The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-08
JACKSON IN TOWN
HE IS THE ONLY SURVIVOR OF
THE SULLIVAN PARTY.
TELLS STORY OF THE CRIME
Had One of His Boot Heels Shot Away
by the Murderer and Wandered
Over the Hills Seventeen
Days.

( Owen Jackson. the only survivor Of the
party murdered by Fred Hardy on Una
5 mix island, Alaska, on June 6, arrived
{ in the city last night and registered at
I the Finlen. Mr.. Jackson has a brother
J here, and the object of his visit is to
: see him and so Mrs. Con Sullivan, wife
OF one of the murdered men. He called
on Mrs Sullivan this morning and tod
her all about the murder.
The men killed by aHrdy were Corne.-
ius Sullivan and his brother, Florence,
both of this city, and p. j. Rooney of
Seattle. That Hardy did not kill Jack
I son is not because he did not try, for he
fired at him and the bullet cut the heel
OF one of his boots. Hardys motive for
the crime was robbery but he will pay
the penalty for it on December 6. on
which date he is to be hanged at Dutch
HarbOr, Alaska.
The mail steamer Newport first
brought the news of the murder into
civilization. On July 16 she arrived at
Dutch HarbOr, with Jackson and Fred
Williamson on board, having just COM
pleted her monthly trip from Sitka. Will
Hanson and Jackson had been picked up
miles long and 30 miles wide; contains
mountains and is totally devoid of trees
After the murder had been committed
Jackson: = seems, wandered about the
island II days without food or water
and finally ran across Williamson, who
nursed him back to life, for he was more
dead than alive when found.
The history Of the crime, as told by
Mr. Jackson today, is as follows:
Last April, Con and Florence Sulli-
van of Butte. P. j. Rooney Of Seattle,
and Owen Jackson of Wallace, Idaho,
QUILTED for a prospecting trip through
the north. They boarded the schooner
Lizzie Crosby, and were landed on Una
mix island. They had plenty of pro-
Visions a 1890 Marlin rifle, two Colts
revolvers and many personal effects. On
being landed the captain of the schooner
gave them a small boat, as they intend
ed to do considerable prospecting in
places that could not be reached on
foot. After prospecting along the north
coast of the island about three weeks
they piled a portion of their stuff into
the boat and began to work northward,
with view to being taken off the isl
and by a passing steamer. June they
pulled into Cape Lapin with a portion
of their supplies. They pitched their
tent on the beach and placed their traps
| in it.. Their guns comprised a portion
of the load When the things had been
piled in the tent they got into the boat
again and started back after the balance
of their outfit, but while absent Hardy
showed up at the tent and stole their
guns. AS they pulled towards the shore
on the return trip they noticed that ~
tent had been torn down. They also no.
ticed man with a pack on his back,
going up little valley. Leaving Rooney
to watch the boat, the two Sui
livans and Jackson waded ashore
| and began to search for the man
they had seen. In the hunt they became
separated. but drifted together again IN
about an hour. Then they separated
again. Florence Sullivan went to the top
! of a hill. he and his brother and Jackson
| then being about 225 yards apart. Will.
| occupying these relative positions shot
was fired, followed by three more in
| rapid succession, and Florence Sullivan
| fell dead.
The next scene opened with the sight
of a man running towards the body from
! the direction of a boulder. Con Sullivan
! ana Jackson were SO Mortified that they
| ran down 20 the boat and, with Rooney,
| endeavored to shove the craft away from
| land. but just then more shots were fired
| and Rooney fell, shot through the knee.
Jackson and Con Sullivan then started
| to run for cliff about 200 yards along
the beach, knowing that their only
| chance for escape would be in reaching
| it, but on the way bullet struck Sulli-
van in the back and he fell dead. jack
| son continued to run and bullet cut
the heel of one of his rubber boots with
| out breaking the flesh of his foot.
In telling the balance of the story
! Jackson says:
about 200 feet farther along the beach,
| the sea and cliff met, and l could go no
farther in that direction. I stopped and
thought, and while thus engaged I saw
Rooney coming along near the point. He
saw me and beckoned me to go to him.
went. When l got over to him found
he had crawled under a hanging rock,
closed his eyes and folded his hands
across his breast. He asked me to re-
main with him, saying we would die to-
gether, as the shooter would certainly |
come around and finish the work he had
commenced. l tried to get him to go
with me and climb to the top of the cliffs, !
but he would not do it; so I went ami
managed to scale 100-foot cliff. When
I reached the top I stayed there until
I heard four more shots below and knew
that Rooney was being murdered. l !
then took off my boots and struck out
over the hills, travelling II days without
food or shelter. June "a I ran across
Williamson, with whom I spent % days
recovering from the effects of the ex-
posture.
by and by the Newport came along
and carried US to Dutch harbor, where
I reported the crime to the authorities.
The United States steamer Manning was
then in port and on July 20 she put out
and coroner's jury on board to investi-
gate the affair. I accompanied the
vessel for the purpose of pointing out
the various places. On the 21st the
vessel arrived in the cape. We found
that the bodies of the Sullivan brothers