The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-25
ITS A DEEP RED MYSTERY
A Sticky Trail of Gore at the
Court House.
CHANCE FOR THE SLEUTH
All the officials and the Chief of Police
Insist That the Stuff Is Red Ink,
but That Only Makes the Mys-
terry More Bloody.

There is a dire suspicion of there be-
ing some more blood in town-real, red
blood.
A number of people noticed yesterday
great gobs of red-looking stuff on the
city hall stairway. There was one
great pool of redness on the lower step
and some drops and splotches of the
same color on the other steps leading
up into the hall. 1t had most mys-
FERROUS as well as sanguinary appear
ance, and the more the thing is inves-
tigated the more mysterious does IL be-
come.
Inquiry at the city clerks office elicit
ed the explanation that the bloody
looking spots are red ink--a bottle of
red ink was dropped there and covered
the stairs with the red hue. The fact
of such a statement being made by
City Clerk Holland makes the whole
matter even more suspicious. and the
fact that Assistant City Clerk Witty
corroborated it makes it absolutely GER
tain that another terrible, souI-stirring
tragedy has been enacted, and that the
victim is weltering in his blood some
where in the city hall. AT a late hour
last night it seemed most probable that
the victim was in the city clerks vault.
The suspicion was enhanced by the
conduct of the police department. Chief
of Police Mulholland insisted that the
stuff on the stairway is not blood, but
red ink. His manner of making this
statement left no doubt of his being in
on the crime. Were the stuff red ink
instead of blood the chief of police
would certainly not have been so
strenuous in his denial, or SO anxious
that he should be believed. Had he adj
mitted in the first place that IL was
blood the case would not look so bad.
Further investigation shows that
all the officials of the second story are
also in on this murderons conspiracy.
They all agree that about o'clock yes
terday afternoon City Engineer Black
ford telephoned to calkins' stationery
store for a half dozen blue prints, a
dozen drawing pens and bottle of car
mine ink. They said that in due time
the messenger arrived with the blue
prints and the pens and said he had
dropped the bottle Of ink on the stairs.
The fact that all the officials agree
that it is red ink instead of blood, only
increases the suspicion that the most
bloodthirsty tragedy Butte has known
in "a hours has been mysteriously
enacted and the body been hid. The
health department declares the blood
to be red ink, which makes the affair
most suspicious than ever.
The case Is still being investigated,
although the fact that everybody in
sists on the blood being red ink makes
the crime more difficult to prove than
it might otherwise be. The reticence of
some of the officials and the apparent
Ievity with which they treat all inquir-
les on the matter adds to the difficulty
of detecting the crime, while at the
same time adding to the suspicion
which enthTalls the entire city hall. II
lis very evident that the officials are not
telling the truth about the matter. and
that there iG deem dark mystery
fairly reeking with blood and gore. con-
cealed somewhere about the city hall.
1t is to be hoped that this bloody trag
edy Will be ferreted to the bottom.
At late hour the red stains on the
city hall stairs were turning yellow.