The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-30
Special Dispatch to the Standard.


Great Falls, Oct. s9.-Joe Thompson,
stepping out of his house In Boston
Heights, Thlrty-fourth street, between
Fourth and Fifth avenues north, this
morning about o'clock, on his way
to work, found the body of dead
man lying in the gutter. He notified
the coroner and the sheriff's office,
and about 1890 this morning Chief
Guerin was told of the case. The body
lay until after 10 o'clock, when It was
removed to the little hose house in the
adjoining avenue, and shortly after
noon was brought down to the under
taking establishment. His throat was
cut from ear to windpipe in ragged
line, and there are other cuts on the
body. The body was covered with
both blood and mud, and the clothes
were torn, showing there must have
been a terrible struggle before death.
The dead man in Frank Marhar and
he roomed with another Austrian,
John Zupanchich, in shack on
Fourth avenue north, between Thirty
seventh and Thirty-eighth streets. Zu-
panchich did the cutting and is miss
ing, with the officers looking for him.
The Standard reporter visited the
place about noon to-day ON the
front of the lot. which is close to the
large sheep barn of C. H. Campbell
is frame house occupied by Frank
Koncilga and his family, and they
have as a., roomer Antoine Smerka.
Koncilga saw the murder done, but
smerika claims to have slept soundly
through it all.
The shack occupied by Marhar and
lot, on the alley, and so feet distant
from the house of Koncilga. At the
time of the visit 1t was locked up.
but. through the windows one could
see nearly everything the rooms con-
tanned. In the front apartment We're
two stoves, chair, a table and keg
of beer. Everything was covered
with blood. "A wad Of cotton saturat-
ed with blood lay on the table. and
near it was cheap butcher knife,
also covered with blood. The floor
is stained with it. although it is evil
dent that efforts We're made to mop it
up. In the rear room is rude bed
and some clothing. On the bed is
pair Of blue overalls, and these and
the attached suspenders are red with
blood. There Is blood in several hats.
and one looks as if it had been used
to catch the dripping fluid. Pools of
blood have stained the doorsill and the
plank walk leading to the house from
the front of the lot. There are also
spatters Of blood all around the rear
of the shack, and form a trail by
which one can trace the progress of
the wounded and dying man from the
time he left the shack to where he
fell. Apparently, at a point between
Thirty-third and Thirty-fourth streets.
on Fourth avenue north, he changed
his mind, retraced his steps. turned
half block. Inside the shack the
empty and half filled bottles of beer,
wine and whiskey testified to the
drunk that preceded the murder.
Koncilga, who talks Czech, tells the
story. Filtered through an interpre-
ter. whose English was none too clear,
the tale is somewhat vague. He says
each about. 80 years old; they started
drinking last night at an early hour,
mixing their drinks with true Aus
trian carelessness of consequences:
about II o'clock they had for visitors
from Little Chicago two men and
two girls. One of the men was Joseph
Spraggs. OF course they kept on
drinking. About o'clock In the morn
ing, Koncilga says, they came to his
door--Marhar and Zupanchich-and
beat it, asking to be let in. Koncilga
refused at first, but finally went to the
door and found them uuarreling as to
which had made the most money since
he came to this country. The quarrel
finally shifted as to which had the
most money on him. Then came blows.
and Zupanchich struck Marhar over
the head with a beer bottle. koncilga
says he put them out of the house and
they continued the quarrel on the
plank walk to the shack. Then Kon-
cilga saw how badly Marhar was cut
and told his partner to take him to
the hospital. Marhar said:
Don't have to have anything take
me; 1 can go alone" and he started
out OF the yard, Zupanchich follow.
ing him a short way but soon return
ing to his shack, where he went to
bed At o'clock this morning Kon.
cilga woke Zupanchich and asked
where his partner was. The murderer
put on clean clothing and then went
away. This is Koncilga's story, and
compared with others, particularly his
wife's, it is not very good one. 1t
looks like a conspiracy to cover up
some side lights on the deed.
About year ago a man died in
room for over a day, while drinking
and carousing, went on in the next,
and no one reported his death. APP
parently a dead man more or less cuts
no ice with that class of people.
The coroner. DIR. A. f. Longeway,
says Mrs. Koncilga told him a story
this morning which differs very ma
terally from that of her husband.
When the coroner first nuestioped .har