The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-07
4 STERN ALTERNATIVE
Ex-Convict Short Preferred Sui
eide to Capture.
HE HAD STOLEN HORSES
Followed by Officers and Driven &C
an Island He Put a Bullet Into
His Head Rather Than Go
to the Pen.

Great Falls, Sept. 6.-No more dra-
matte occurrence has been recorded in
the annals of Cascade county than that
which took place IL miles up the river
about $50 a. m. Ed Short, ar ex-con-
vict, with a long sentence in the peni-
tertiary staring him in the face, pre-
ferred death TO further lease of life. A
shot from a "A through the heart. a few
struggles in the brush and Short had
nothing TO fear from judge or jury. The
story briefly told is this:
sunday night Short went to the n
OF the Cascade Land company, up the
valley of the Sun river, ana there he
took three saddles and a horse. lie
had with him two other horses and
therefore there were just nOugh horses
TO go around. lie saddled up and drove
away. William Bailey and Ed Chisholm.
two employees of the ranch, missed the
saddles and the horse and took after
the thief on horseback. They reached
thlsc city about ) o'clock yesterday after
noon and, notifying Sheriff Proctor, con-
tinued on the trail. Proctor weat out
In his buggy, taking the direction hlch
the horse thief was supposed TO have
taken. Out near the Chichester ranch,
just where the Ming Coulee road crosses
the sand Coulee road, they caught sight
Of their man. He was mounted and
riding along the high ground 70 the
south. The men Oh horses rode fast
ahead to cut him of. Proctor followed
IN his buggy. Short saw them and TOOK
for the river. One OF the men on horse
back made a circuit around him. driV-
ing him surely to the river bank. cut
nff IN front and in the rear. Short HnAn-
doned his horses and over the
cliff to the road below.
He went TO the Ten Mile road house
and there obtained some food. Then he
continued up the river and two miles
further waded through the shallow
water to an island Ensconced in the
brush. ne felt he could defy the pursuit.
In the meantime he had already eX-
changed a number OF shots with Proc
tor. He had fired at him four times
without effect from his revolver, and
Proctor mad fired three shots at him and
none of these had hit him. Although
he did not know, three shots constituted
All OF the ammunition which the sheriff
had with him, and that was the reason
why Bailey rode back 10 town last night
at Z o'clock to secure more ammunition
and more help.
In the meantime Short had reached
the island and fortified himself for the
. lliShAH AT obcAA 'soN ~ 49,
reached the spot with mora ammunition,
but there was no use in wasting fire,
for all the pursuers could see Wa the
pun OF smoke from the brush when
Short fired and this was not enough 10
direct their fire accurately. 80 they
laid down To besiese the Thief. The
night passed without special incident.
one is forced to the conclusion that
Short was either crazy or lacking ordi-
nary good sense. with a little swimming
or the aid of a bit OF wood he could
have easily reached the other side Of
the river and deted the officers success
fully. On that SIDE OF the river there
was nothing 10 be feared. The prisoner
could have gained hve hours the ad-
vantage OF his puFsuers by crossing n
would have been on the road ia a coun-
try whittier IL would have been hard to
follow him. He was a desperate man,
declaring that he would seek death
rather than AXE the chances Of going
to the ~penitentiary. yet he failed 10 swim
the river and proIong his liberty II not
make good his escape.
About $50 this morning he walked out
of the brush. The officers were 20 yards
away from him. He called to them TO
take a shot at him, FOR it would be their
last chance. He said that If he were
captured it meant 10 or Is years in the
pen. and he would rather die. He called
TO them a second time to take a shot at
him ana wGen they failed TO DO 50 ne
walked back into the brush. The officers
heard the crack Of a revolver and then
a sroan. They went into the brush
iuaL in time TO find Short in the last
throes of death.
The body WAS brought into the city
and taken TO the undertaker's, whore
an inquest was held. This afternoon
the jury. Of course. brought in a YER
dict of death by suicide.
Short was d man between 40 and so
years Of age. This is not the first time
that ne has caused trouble to Cascade
county, though, without doubt, ii is the
last time he will ever do SO. On Dec.
+, 10, 1894. he was convicted OF grand lar
ceny and sent to the pen for Y years.
/, He was pardoned out by Governor
) Smith about a year ago. His cattle
; stealing was not the whole OF his crime,
:. though that was the only one for which
he was brought TO trial. About the
same time he stole a lot Of stun from
the warehouse Of the Great Northern
, railway in this city. There was -four,
, coffee in big tins. sugar.; In fact, a
whole wagon load, and he did not stop
for the lack of a vehicle. He went 10
|, the store OF the Murphy-Maciay Hard
ware company in this city and he took
$ a spring wagon standing in the rear OF
) the store and the horses he stole from
/, anOthe place.
There was nothing small about him
( in the way OF crime and a he not
I been crazy, as many now think he was
= would have succeeded In getting away
with about all hat he took. He was
+. caught at the cattle stealing by Under
P Sheriff Moran and Dave Bruneau. who
in order 10 effect his capture, spent sew
eral nights on the bare prairie near Boz
\ Elder Coulee. They saw him and his
2 confederate Simms slaughter the cattle
4 in a coulee and destroy the hides and
then they made the arrests. His de,
a Tense and that Of his pal was hat tbs
4 cattle formerly belonged 10 Simms and
- they had made a mistake in killinE
them. But their evidence was pooi
? right along. When Short was on th'
stand he testified that the corral a
. which they slaughtered was out on TIT