The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-04
AN ATROC|OUS MURDER
Pat Regain Killed in Silver Bow
Canyon.
HIS BRAINS BEATEN OUT
Robbery Was the Motive for the Crime
His Body Was Discovered in
the Crsek-A Strong Clue
Discovered.

In a lonely spot In Silver Bow canyon
was committed. on Friday night. one
Of the most atrocious murders in the
history of crime in Montana. Patrick
Regain, a well-known Butte miner. was
the victim, and robbery was the incen-
tive. The unfortunate miner was killed
by having hts brains beaten out with
rocks and his body was then thrown
into Silver Bow creek, where the body
of the murdered man was found yester-
day morning by a section gang of the
Butte. Anaconda e. Pacific railroad. A
c~oroner's jury which investigated Re-
gan's death at Gregson Springs last
evening decided he was murdered. No
other conclusion could be drawn from
the evidence. The authorities are work
ing on a strong clue. and it Is possible
the murderers. or at least one of them,
IL there were more than one, Will o
be apprehended. The remains OF the
murdered man were brought to Butte
and are now at the home of a relative.
The crime was discovered yesterday
morning a little after Z o'clock by
David Henderson. section foreman on
section No. 4 OF the Butte, Anaconda
& Pacific railroad and his gang of sec
ton hands, Joseph Burns. Thomas Nc
Namara and JOIN Meehan. Foreman
Henderson and his men left Dawson,
their headquarters, at Z o'clock to go
west over the section. When they had
reached a point in Silver Bow canyon,
about a mile east of the mouth OF Ger
man gulch and about two and a half
miles from Gregson Springs, Hender-
son observed a hat lying on the ground
TX or Oh feet from the track. on the
south side. He ordered the car
stopped and got off to pick up the hat.
AS he did so he noticed a necktie near
by and picked that W also, but MOTTO
ing it was soiled, threw II down again.
He noticed the soiled spots looked like
blood, and so remarked. but the mat
ter passed and he and his men started
on up the track. They had gone only
about a quarter of a mile when the
foreman saw the body of a man lying
in the shallow water of the creek a
few rods away. He again ordered
the car stopped, n going over to
look at the body, a consultation was
held as to what should be done. II
was finally decided the coroner should
be notified before the body was moved,
and the section crew pumped 10 greg
son with all speed, where Foreman
Henderson sent a dispatch to Ana
conda TO Superintendent decade mott
flying him of the find.
Henderson and his crew then re-
turned to the scene Of n inding or
the body, and supposing the man mao
been killed by a train, began looking
for evidence as to how the accident
happened. In looking about where he
had found the hat, Henderson found
several places where there were large
spots of blood on the broken stone bal
last, a few feet from the track, but
there was nothing to indicate the man
"a I.., bF1IaA on tha tTarh and he
then began 10 suspect foul play and
made a thorough investigation. He
found evidences of a struggle In a gras-
sy plot nearby, and in searching the
ground. PICKED up a silver quarter and
a ST. all key IL the point where the
struggle had evidently occurred. Nc
Namnra, one of the men, got over the
harLed wire fence enclosing the rail-
road right-of-way, and in looking about
found a jagged-edged rock covered
with blood and a tuft of hair. All now
became sure a crime had been com
mitted. The finding of the mans scarf
at the point of The struggle indicated ii
had been torn off while he was trying
to defend himself. Tracks leading from
the spot through the mud to the creek
some 80 or 40 feet from the track, with
spots of blood all along, showed how
the man had been carried to the wire
fence, dragged through and carried to
the bank OF the SIIEdIn anu uuIlipFh
in. There were two distinct tracks, one
made by a pointed toed shoe and an
other by a wide, round toed shoe, show
ing clearly two men had been engaged
in the crime.
Silver Bow creek was much swollen
, tina night by the heavy rain, and where
: il would not ordinarily have fioated q
body, the increased body of water car
! ried the murdered man down the stream
fully a quarter of a mile. The watei
was evidently receding very rapidly a.
! his time. as the body was lodged on 6
! rifle in the middle of the stream. While
: Henderson was making his examina'
: ton OF III surroundings Superintendent
NcCabe came along on the morning
train to Butte and dropped a note L
him to remove the body from the waite
and lay it by the track and leave a maj
to guard ii until the coroner arrived
T Henderson and his men accordinsl!
i took the body from the water, wharf
Il Law on one side, with the head III
stream and the water only about hal
covering II. on turning the body owe
r two great gashes were found on tn
[ forehead, where the skull had been hor
D r,bIv crushed. There was anothe
n wound back of the right ear, showinl
Y another terrible skull fracture, and
deep cash under the left eye and tn
whole face was horribly bruised wher
the murderers had rained their crue
blows
There were no other bruises of an,
c kind on the body. The body was lai
II on the ground and Joseph Burns lef
l. TO watch. while the section crew wen
l. on about their work. superintendent
II McCabe notified Sheriff Regan and h
telephoned Justice Of the Peace +. g.
n Laurandeau who is acting coroner i
" the absence of Coroner Tremblay, an
who was at Gregson. Judge Lauran
deau left at once for the scene. ii
found the body fun dressed and tn
pockets Of the pants were turned insid
out, showing Enthusiastically robbery wa
~ the incentive for the murder. @
n searching the other pockets OF tn
u clothes a Miners union card bearin
30 the name Of Pat L. Regain disclosed tn
murdered mans identity. IL ais