The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-27
IT REMAINS 4 MYSTERY
TESTIMONY IN THE CASE
There was No Evidence OF Foul Play
n the Only Reasonable suppo-
sition In That He Die
From Exhaustion.

From Exhaustion.
The coroner Inquest In the case of
James w. Murphy. the man found dead
In Meadow guich last Sunday. was An
ished at the court house. The evidence
Of some of the witnesses gave further
ground for suspecting Murphy's death
was not regular n n witness re-
fused to believe anything otherwise
than that he was murdered. but Dep
uty Sheriff Evans. who examined the
body when 1t was found. believed the
contrary. and the jury concluded Ii
was impossible to tell how the man
died. and all probability the mystery of
how the man died will never be cleared
up. The two men who paid Murphy
money shortly before his death were
the principal witnesses. One Of them,
Edward Travis. q resident OF Browns
gulch. said he had known the de-
he had seen Murphy was on the 18th
Of January. He appeared to be In the
best OF health. Murphy had cut wood
for the witness and witness paid Muir
ply $50 that day. Murphy left the wit
ness house alone to 60 to his
ChDIH, tHICc HIIICS Etou ~
ness had never seen Murphy since that
day. The witness knew the clothes
found on the deceased to be those be-
longing to Murphy. At this point Cor
oner Trembley asked: Have you n
suspicious that Murphy was foully
dealt WITH"
The Witness laughed d~erisively. as
though in his opinion 1t was foolish to
think anything else. inc replied:
We'll. something certainly a hap
pened, for no money was found on
him."
Replying to further questions by Cor
oner Trembiay. the witness said ne
| knew of no one who was aware Muir
ply had been paid money or January
~. and VA the place where the body
was found was unfrequented and was
at a two miles from the road
Witness said Murphy could not hay
gotten lost as he knew the country so
well that IL would be impossible, and
when asked how he thought the de-
ceased came to his death. he said: II
can't get 1t through my head how he
could have died, unless he was killed"
The witness a. never heard of MUIR
ply having heart disease INT he a
not used liquor for a year. He quit
when Mckinley was elected and said
he would never drink while he was
take a drink afterwards. said the wit
ness.
Asked why no effort had been made
to find Murphy when he was missed.
the witness said II was he
had gone to Deer Lodge county to
work for a Mr.. Gibbs as he had said
he was going to do so.
Thomas DeLodge. another resident
OF Browns gulch. paid Murphy money
on the 18th OF January. He said that
Murphy came to his house that even
ing between 8 and Z O'Clock to collect
fa~ mood a.sa~ H. Aal ArA
The witness paid him $50 or s25. he
could not remember which. Only a
brother of the witness knew of the
none being paid to Murphy. Murphy
left witness cabin and went to the
house of the witness Travis. about 500
yards distant. and from there ven
home. The witness saw Murphy at his
cabin about a week after paying him
the honey The witness frequently
passed Murphy's cabin and a day or
so before he left to go TO Deer Lodge.
the witness stopped and took a cup of
asked IL the deceased had been to town
after the money had been paid him, OF
had any opportunity to spend his mon
ev. and he said he did not think so.
Asked II Murphy would have passed
along the trail where he was ound to
go to Deer Lodge county. the witness
said he would. The witness had never
heard Of his having trouble with any
one.
The witness Travis was recalled and
asked by Thomas Jordan. a brother-in-
law of the deceased. to state a W.
sation he had had with Murphy about
some ammunition. He said the night
he paid Murphy the money. Murphy
asked him to buy him a box Of a Mar
tin rife cartridges the next time he
came to town. The witness did so. but
never saw Murphy m still q the
cartridges.
Deputy Sheriff Edward l.. Evans.
who accompanied Coroner Tremblay
whe he went to Browns gulch upon
the finding OF the body being reported.
said IN body was found lying on the
face, with the knees doubled up under.
The witness examined the body as best
he could In the badly d~ecomposed o n
dition in which the body was found in.
He found no evidences OF oul play.
The witness said in his opinion the de-
ceased had been lost and overcome
from exhaustion. as he had experience
in several such cases and had known
men to get lost in localities they knew
best and In his experience. men found
dead from exhaustion were invariably
in the position this body was found.
The witness did not believe Murphy
was killed. The witness had talked
with a sister OF the deceased who had
told him a brother of the deceased had
died suddenly from heart disease The
witness said he did not believe the de-
ceased was shot. a. no blood stains
were found on his clothing and there
were no evidences Of Q struggle having
occurred.
The jury returned q verdict declaring
the deceased had been found dead, but
from the evidence the jurymen were
unable 10 determine the cause Of death.