The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-30
WAS LYONS MURDERED 2.
Not Unlikely the Unfortunate
Miner Met With Foul Play.
IS A PROFOUND MYSTERY
Mr.. Vacchiery's Testimony Before the
Coroner's Jury of the Most Sensa-
tional Character-Body Was
Found in a Barrel.

! Mystery so profound that as yet it
seems totally unfathomable, surrounds
| the death of Michael j. Lyons, the
miner who was found dead Tuesday
morning in an abandoned stope of the
| Lexington mine. 1t has given rise to
the question: Did Lyons come to his
| death by accident or was he foully MUIR
dered? At this time the question is un-
answerable.
It was at first supposed that the man
| fell into the caved workings of the
Lexington and was killed There
seemed to be no reason to think other
wise, but during the progress of an in
quest begun by Coroner Phil Julien
last evening, facts We're brought out
| which render it impossible, with the
information thus far at hand, to be-
| lieve Lyons ever got where he was
found by accident, and yet there is not
| now evidence sufficient upon which to
| base more than strong suspicion that
the unfortunate miner was foully dealt
with. When the witnesses subpoenaed
had been examined the members of the
jury were so much in doubt as to the
manner in which Lyons met his death
that it was decided to adjourn the in
quest to give the jury an opportunity
to visit the spot where the body was
| found and the coroner time to summon
further witnesses.
In telling what they knew of Lyons
strange end, Mrs. John Shea and Mrs.
| timothy Shea, siSters-in-laW stated
that the former lives at No is Lexing-
ton terrace, and that as the latters hus-
band is working night shift at this
tlme, she was sleeping at the home of
her sister-in-law They told of Mrs
lyons, wife Of the deceased, coming to
the nome OF Mrs. John Shea to visit on
| Monday; said she expected her hus-
band to call for her in the evening;
that he did not come till it was getting
| late and she decided to go home; that
they accompanied her to her home in
Mullin street, Centervile; that upon
| their arrival there one of the children
asked where her father was and said
he had left the house between 7:30 and
s O'Clock in company with a relative,
|sDennis Murphy, saying he was going
up to the Shea house after Mrs. Lyons.
All thought it rather singular that they
had not seen him, but did not feel any
especial concern.
| These ladies' then told of inuuiring
when they got back home. if Lyons had
been there, and of being told he had
not Next morning the little daughter
| of the dead man came to their house
to inquire after her father, saying he
had not been home all night. knowing
nc never uiahh anu mat ne could not
i iiau s any o.her reason LOT remain
concerned at once and wondered if he
could have fallen into the caved work
LES Us NIL ~, 10y oeaaeen ,iieir nome anu
| n,, NY NY "eiil out ~ looh, w souiu
4 NJ NV hUtiiins ~ colillih their lears:
Lnen rulenlan 1ollI' =, Naccnier! OF
the Lexington came along and they
| informed him of their fears, and he
made the discovery.
- Vas ne testimony OF FOREMAN
va.cniely tndt arouseu tue iirst sus-
ptciol va. Lyons ueath was not Wholly
a &C a5t ne described the scene OF
.lie iiliulis u tiie ooug ana mace state.
ments Whlch placed the matter in
different light than the coroner and
Jury nad pe1ore understood 1t. Mr..
dcchleIg stated mat the cave Where
| ne r louilu .ile pous ids some ~ OF eo leet
from from tne road the man should nave
| peen tidNellns 10 go from MS nome TO
that OF the Sheas. The place was where
the earliest workings of the Lexington
| had sunk from having been stopped close
| TO the surface. 10 prevent possible &C
cidehls from teams drlving over these
olo Slopes renee had been puiit from
the present road, some 40 or 81 feet due
| east to the edge of where the ground
had caVed. The place where the body
was found was at the extreme east end
! or the fence and there was no occasion
Tor person to get there who knew the
lay or the land, as Lyons did. The
| iocallty was fairly we'll lighted by cleo
trlc llghts SO that a man who knew the
| ground as Well as Lyons did could not,
IN MS sober senses, as he undoubtedly
| was, nave got OIL the road and gone out
70 the END or the fence; al least, it did
not seem within the bounds of reason
tfat ne could.
lheh MI Vacchiery described the
spot where the man is or was, sup
poseu 70 nave fallen. 1t was at the
emu OF Lhe renee Where the depression
eauseu y! the sinking of the slopes
.piii,iieuceo. IT was ABOUT II feet to
ne oolto5il OF the SINK or cave at this
PPM, any 10 me pank sloped at an angle
" apou. ~ aegrees. A BODY in falling
, mottau ii1 Lula uiahy ran stralsht to the
| ~, Ine+ way down an ola UNI
80. "a. naie ny the earth IN SINKING
1880 ~. "a person falllnS mgnt