The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-27

here, and from the character OF dress
and effects, which are distinctive with
the tramp. the conclusion was reached
that he must have been merely one OF
the unfortunate wanderers. although.
indeed. he may ave peen an honest
working a looking for work. adopt
ing the tramp's mode for convenience
of his enforced cheap means OF travel
by box car. He was a man about
80 and IS years of age, about hve
feet nine and one-half inches tall.
weighed about 1876 pounds. was of rath-
er rudy complexion. had a very heavy
head of reddish brown curly hair and
n sandy mustache OF medium weight.
He had pleasant features. was of
splendid physique and had the appear
ance of being about the average work.
ing a To look at him. n did not
like to think he was a tramp.
After completing the autopsy, DIR.
Sheeran made a further examination of
the body to find mark which might
lead to his Identity and to form an opin-
ion as 10 how long the man had been
dead. With regard to the former. IL
was found the man had been ruptured
and wore a double truss made of W
steel rod running from a pad on either
side at the back. circling up over either
hip. to a pad on either side in front,
where hernia occurs. With reference
to the length of time that had elapsed
since death. DR.. Sheeran came to the
conclusion death must have ensued at
least SO our before the body was
found. and possibly a little longer. 1t
was difficult to reach a conclusion on
this point. owing to the cold weather,
and the fact that the body had lain in
the close car. under which circum-
stances ii would be preserved longer
than ordinarily. Still. as decomposi-
ton had not set In in the least, DIR.
Sheeran did not think the man could
have been dead longer han two days
at most.
The creates mystery in the case about
which there Is little but mystery has
reference to who was the perpetrator
OF the crime. the motive and where IL
was committed. There is no satisfac-
tory solution offered for either. unless
IL Is for the latter. There Is absolutely
nothing to indicate who the murderer
was. except the glove and overalls
found under the dead mans head.
which may have belonged to his slayer,
but there Is no mark on them to tell
whose they were and they are therefore
as intangible evidence as they
be. Concerning the motive, II is
possible the dead man and a partner
tramps usually travel in c~ouples-may
have got into the car at West Superior,
where IL started, or at some other point
along the route. to ride, that the dead
man may have had a few dollars and
was murdered for them. or he may have
quarreled with his partner and been
killed. These are the only theories ad-
vanced as furnishing a motive. With
reference to where the murder occurred,
IL Is generally accepted that the man
was killed In Butte. The car left West
Superior. Wis, Oct. IS and arrived i'm
on n 22nd. On the cath IL was
over to the B., A a. p. at the
where IL has since stood. 1t
was thought by DIR. Sheeran hat II the
was killed before the car reached
decomposition must have set in
i'm the four and a half or five days that
since elapsed. so IL seems fairly
sure the murder vas committed here.
III. as Is the general belief, the men
to Butte i'm the car, the crime
must have been committed while the
car was in the Great Northern yards
and before IL was sent to the transfer.
as they woul hardly be expected to
make their residence i'm the car very
long after reaching here. and two days
or a day a half elapsed before IL was
to the transfer. On the other hand,
DR.. Sheeran's opinion is correct. that
the nan had not been dead but two
days. 1t is probable the murderer and
his victim did not come to Butte in the
car at all. but went into IL after IL
reached the transfer. either to sleep or
from some other motive. possibly was
in. and the murder there COM
mitted. One thing Is certain, whenever
and wherever h deed was done, the
murder was committed in the car.
The seals on the car bore the num-
bers 1928 and 705. 235. showing they
have hAan n.At
place. and the imprint on the lead riyet
of the seals, US" is the imprint Of the
seal used at the West Superior dock.
the car was loaded. The fact
hat the seals were found in perfect or
Ter by MIR. Mclean, who broke them,
proves conclusively that the two side
toors of the car were never opened from
he time they were sealed up at West
Superior until they were opened by Mr..
The murderer and his victim
lid not therefore enter the al by the
side door and the man could not have
killed and placed in the car
either of the side doors, and
must have gone in through the
little N door. AS IL would be a hu-
nan impossibility for the murderer to
nave killed his man and dragged him
nto the car through the end door, some
Xix or more feet from the ground and
hen dragged him owe the pipe to the
of the car. where the body was
without leaving a spot of blood
,n the door casing or sill or on the pipe
md as IL Is altogether improbable he
have gone to the trouble of any,
hing more than dumping the victim IN
,n top of the pipe. ever IL he took the
of putting him in the car at all,
had the murder been committed on the
there seems no reason to doubt
he man was killed where he was
'ound.
With regard to the circumstances of
he killing there Is OF course nothing but
aside from the fact that he
must hav been shot from behind: but
he was standing when shot and
TALL into the position in which the body
found or whether the man was
on his side and the shot fired
from the back, the body rolling over on
It's back In the dying commissions or
being placed thus by the murderer.
here was nothing to indicate. From all
the circumstances there is every reason
10 think the murderer is at large IN
I