Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-07
PLAY
SUSPECTED
Police Will Investigate the
Death of Harris.
KILLED IN THE G. N. YARDS
Was In Trouble Yesterday Body
Identified By an Acquaintance
This Morning.
IN THE G. N. YARDS

1t now transpires that the name of the
unfortunate man who was killed in the
Great Northern Railway company's
yards last night, and whose mangled re-
mains are lying at Sherman's undertake
ing rooms, awaiting the corOner's inquiry,
is Eli Harris, and he had recently been in
the employ of the as a section
laborer. Aside from this, very little is
known concerning him.
The police are inclined to believe his
death was not wholly accidental. 1t has
come to their knowledge that Harris and
some of his fellow laborers engaged in a
fight some time yesterday afternoon, and
during the miX-up Harris received a
wound in the breast.
This story has some su~bstantiation in
the fact that on the left breast of the dead
man, left OF the nipple, is a mall knife
wound. The cut is a fresh one. 1t had
evidently been roughly dressed and
b%andaged to it was a small piece Of
bacon.
Detectives Murphy and Ray are at
work on the case. They suspect foul play
and hope to present something tangible
with reference to the mystery when Cor
oner Julien holds the inquest.
Harris acquaintance seems to have been
limited to the section men with whom he
worked. They were out on the road to-
day and could not be seen, but some of
them will be summoned to appear before
the cOroner's inquiry.
The accident which caused the death Of
Harris occurred in the Great. Northern
yards about 1870 last evening. A B. A.. &
r., trelSht tram was switching in the
yards. Conductor E. Wing was in charge
of the train. The engineer was E.. Der
ham. Six cars had just been brought up
from the east end of the yard, and the
traln mad come to a standstill at the Ari-
IONA street crossing. 1t was necessary
to switch the engine to another track.
Inc uncoupilng was made and as the
tralnmen started to leave for another
portion of the yard. they the
mangled body of Harris. 1t was lying
across the track, which to the crew was
a most singular thing, as they assert and
insist that the engine had just passed
over this piece of track on which the body
lay. and had Harris been standing
either the engineer or fireman or the
other trainmen would have seen him be-
fore the engine struck him.
The yards We're well lighted at the time
and the englne was being propelled at an
extremely low rate of speed. An exam
nation disclosed the fact that the body
had been struck by the engine fully 400
feet east of the crossing and had been
pushed or dragged along by the engine
until the stop was mad at Arizona street.
At the polnt where he had been struck his
hat was found and the blood on the snow
along the edge of the track told the story
of the awful trip. The body was at once
removed to the side of the track and the
coroner sent for.
The body was in a most horrible condi-
ton. 1t was almost crushed in two. One
wheel had passed over the stomach. The
bones of the left leg We're crushed into
fragments. The leg was also stripped of
the flesh from the knees to the ankle.
Harris was apparently abOut 30 years of
age. He was about 5 feet 6 inches in
height. and heavily built. His complexion
was light, his hair brown, while the mus
tache and beard was inclined to be red
He wore a pair Of old blue overalls over
dark pantaloonS. two ragged dark coats
q wooden shirt but no undercloth-
ing. He carried no papers or money or
his person. -,
Until about 10 o'clock this morning hi.
IDENTIFY was a mystery. Then a section
man. who did not give his name visited
Sherman's undertaking rooms, an(