The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-04-11
Against John Warne Com
plete and Established.
HE MURDERED EVELYN
So Finds the Coroner's Jury.-The Old
Scoundrel Testifies in His Own
Behalf.
Special Dispatch to the Bee:

Special Dispatch to the Bee:
Butte, April 1O.-John Warne was
held by the coroner's jury to be guilty
of the murder of Evelin Blewett, at
Walkersville, on last Saturday. Warne
was quietly and secretely brought to
Butte from the Penetentiary at Deer
Lodge today, and testified before the
coroner's jury, which sat in the probate
department of the court house. Few
knew that he was in the city. He
was spirited away again as quietly
as he came. Warne told his story,
which was to the effect that the little
girl tipped the stove over and that he
was unable to get to the place where
she was after the fire started. He de-
MED having struck her on the head or
having touched her at all. He account
ed for the hole in her skull by the
theory that the men who battered
down the walls of the cabin inflicted
the wound. A searching cross-exam-
ination failed to shake the old mans
testimony. He was calm and dis
played no nervousness.
The fabric. the very foundation Of
old John Warne's story, on which he
relies to clear himself of the charge
of murder and save his neck from the
gallows, was destroyed by the testi-
mr. of NFrc H;1Iort Io1s
at the inquest. Mrs. Gilbert arriv-
ed at the burning house prior to any
of the men, and her evidence is ex-
ceedingly important for several rea-
sons.
II saw the stove in the house," said
Mrs. Gilbert. "It stood upon a bench
and was not overturned. It had a
saucepan of some kind standing on IL.
The fire was not coming from the
stove. The stove was near the door
and I saw it quite plainly before the
fire got much headway."
DR.. Norcross testified that during
the autopsy on the remains of the
child he had discovered that the cloth
ing had been pulled up under her arms
and the skirts raised sufficiently to
leave the limbs unprotected. The
lungs were slightly congested from in
haling smoke, but showed that little
smoke had been inhaled.
DR.. Norcross' testimony seemed to
arouse the jury to an active interest
and they listened attentively to all
that was said by subsequent witness.
es. At times certain of the jury would
ask questions on points which were
not quite clear to them. John B. Sui
livan was called to the stand and told
the story of the fire again, and P. H.
Carney swore he saw the fire burning
on the floor of the cabin when he
arrived. George Mcleod and Robert
Thomas furnished incidents connect.
ed with the removal of the body from
the ruins after the rear of the cabin
had been cut away.
did you find any blood anywhere
around the placer" asked one of the
jurymen, much after the fashion OF
one who expected to hear of blood
flowing in rivers. The witness re
piled that they had seen no blood.
Mrs. Gilbert was next called to the
stand and furnished the evidence
which makes it look so black for old
John Warne.
James A. Curren and Charles Atkir
followed, telling the story of how The
body of the little girl had been taker
from the burning cabin. Ed Pau
and Robert O'Neil gave unimportant
testimony.
Ray Mcleod, a girl who lives neal
the reservoir, said tnat she ran ou
of the house when she first saw tn,
fire, wereupon Warne asked her t.
bring some pals. She gave him tw'
water pals and he said as he tool
them from her hands: Eveline Blew
EFT is in there, and guess she's dead
Unimportant evidence was furnish
ed by the testimony of George Olds
young boy, and A. Rinalde, City MAJ
shall Kennedy followed, telling of tn
arrest Of Warne, who, he said, ha
not made any statement.
Mrs. Blewett, the heartbroke
mother of the dead girl, was place
on the stand and asked for q descril
: tion Of the clothing worn by the chill
when she left home. She testifie
that little Eveline wore a heavy unio