The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-11-03
MURDERER RUN DOWN
Howell Captured in British COL
umbia for the Murder Of
Rosling.
ON SWIMMING WOMAN
Last Year = COwardly Murderer
Trailed by a Detective Over
Fifteen Thousand Miles.

Milton O. Howell, who murdered
Thomas Rosling at the ranch of P. I.
Moule, on Swimming Woman, July ~,
1898, and escaped. having been at
large SINCE, defying all efforts at cap
The apprehension of the foul murderer
is, in the main, due to the efforts of
p. I. Moule, assisted by Rnfus Thomp-
son, Nat Gunton, W. Q. Jenezen and
W. "A. Hedges, all we'll known sheep.
men Of the vicinity in which the MUIR
Z der was committed. These gentlemen
voluntarily subscribed a fund sufficient
to place the case in the hands Of the
Thiell Detective agency, with the result
that, after many miles Of travel, in
different parts of the continent. the
murderer was finally run down.
Howell was captured near Quesnelle
fort, on Frazier river, 800 or 400 miles
north of the international boundary
line, in the Northwest Territory. The
nearest railway point is Ashcroft. on
the Canadian Pacific railway, and it
will be some time before mail advices
are received. Reports from Lewistown,
the county seat Of the county in which
the murder took place, state that in a
letter to parties in that town, Mr..
Moule wrote on last Thursday that he
received q message from Portland, Ore,
saying: "We captured him in the
mountains yesterday. Are awaiting
particulars. He may waive papers"
Mr.. Moule Immediately wired Sheriff
Shaw of the capture and the sheriff
feels certain that the man is Howell, as
be- has been tracing the murderer from
his home in Texas, and has felt assured
that Howell was in the Northwest Ter
ritory. Though the detectives seemed
to think that Howell will waive papers,
it will likely be a month before he
reaches Fergus county. Sheriff Shaw
will leave to receive him as soon as he
receives word from the detective.
In his letter, Mr.. Moule says that
the detective travelled over Is, 900 miles
and the expenses, aside from railway
fare, have been nearly 5 1000. The
county commissioners offered a reward
Of $3.50 for the capture Of Howell and
the governor offered a like sun or be.
half of the state.
The crime Of which Howell is guilty
was a deliberate, cold. FLOODED murder,
committed in a cowardly manner by a
man who had no motive but a desire
to secure revenge because he had been
thrashed BY the murdered man for at
tempting to do the latter bodily harm.
Rosling had been foreman for P. I.
Moule for about two years. He was
about S5 years Of age and had a wife
and two children, and was a popular
man in that section. Howell was
working for Geo. Pirrie, and it is said
that he was run out Of Texas for hav.
ing attempted a deadly assault. On
July 26, 1898, Rosling and Howell
were working on their respective
ranches and were not far. apart. There
had been some dispute between their
owners over% irrigating bitches and on
this morning some words passed be
tween the men, resulting in Howell at
tempting to brain Rosling with a shovel.
For this act Howell received a sound
t%hreshing from Rosling and vas allow.
ed to go on the promise that he would
behave himself ever afterwards. How
ell brooded over this all night long and
tPe next morning, July ~, was seen to
start out with a gun in the direction Of
where Rosling might be. He sneaked
up behind Rosling and shot him in the
back Of the head. Howell then stole
two horses and struck out north. Ros.
ling's body was not discovered until
about an hour after the murder. when
his little son went out and found him
dead, but Howell had a good start, got
into the concealment afforded by the
breaks of the Musselshell and later got
out of the state.