheriff's office last even
ing stating that the woman had ar
rived and was being closely watched.
The officers are satisfied not only from
the outward indications but from
other evidence of which they are in
possession that she went there to meet
LeClare and IL he had not been afraid
to take his chances on a passenger
there is no doubt that he would have
been waiting for her there
Mrs. Blodsett's reputation in Butte
Is such that the surprise at LeClare's
downfall will be lessened by knowledge
of her relationship with him. The
sensational suicide or her first hus-
band, Felix Donceil. the chef at the
Butte hotel. Is still comparatively
fresh in the public mind as Is also her
marriage with Blodgett on the day
that her husbands body was found in
brick yard west of town several
weeks after his suicide After Blod-
gett was sent to iail for attempted
blackmail his wife entered Lille Reeds
palace OF sin in East Mercury street
and sporting life came very easy to
her. She removed to the Kelly block
several months ago and LeClare treat
ed her so generously that his ruin fol-
lowed es matter or course. Who her
next victim will be 1t is a hard prob |
lem to solve.
A dispatch was received by the sher-
in late last evening. which leaves no
doubt of the man being the one want |
ed. II Is as follows: ~
"Connell. Wash. Nov. 21.-Sam ].
Reynolds: Party arrested owns TO be- |
ing f. ID. LeClare from Butte. Saws
ne mas wife and four children there
and in transfer business. Has red
complexion. projecting teeth. about 5
feet inches tall w. B. Cray"
Connell Is a way station a snort dis
tance from Pasco Junction. All raj |
road employees had been notified By the |
Northern Pacinc to watch out for Ie- |
preaching his description.f The .sheriff /
also sent descriptions to ali 6itles in /
the neighboring states. LecIare. n /
seems. left the train at Ritxrllle and /