The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-03
ANACONDA news.
THAT MYSTER|OUSBUNDLE
An Examination Fails to Develop
Any Blood Stains.
DARK SPOTS ON THE VEST
Two Marks That May Be Blood. but
Which Look More Like Tobacco
s~tains-The Probable Explana-
ton of the Affair.

The bundle of clothing found at Deer
4 Lodge a week ago. hidden i'm a clump
1 Of willows. was received i'm Anaconda
yesterday. AT the time the discovery
was first made public. IL was stated
that the clothing IA saturated with
| blood" This statement was a gross ex-
aggeration. Ii is perfectly clear that,
! II there is or was any blood on the
clothing. its quantity is very small. and
instead of being saturated with
: blood IL will require the aid of a mi
croscope TO discover even a trace Of IL.
The bundle Vas brought up from
, Deer Lodge yesterday by Deputy Sher-
! in Sc-urtz. VI contained a pair Of ov-
. erals. a shirt. a coat. a vest and two
! red bandana handkerchiefs. The clothes
were very old and much worn. some
I Of the p'eces being i'm tatters. They
were dirty and greasy and a great deal
Of mould or mildew had accumulated
q upon them. \ careful examination of
the clothing failed to show any signs
which the naked eye could determine
as blood. Several specks OF red We're
found upon one OF the garments, hut
these are clearly red lead. The only
! other spots that looked like blood spots
- A0Nt NI1 sAAA NtE ~ -
man gore. were two dark patches about
an inch square on the lining OF the vest.
just under the lapel. One Of these spots
was distinct. but the other was so mix
ed with Dirt that Its outlines were not
clear. These spots may possibly be
blood. They look more like tobacco
stains. however. The spotE are brown.
IL will require a microscopical examin-
alton to determine the nature Of the
coloring fluid that caused them. In
serted i'm the lapel Of the vest near the
pot Is a needl II is possible that the
needle may a penetrated the wear
cr's breast and caused blood to How
and thus make the dark spot. There is
no spot on the shirt. however. and IL IL
hardly probable that the spot is really
blood.
No other spots. except dirt and grease
spots. were found upon any of the 9th
er garments.
IL is the opinion Of the officers that
no crime has been committed, and that
the bundle Of clothing VAS left In the
brush by a hobo. who secured a change
Of clothes somewhere. and Invested
himself of his old ones. leaving them in
the willows. The officers account for
! the blood marks on the three fences in
this way: They bel eve that a hunts
man. having a bleeding uck or 9TH
er game slung about him. climbed the
fences. dragging the bleeding game ov-
,sr the rails.
= Really. the only thing that lent much
-.color To the AFFAIR from the first was
she fact hat Michael Collins had dis-
appeared from Deer Lodge. I'm What
appeared to be "A mysterious manner
The first account Of the discovery and
The announcement that Collins was
Supposed to be the victim. which ap-
peared o days q in the Standard.
showever. brought Collins quickly to
eight. Collins was discovered alive and
sNell within half an hour after the
Standard appeared on the streets.
Therefore II appears that the mys-
terry Is no mystery at all: that the sat
nrated bundle was saturated with
pothing more than rain and snow and
fhat the bloody trail'' was caused by a
hunter and a dead jack rabbit.
: II may be easily imagined hat the
people OF Deer Lodge were more han
cad To accept the story Of another
murder. Not a month ago the body Of
John Benson was found i'm the Deer
Lodge river. the victim Of a cruel blow
delivered by Charles Sheppard. the self
confessed murderer. At that time feel
ing in Deer Lodge against the murderer
ran high and he was taken from that
city secretly. After such an occur
renee. il T. not at all surprising that
the s.ory. exaggerated in the extreme,
about the find ms OF the "blood-satu-
rated" bundle, should have stirred up
excitement.