The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-05
MURDER TRIAL TO BEGIN
Dotson Case the First of the
Three to Be Taken Up.
IT WILL LAST A WEEK
One of the Three Men Charged With
the Killing OF Old Eugene Gull
linane to Be Placed on Trial
for His Life.

j AT $50 o'clock this morning the trial
of Clinton Dotson, charged with being
ane of the murderers of gentle. kindly
old Eugene Cullinane in American
gulch Aug. s, will begin in the district
Z court
!. Not for years has a trial in Deer
& lodge county created so much interest
as this. The crime for which Dotson
lis held was one of the most dastardly
and cold blooded ever committed in
Montana. Its commission has aroused
intense indignation throughout the
state.
i.4An of to-day, it is expected, will be
spent securing a jury. But % names
now remain on the regular panel and
this it is expected. will be speedily ex-
shausted and special venire issued.
Prosecuting Attorney j. H. Duffy,
with Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Casey. will have charge of the states
ease, while William II. Trppet and
flames NJ. Self have been appointed by
the court to defend Dotson. The pris
oner is without funds His father, Cap
tain Dotson of Washington gulch, is
a man of some property, but he de-
c1ines to sacrifice this to save his son.
The father is reported to have said he
worthy to be saved
Dotson himself lies in the county Jail,
Where he has remained since the pre-
liminary hearing before Justice of the
Peace Frank Kennedy, Aug. 49, when
Dotson Ellis Persinger and Charles
Oliver Benson, Dotson's nephew and
alleged accomplice, We're bound over
without bail to stand trial in the dis
trict court. Benson's trial is set for
Oct. 10 and that of Persinger for Oct.
10. The Dotson case is by far the
most important of the three, fer the
other cases depend much upon its out
come.
In the Dotson case about 80 witnesses
have been ,subpoenaed for the state
and about an equal number for the
defense 1t is estimated that the trial
will last at least a week. The officers
have been at work on the case and a
strong array of testimony has been
secured. Benson's confession present
ed at the preliminary hearing describes
the plot to murder Cullinane and the
journey of the three men to near the
scene where Benson says he was left
in charge of the horses while Dotson
and Persinger went away to do the
deed. He claims he was not an eye
witness of the murder
Eugene Culinane was a pioneer plac-
err miner of the state, having been a
resident of it since 1865. He and John
Mulholland occupied a lonely little
cabin in American, gulch, near Wash
ington gulch in the northern part Of
the county Cullinane was reputed to
be rich. although his estate, it has de-
yeloped since, is worth only about
$4,000. II was rumored that he al
ways carried large sum of money
with him. This was in error, as his
money was kept in a Helena bank.
Early in August Mulholland went
away for time. During his absence
on Aug. Cullinane was murdered halt
O. mile from the house, the body
searched and partly stripped and then
tudely buried. A small sum of money
and a gold watch were taken from it.
The body was not discovered until
Aug. 10.
Suspicion was directed against Dot.
son, Benson and Persinger, who had
been in the vicinity a short time be-
fore, but had gone to Helena in theil
wagon. 1t was believed they had re-
turned, murdered the old man and
fled.
Sheriff Conley and his deputies start,
ed on cold trail. Finally, by shrewC
piece of detective work, Deputy Sheriff
John Robinson discovered the men or
Tuesday, Aug. Is. He with the as
sistancc of Sheriff Fransham of Gal
latin county and Deputy Sheriff Jack
Chapman of the same county, arrest
ed the men without fight on the road
between Central Park and Belgrade
Gallatin county. In their mattress was
found the gold watch stolen from Cul-
Thames body. They told conflicting
stories as to how it came in their pos
session.