Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-14
WHY HE WAS HANGED.

The crime for which Lucey was exc
cuted was the murder of Patrick l.. Re-
gan in Silver Bow Canyon. thirteen miles
west of Butte, on the night of September
z, 1898. The murder was a most brutal
one, nothing more atrocious in the an
nails of crime ever having been commit
ted in this county. Lucey and his VIC
tim had been friends. They a worked,
eaten and drank together and We're to
have shared the perils Of a trip to the
Occur d'Alene country. 1t was an evil
hour for Regain. however. when he con-
sented to accompany Lucey on that trip.
and little did he think when the start was
made that he was being decoyed to his
DEATH Regain had saved several I'M
dred dollars from his earni 1e,s as Il min.
er, of which fact Lucey was aware. while
Lucey had nothing save the clothing on
his back. Lucey coveted the money pos
sessed by Regain and a few days prior to
the murder induced him to consent to a
trip into the mining regi IN of the Coehr
d'Alene, where work in their particular
occupation was supposed 10 be plent'fM.
They arranged to start o. the evening
train. At the request of Lucey a few ar
ticles in the a of wearing apparel be-
longing to Regain were packed in Lucey's
valise. In some way, not made clear. they
missed the train and Lucey suggested
hat they walk to Silver Bow Junction
where he knew the keeper Of a lodging
and boarding house. There. he said, they
could secure first class accommodations
for IN night and on the following day
they could proceed towards their destina-
ton by train. They started away togeth-
er, Regain having no misgiving of the
trap that was being laid for his destruc-
ton. At Rocker a stop was made and
Lucey sent Regain into a saloon for a
bottle of whisky. That was the last time
they were seen together. 1t Is supposed
that they then proceeded on foot to Sill
yer Bow Junction. but 1t was doubtless
near the middle of the night when they
arrived there-too late in fact for them
to secure lodging, which Lucey we'll knew
would be the case. To turn back at that
point would have been more difficult than
to proceed, and it is supposed that Lucey
prevailed upon Regain to continue on foot
as far as Gregson Springs, eight miles
farther west, a place at which one can
find lodging and something to eat and
drink at almost any hour of the day or
night.
About 5 o'clock on the following morn
ing Lucey was seen by some men at
Gregson walking along the railroad
track. He was approaching the station
from the direction of the canyon and
was alone. In one hand he carried the
valise containing Resec's clothing. The
men watched his approach until he ar
rived at the rear door of a little saloon
kept by a Mr.. Schiffman near the railroad
station. His clothing was wet, one leg
of his trousers was badly torn and his
face was scratched n bleeding He
walked into the saloon, called for a
drink of whisky and threw a twenty-dol-
lar gold piece on the bar to a for It,.
He stayed at the saloon several hours and
took many drinks while there. Shortly
before the Anaconda-bound train arrived
on the Butte, Anaconda & Paciis road
Lucey went to the station and bought a
&:o1,o% for Anaconda h11t inst q G he threw
down the none to pay for 1T a train
man entered the room and announced
that the body of a man had been found
in the creek in the canyon n that
murder was suspected. Without waiting
to receive the change for the money ten
dered the agent in payment for the tick
ct Lucey walked out of the station house.
leaving his valise behind. No one saw
which direction he took, but 1t is sup
posed that he cut across the country and
went to Stuart, about two miles distant.
He admitted having been there. He stay
ed at Stuart a few hours and then went
to Anaconda. where he engaged lodg-
ing for the night. When the Inter Noun
tain containing an account of the finding
of the body of Regain arrived in Ana
conda Lucey asked the lodging house
keeper for a copy of it. He read the &C
count of the murder without "a word OF
Their went to his room and
lighted the lamp, after which he returned
to where the lodging house keeper was
and told him he was going out. but would
be back and for him not to disturb the
light. Lucey then left the house and
that was the last seen of him by any one
in this section hat knew him Accord
ing to his own story he went to the Gala
tin valley via Helena with Luke Giligan;
from there to the Black Hills of South
Dakota and thence south into the Grip
pie Creek country of Colorado, where a
saloon keeper named Sullivan recognized
him and caused his arrest.