The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-20
DIDN'T % It HERSELF
The Police Are Convinced of That
Much. Anyhow.
BURNED NEWSPAPER
Evidently Al Attempt Was Made to
Fire the Bed From Below Before
b Coal OIL Was Used-Belrs
Hearing Postponed.

The preliminary hearing of Cyrus
Bell. accused Of the heinous crime of
attempting to cremate Mrs. Marion
Kelly on Monday morning. was post
poned when 1t was called up in Justice
Laurandeau's court yesterday and
quite a crowd of spectators who had
gathered to listen to the testimony
went away disappointed. When the
hour for the hearing arrived. Attorneys
John Cotter and w. ]. Naughten. who
ave been employed to defend Bell,
asked for a continuance. which was
granted and the hearing went over un-
til next Tuesday. The complaint
against Bell charges him with arson.
There were no developments of i'm
portance in the case yesterday. The
police are still working on IL in the
endeavor to get to the bottom of the
facts. but discovered very little during
the day to reward their efforts. What
little was found tended to confirm the
opinion the officers nave held from the
start, that a terrible crime against Mrs.
Kelly's life was really attempted by
some one, and that Mrs. Kelly never
tied her children's legs and set fire to
the house for the purpose of promot-
ing a Matchmaking scheme. as has been
suggested by some. or for any other
purpose.
The police say that IL the woman had
a purpose and set fire to the house to
help 1t along. she must first have tied
the legs of the children, then poured
coal oil on the bed and lighted the fire
and then, after all this nae been done,
had one of the children tie her own
hands behind her back; since they say
it is an established fact that the legs
of at laasf ona ~ tho childran u-ara
tied, that coal oil was poured on the
bed n a carpenter named Babcock.
who helped put out the fire. asserts
that he united Mrs. Kelly's hands.
While all this might have been pos
sible, h police regard 1t as highly i'm
probable and are not inclined to believe
that whatever designs Mrs. Kelly
might have had on the Bell brothers or
anyone else, she would hardly take the
risk of burning her children alive. or of
seriously burning herself. and there ap-
| pears little doubt from the statements
of the officers that there was coal oil
on the night clothes of both the chill
dren and Mrs. Kelly.
The house where Mrs. Kelly lived was
left till yesterday in the condition 1t
was in when the crime was committed.
Yesterday Detective Murphy visited
the place n found under the bed a
partly burned newspaper, showing that
whoever was guilty OF attempting to
set the fire. first tried the expedient OF
lighting a newspaper and putting II
under the bed. This attempt failed be-
cause of the fact that there was a
wooden blanket on the bottom of the
bed. which could not burn readily. This
failing. the coal oil was used with bet
ter effect. Several people were found
during the day who say they saw a
man running away after Mrs. Kelly's
scream were heard. and who claim
some man was prowling around Mrs.
Kelly's house several nights prior Ia
Sunday night. All the n~eighbors, like
the police, refuse to believe that Mrs.
Kelly had anything to do with setting
the fire. but are convinced a dastardly
attempt was mad on her life.
Thus far the police have failed Il
gather any further evidence to me
Cyrus Bell with the crime and his at
torneys assert they can prove an alb
for him They claim to a W. foundw wit
nesses who can account for all of hi
time Sunday and Sunday evening; tina
he was 1 bed at $3.50 and did not leav'
his room after that time. Bell wa
about town yesterday as usual and die
not nave the appearance of one VIII
was very greatly disturbed over the out
come Of the charges against him. To
reporter he stated he had never beef
near Mrs. Kelly's cottage and did no
even know where she lived.
The Associated Charities sent cloth
ing yesterday to Mrs. Kelly's children
The clothes were very much needed. a
their garments were nearly all destroye'
or ruined.