The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-05
Ruther's cabin. near by. and borrowed
a bottle Of ink. He returned it the same
The Fatal Shot.

The Fatal Shot.
On the 18th Of February Oliver Dot.
son returned from Helena. A few min
utes after he had entered his cabin
shot in that direction was heard by .
number OF his neighbors A few minutes
afterwards (about p. mr. q man was
seen to leave the cabin. going south to-
wards Avon, now and then looking back
ward. Shortly afterwards Macarthur was
seen to pass the residence Of Michael
Kiley. 2 mile further south, and was
identified. About mile further on he
was passed by two men who knew him.
About p. m. he was seen to enter Avon,
and was Afterwards Identified by four
or five men who saw him that evening.
The time was fixed by these witnesses by
the fact that the night before a st. VAL
entine ball had been given in Avon.
1t is about IL miles from Avon to Gar
rison. on the Northern Pacific road.
! However Macarthur may have gone to
Garrison from Avon. he could easily have
walked the distance. with plenty OF time
to spare. and caught the train from
Butte as 1t passed through Garrison
about 11:4O that evening. Macarthur
mailed letter that evening at Garri-
son to Clinton Dotson. The next day.
the 10th. he entered Missoula. and
claimed that he had come from the coast.
| That night he arrived at Berry's ranch.
in Missoula county. where he was after
wards arrested
Two or three days after Macarthur had
left Washington guch the body of Oliver
Dotson was found in the east front room
of his cabin. He had been shot through
~ IL nj "a
tween this room and another one just
west The second room had been dark
ened. A square hole had been cut in
| the partition about five feet from the
| floor, and it is probable that Dotson was
| shot from this hole as soon as he entered
the cabin. The hole was covered with
cloth when the body was found.
The body had been placed so that 1t
| would appear that he had committed
suicide. A gun was fastened to the wall
pointing in the direction of the body
| q string had been attached to the trigger
OF the gun, passed backward around a
rail, and the end dropped between the
| feet of the body. One she'll was found
empty.
! The body had not fallen at that spot.
however. The head had evidently fallen
| in the northeast corner of the room.
There large pool of blood was found.
| A trail of blood ran from there to where
the body was found. The coat was
rumpled up under the neck, the hair on
the back of the head was turned back
ward, showing the body had been
dragged from the corner to where it lay.
The pool of blood in the corner had been
covered up.
| On washstand near the north wall OF
| the front room two written documents
were found. one the purported will and
the other the purported confession OF
Oliver Dotson. Neither of these docu-
ments was in the handwriting Of Oliver
Dotson, though there had been an at
tempt to counterfeit his handwriting.
Each, according to experts, was in the
handwriting, disguised, of Macarthur.
The Forged Confession.
The Twill" left all the property of
Oliver Dotson to Clinton Dotson BY the
confession" old man Dotson was made
to say that he and Ed Cachelin, his SON
|ir.-law, had killed old man Cullinane;
that Ed Cachelin had taken the watch
and had taken it over to Helena and put
lit in the bed tick of Clinton Dotson. by
means of which Clinton Dotson had been
convicted, and that Clinton Dotson was
Innocent. There were other matters IN
the confession" which pointed to Nc
Arthur as the author.
| When Macarthur went to Berry'S ranch
il: Missou1a county, he told there that
Clinton Dotson had $4,000 In wyoming
which he was to divide with him, ana
that Clinton Dotson had a lot of property
in washington Gulch. all of which con-
Iflrmed the story of Ellis Persinger.
On the stand Macarthur admitted that
Inc went to Washington Gulch as soon as
Ihe left prison; that he went by the name
of Murray; that he went to Helena with
IOliver Dotson. He admitted that he went
hack to Washington Gulch on the 18th
y cav of January, but claimed that he went
back for some papers which he had Tor
u gotten. He claimed that he Immediately
returned to Helena on the 18th; that ne
rode back to Helena on an engine, the
lengineer being an old friend. whose name
The declined to give. He then visited at
1.-The residence of an old friend in Helena,
but he did not have him as witness
HE claimed that about the 10Th OF Jahu-
larry he went to Livingston and renamed
there most of the time until about the
first of February, all the time Win o,o
!; friends but none of whom We're sub
Inoenaed as witnesses. That about the
! first of Febrr""v he went to Butte anu
Remained unit. he 18th Of the month"; all
| the time with old acquaintance Out none
of whom were brought In to suDstahllate
, his story. He claimed that on the even
ing of the 18th he left Butte on the west
!, bound Northern Pacific train: that al
Garrison on the way he mailed the letter
3 to Clinton Dotson already mentioned ana
> that his train being late he got In 10
J, Nfissoula later next morning. Macarthur
I claimed that the reason he visited Oliver
IDotson after getting out of prison. al
Though he had no acquaintance with him
: Twas to carry a message from Clinton
q Dotson to his father.