Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-06-01
MURDER OF WEIGH.
Simon WEIGH, Old Resident Of the
County, Murdered in Cold Blood
for His Money.
Dead Body Found at His Farm Cabin,
a Bullet Hole Through His
Head.
Officers Of the Law Are Busy With
the Investigation of Another
Brutal Crime.
(From Thursdays Daily.)

Simon WEIGH, a bachelor farmer
living about four miles northeast Of
the city, was found dead in his shack
at about noon yesterday by a neighbor
named Riley, who was passing Welch's
place en- route to town.
That WEIGH was murdered was plain
to Coroner White, States Attorney
Allen and a c%oroner's jury that visited
the place last evening, and examined
the body and the surroundings. When
the murder took place is difficult to
say, but from the appearance of the
body the crime was committed several
days ago. Welch was seen the latter
part of last week by a neighbor named
MCGEE, who was one of his nearest
neighbors and friends, and who talked
with WEIGH Friday or Saturday. The
murder occurred some time between
that day and Wednesday when the
body was found. The murder was
done with a revolver, and probably
one that belonged to the murdered
man for such a one was found beneath
his pillow, with empty shell that
had been recently discharged. The
bullet entered the head through the
right ear and from the nature of the
mouth and from the nature of the
slant death.
Riley, who first found the body, was
passing Welch's place Wednesday, and
as is usual custom, called to him from
the road. Receiving no answer he
entered the house. WEIGH lay on the
floor, in front Of the cook stove, a
coat partially covering his face, appar-
emily asleep. Riley removed the coat
ard discovered that Weleh was dead.
The room in which he lay, the only
n in the little cabin. wsr cark, there
being but one small window admitting
the, light, and Riley. alarmed and ex-
cited. did not examine the body closely
but fastened to notify Niece, who
lives near, and the authorities. Cor
oner White was notified AMI made a
trip to the pla"e at once, taking note
of the surroundings and satisfying
himself from the appearance of, the
body that there had been foul play.
Welch's face was partially covered
with blood, and his head rested in a
pool of it, which had escaped from
his mouth, nose, and a gaping wound
in the right ear. He returned to the
city and summoned a jury, and with
6ACI0A44CJ LAC dllO ILL.,. D0uLlcy,
made another trip to the place. Here
an examination Of the body and the
place in which it lay, satisfied the au-
thorities that murder had been done.
The cabin in which Welch lived had
but one room, in which was a bed, a
cook stove and the few personal be-
longings of the dead 1t is a
dingy little room, with barely space
nf1N1101 for thu fNHvv ,ts1~- ~-..
tanned, and the movements of a single
individual. In II corner vas a Gel
lar entrance and the door to this was
partially raised. The body of Welch
lay at full length on it's back on the
floor in front of the cook stove. There
was no sign or Indication Of a struggle
in the position of the dead man. He
was clothed except for his shoes and
stockings. His hands rested at his
sides. partially resting upon his body,
IN such a position as they might have
been had he been asleep. From his
appearance, he was either shot while
asleep and Instantly killed or the body
was placed after death where it lay.
From h fact that there was no blood
elsewhere about the room, the former
theory seems the more reasonable. The
DCu ID q CI1C DUO VI LIE IOOW, against
he wall, while the body lay at about
the middle of the floor, the head of the
dead man III an opposite direction from
the head'of the bed. The bed had the
appearance of not having been re-
Gently occupied, when Coroner White
arrived at the cabin, being made IN
after such a fashion as Welch would
have arranged it after arising. I'm
der a pillow at the head of the bed
was a large revolver, of the old army
pattern, and Of 45-calibre. One shell
was empty and the barrel had the an
pearance of the recent discharge of a
shell through it.
WEIGH had suffered considerably
from pains in his head, the result oil a
trouble for which he had undergone an
operation not long ago. At first il
was thought that suicide might have
caused death, but the discovery of the
wound and the fact that there was nc
weapon within reach of the hand OF
the dead man forced the discarding OF
this theory. Welch's revolver wa