The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-29


posed the reason. When Dotson re-
| turned towards the evening of the Sth,
| Persinger was with him at that time
| TO wit; Dotson had two pair of shoes
| and / think wore pair of pointed
| shoes, and Persinger wore a pair of
shoes that were not as pointed as Dot
| sons. Dotson wore a No. I or shoe,
| and Persinger about a shoe, / think.
| Both of them, Dotson and Persinger,
| told me they had got no money from
| the old man. i knew that on the morn
| ing of the Sth they started to the old
| mans place for the purpose of robbing
| him of his money
After Dotson and Persinger returned
TO where the wagon was concealed in
| the brush on the evening of the Stn,
| we waited until it got dark and then
| hitched up the horses and drove then
| towards Helena. The wagon that we
| rode in had the bows and Stats UP,
| which bows and Stats were used for the
| purpose of supporting canvas cover.
! II first saw Cullinane's watch, or the
| watch that was in the mattress in the
! wagon, when we We're arrested, and
! either Dotson or Persinger | do not
| know which, threw ii in the bed and
| told me to swear with them that Per-
| singer bought it from a stranger near
| our camp at Helena. There was no
! stranger or no man at any time while
we were in Helena sold either of us the
/ watch that was afterwards found in
| the mattress by the officers when they
| made the arrest. While in Jail at Boze-
! man, DOtson and PerSinger both re-
! quested me to swear with them to the
! fact that Persinger bought the watch
| that was afterwards found in the mat
! tress aforesaid from a stranger /
agreed to do so, and so first informed
/ ]. II. Duffy in my statement, which
: was reduced to writing, and which I
heretofore signed. My statement in
/ that respect was false and untrue. I
/ made it because Persinger and Dotson
| requested me to make It. / now desire
| to state the truth, After leaving the
! place where we had the wagon hid.
| about a mile and a half from Eugene
! Cullinan's place, we travelled that
| night"
I'm what drection?"
| Towards Helena. On our way to
p, Helena we passed by Blackfoot. While
! at Nevada creek l saw a team which l
| took to be a butchers wagon"
When you went through Blackfoot
| City,"
| NO. SIR
What time was it?"
| About u o'clock that night. We
| passed through Blackfoot City, going
| towards Helena. a about midnight on
| the Sth of August. We continued on
! our way the balance of the night and
! finally arrived at Helena the night of
| the 9Th of August and remained in Hell
| ena the 10th and 11th.'
| whereabouts in Helena?"
I'VE were camped down there by
| Central park. We camped while in Hell
| ena near a sampling mill and near
| Central park.
! Il do not know how long Dotson had
! known Persinger. Dotson first formed !
| the acquaintance of Persinger while
l was not with him. l frequently
| heard Dotson and Persinger prior to the
| 5th of August talk about robbing old,
ma Tt,Il of Va
! they intended to get his money. and
| this was the purpose of leaving HelenaI
| and going to Washington gulch. l did
| not get none of the money, nor did
they agree to give me any of the
money"
Did they make any statement to you
that when if you were arrested that
you would all tell the same story about
this watch?"
Yes 1t was agreed between us that
we would all tell the same story in the
event we were arrested in reference to
! this watch that the officers found in
our possession and how it got into our
possession. That story was about to
the effect that Persinger had bought
, the watch from stranger as above
stated. | make this statement freely
and voluntarily expecting no reward,
as no promises have been made TO me,
but with a purpose to tell the truth
and the whole truth, and let my pun
shment be what it may. | did not con-
sent to go with Dotson or Persinger
voluntarily, but was induced by them
to go with them for the purpose of rob
bing Eugene Cullinane. | told them
would have nothing to do with robbing
Cullinane.
(SignedD &C. o. BENSON.
Subscribed and sworn to before mo
this 25th day of August, 1893
j. H. DUFFY,
County Attorney of Deer Lodge Coun-
ty, in the presence of j. H. Duffy.
Jack Conley, Dave Morgan, Joe Ste
vens and Jack Walsh.
1t has been known to a few that the
confession of Benson was secured Fri
day. but to the great majority Of the
people in the court room yesterday
the news was a complete surprise. The
climax was nicely worked up.
First by the testimony of DR.. Charles
G. Glass, the cause of death was shown
and the corpus delicti proven. Next
Deputy Sheriff Robinson told of the
arrest of the three men ana of the
finding of Cullinane's watch in their
mattress. Robinson identified the
watch positively and it was placed
In evidence. He also testified TO the
finding of the body and of seeing two
sets of tracks in the vicinity, one made
by shoes with pointed toes and about
No. in size, and the other made by
large, fiat shoes, about No. in size.
John Mulholland, cabin mate of the
murdered man for four years, told OF
Cullinanes simple life and Identified
the watch.
Thomas F. Murray of Helena, to
whom the watch originally belonged.
told how Cullinane, on Aug. l, 1896, had
taken 1t out of Jacob Und's pawnshep
al Helena for him and was to keep ie
unln he tMurray) could redeem it, By
memorandum made at the time of the
number of the case and of the works,