The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-10
1T IS A BIG MYSTERY
The Death Of Eugene Sullivan Bafiss
the Authorities. q
LOOKS LIKE A MURDER
The Position OF the Body When
Found and the Few Bruises
Seem to Indicate He Didn't
Fall Into the Shaft.

Butte. May s.-The effort made to-
day by the Coroner's jury to determine
the means by which Eugene Sullivan.
whose body was found at the potfom
of the old Acquisition shaft yesterday
morning, met his death, was singulariy
unsuccessful. and the mystery sur
rounding the case was rather deepeneo
instead of being cleared up. The case
is a singularly puzzling one. When
found the body was lying nat on It's
back at the bottom of the shaft, which
is so feet deep, with two timbers lying
across the left shoulder. in such a po-
sition that their being there might not
have been entirely accidental. The
only injuries that could be found on
the body consisted OF couple OF
bruises on the upper part OF the Tore
head, but they were not by any means
sufficient to have caused death. me
arms, legs and body are entirely free
from violence, and IL Is believed by a
great many people to be out or the
range of possibility that the man could
have fallen down the SHAFT ana met MS
death in that way.
1t is perhaps just possible that man
can fall down an inclined SHAFT ana re-
ceive sufficient internal injuries 10
cause death without breaking any o.
his arms or legs. but the body would
certainly bear evidence OF the rough
treatment Il had received, while, as
stated, Sullivan's body does not bear
mark OF any kind.
After spending several hours to-day
in trying to clear up the mystery. the
Jury adjourned until tomorrow, when
another effort will be made to ascer-
tain how the body got to the bottom OF
the shaft, and what was the cause OF
death.
DIR. q. d. Sarchet testified this after
noon that he had made an examination
of the body and found partial frac-
r~Es s4xx nj nd n
on the forehead. The injuries were
not sufficient to cause death. The doc
tor could not tell whether or not the
mans neck was broken, and SAID tnat
| II would require post mortem exam
| ination to determine the cause OF deatn.
Pat Reagan, who had known sullivan
| for 40 wears. testified that they came In
| together from Spokane April IL. the
| day before the latter disappeared. Tney
| had been working together In ogden
| for four months, and as they received
very small pay they only rode part OF
the way to Butte and walked the rest
| Reagan saw Sullivan again on the
evening after they arrived In Butte
Ifn Phil Harrington's saloon, on upper
| Main street. They left the saloon apout
| n 80 o'clock p. m. and started up Main
street. Neither OF them was orun E az
| the time. Reagan turned east on Cop
per street and Sullivan stated that ne
| would walk on up to his brother
house. His brother lives up Main
street near the cable p over house, ana
AZ sullivan had carried out h Is inten-
| ton when he left Reagan there was
no necessity for his going anywhere
| near the shaft in which his body was
found. Reagan was the last man VINO
| saw Sullivan alive. He testineu tnat
sullivan did not have any money, out
that he took several drinks in Harring-
toms saloon and was given q pint flask
of whisky when he left. The flask was
found on the body
Tim Holland testified that Sullivan
| stopped at his house on the night or
| Aprii 10. He saw him last about 3
| O'clock on the afternoon OF the next
day. He was not drunk at that time.
Several other witnesses testified TO the
discovery of the body and its condi-
ton when found.
Suliiyan's strange death adds an
other to the long list of mysterious
deaths and disappearances that have
occurred In Butte and IL Is likely that
| there are other bodies or skeletons at
the bottom of some of the unprotected
shafts and prospect holes around the
| CITY awaiting a similar accidental dis
| covery.
| At an early hour last Monday morn
ing three loud reports were heard west
of Missoula gulch. A moment later
| three men ran down the street, and as
they were passing the residence OF
John Gillie the servant girl heard one
of the men say to his partners: Give
A TO him again" What the men were
shooting at is a question that those
| who heard the shots have since been
asking each other. but without obtain
ing a satisfactory answer.