The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-28
MYSTERY IS CLEARING
The Murdered Man Identified as
Frank McDevitt.
HE WAS A SMELTERMAN
Had Been Employed It the Lower Works
at Anaconda Until Recently Many
Links Remain TO BE Riveted
In the Story.


yesterday in connection with the case
Of finding the body of an unknown man
who had been murdered in a box car at
the Great Northern transfer Wednesday
and there is % a prospect that the
conclusion reached by every n who
wa connected with the case. hat the
identity OF the murdered man would
never be known, and that the mystery
Of the murder would always go unsolv-
ed. was wrong. The murdered man was
identified yesterday by two men. who
feel quite positive they knew the man.
inc there seems at present no reason to
doubt that their identification is correct.
II IL is. the conclusion that the murder
ed man was a tramp was all wrong. as
the body was identified as that of Frank
McDevftt. who. until recently, had been
an employe of the Anaconda company
at the lower works at Anaconda.
All day yesterday a steady stream OF
people, who were interested i'm an en-
deavor to identify the dead man. filed
i'm and out of Sherman's undertaking
rooms where the body lay. They would
take a o at the corpse walk
out. No one seemed ever to have seen
the Hld DClOIt, uItDs W a.
I'm the evening. F.. p. Fitzmaurice. who
conducts a saloon at 43l South Arizona
street. accompanied by his bartender,
Louis G.. Campbell. put in an appear
ancc. When they look at the face of
the murdered man, they at once declar-
ed they knew him and said his name
was Frank McDevitt.
Fitzmaurice stated that he had known
McDevitt well. "He formerly lived
hare ~ said ha tanA UaC "A nafrnn nf
mine. I had not seen him for a long
time. until about 10 days ago. He owed
me a small bill. and I supposed the
reason l had not seen him was that he
was ashamed to come around when he
could not pay me. but I met him on the
street about 10 days ago, as ] said. and
asked him to come down and see me,
and he came to my place the same day.
He told me he had been working In the
smelter at Anaconda until about a
month ago. He did not say o. he
lost his job. but / suppose through
drinking. as he was given to going on a
periodical spree, hen he would drink
hard. He told me- he was going back to
Anaconda that evening to go to work
again. and as I did not see him again.
I supposed he went. When l saw his
description in the papers, IL struck me
1 knew the man and thought ! would
come up and see. / am very positive he
Is the man.
Louis G. Campbell. the bartender. cor
roborated the statement of Fttzmaurice
relative to McDevitt visiting the sa-
loon. and said there was no the
body was hat of the man. Campbell
felt sure McDevitt yer to Anaconda.
as he had since talked with a man
from there who said he saw McDevftt
in Anaconda the following day. Fitz-
maurice stated that McDevitt had a
brother-in-law In Helena, who is on the
police force and also Waterman for the
Great Northern.
While there seems strong reason to
believe Fitzmaurice and Campbell are
right in their Identification. the ques-
ton arises. how did the man come by
he package found in his pocket. bear
the label OF the Athens, Oregon. drug
gist, and how did he come to be back
in Butte If he went to Anaconda to
go to work? Fitzmaurice states that
he had known McDevitt for some years
and had not known OF his being out of
Montana. II is possible. IL the identi-
ication Is correct, that the investiga-
ton the authorities are conducting will
throw some light on the subject to-day.
The city directory of Anaconda gives
the name of Frank McDevitt as having
been a fireman employed at the lower
works. 1t could not be as~certained last
evening whether or not this particular
McDevitt IL still so employed or II not,
when he left there.
A man named Frank Wilson was ar
rested at Anaconda yesterday for ex-
hibiting a deadly a When
searched he was IA to have a sin
gle glove in his possession, and as one
load of his gun had been discharged. he
was suspected of being the murderer.
but II was subsequently learned he had
broker jail the night before at Deer
Lodge. and therefore could not be the
man.
Acting Coroner Justice Laurandeau
held an inquest last evening at Sher-
man's undertaking rooms before a jury
composed of Frank Call. Charles Ray,
Il. Degenbait. James Call, Chester A.
Small. Thomas Cady.
+. =. Fitzmaurice took the stand as
the first witness. and stated he knew
the deceased to be Frank McDevitt. He
saw the deceased last about a week or
a week and a half ago The deceased
bade the witness good bye at that time.
saying he was going to Anaconda to
work In the smelter. The only inti-
mate friend the witness knew deceased
to have had was a young man known
as Kid" Lawlor. The deceased was
a smelter laborer. Witness did not
know the deceased to have any money.
Asked by a juror how the deceased
was dressed when he last saw him
alive. the witness a In a black coat
and vest and overalls.
DIR. y. j. Sheeran, the county physi-
clan. being called. testified To having
held a post norton examination on the
deceased. After describing the dress OF
the man. the witness related the facts
In connection with his examination
He sale from the direction the bullet
which caused death had taken, IL would
appear that the weapon from which n
was fired had been held on a level with
h wound. probably while the de-
ceased was lying down. The bullet
taken from the head OF the deceased
was shown in evidence. In the wit
ness opinion the man had been dead
from 36 to ~ hours when found. Wit
ness expressed the opinion the mar
died Instantly upon receiving tn,
wound.
Louis G.. Campbell was next called
He also stated he knew the deceased