The San Francisco call., 1898-01-12
Back of It Is a Conspiracy to Kill Several Prominent
 MOntananS.
SEQUEL TO AN EXPLOSION.
Managers Of Wrecked Buildinds Are Doomed by Those Injured in
 the Disaster
Special Dispatch tc The Call.

BUTTE. Mont, Jan. l1.-Patrick A. Largey, president of the State Savings Bank and one of the best known citi- zens of Butte. was shot and killed in the bank building about 1 o'clock this afternoon by Thomas J. Riley
 Riley entered the bank five or ten minutes before committing the bloody act. He called Largey to the cashiers window and the two talked for five minutes or more. They were convers- ing in ordinary tones and there was nothing to indicate that their talk was otherwise than friendly. Suddenly Riley drew gun and shot through the window al Largey. The bullet struck the latter in the left arm and shattered the bone. Largey stopped down and had he continued in that position he might have escaped with his life, as he was protected by the counter How ever, he rose partly, and as he did so
 Riley fired a second shot. The bullet struck Largey squarely in the forehead and he fell over on the floor dead The murderer started for the front door on Park street. and as he passed the teller's window he took a shot at those behind the railing. The bullet narrowly missed Frank Holmes. one of the clerks, dug a hole in his desk and
 went through a glass in one Of the
 windows on the Main street side of the
 building. Riley then rushed out of the Park street door. thruSting his pistol in
 his pocket as he did so.
 William HuSeltOn, a customer of the
 bank, was outside the railing when the ! shooting occurred. He made a rush
 for the man. but deterred by the sight
 of the weapon. did not grab him. He followed Riley out, however. The mur-
 derer hurried west on Park street. fol-
 lowed by HuseltOn. who kept calling out to arrest the man. Officers attract ed by the shooting did so and he was taken to jail.
 He fooled me too long" exclaimed
 Riley when he arrived at the county
 jail. and I killed him. He kept prom ising me work. but he did not give me any and I could not stand it any longer. ] Now. if you want to hang me for it, | all right. Give me a quick trial and ] end it"
 The murderer has but one leg. He
 lost the other in the explosion of the powder warehouses at the Montana Central Railroad yards and has since
 worn a cork leg.
 Largey was manager of one of the companies whose warehouse exploded
 and caused the loss of fifty-eight lives ! III ConlTdulcIlpH 10 ms statement
 that Largey refused to help him. it is well known that the banker frequently
 helped him. He secured employment
 for him a number of times. but Riley
 was unable to hold q position any ] length of time. Besides, Largey occa-
 sionaIly supplied him with money.
 It is asserted that the killing was
 the result of a conspiracy or an under standing to kill more than one man who had managerial or proprietary interests in the two warehouses that were the scenes of the explosions These warehouses belonged to the Butte Hardware Company, of which | Largey was manager. and the Ken l yon-Connell Company. of which w. R. Kenyon was the head. Suits for dam ! ages aggregating a quarter of mil ! lion dollars were brought and several verdicts were secured, but the explo- l SiOns and subsequent attachments had l exhausted the resources of the Ken l yon-Connell Company, while the Butte 1 Hardware Company had gone into l liquidation, and the judgments are un- ! satisfied. There was strong talk of 1 lynching Riley and four other murder CTS confined in the jail.
 Riley was taken to Deer Lodge Pen | itentiary this afternoon in company
 with Bob Shadwell another murderer l to prevent lynching, which looked very possible. They were smugeIed
 out of town in the poor farm ambu- lance