The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-10-16
STILL IN
THE DARK.
Mystery OF The Shooting OF
Ma1com Macau1cy
Unsolved.
ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE
Officers Have Worked Hard On
The Case, But With
OCT Success.

Despite the hardest kind of work
by the authorities the mystery Of the
shooting of Malcom Macauley, the
bookkeeper of the O'Brien Lumber
company, at SOmers last Thurs lay
night, remains IL solved. Apparent
ly no headway in bringing the mis-
creants to justice has been made
and the officers are at a standstill
That this is SO does not reflect on
those in charge of the case as every
thing discovered in anyway bear ng
on the case has been run down with
out result
There was not cue of any kind
that could form the basis for a sys-
tematc chase of the would be MUIR
derers, and the officers have had to
work wholly in the dark. The mea
gre description furnished by Mr.. Ma
cauley was of no aid to the officers
and as he could give no motive for
the assault aside from robbery the
officers could learn nothing from him
that could be used as a clue.
Mr.. Macauley was brought to this
city Saturday and placed in the hos
piial, where he is at present While
it is thought that he is in no serious
lowed to see no one. AS stated he
says he knows Of no reason outside
of attempted robbery, why the as
sault was made and as the men were
masked he has not the slightest idea
of who his assailants were.
That robbery was the motive for
the crime is disputed by majority
of the people who have been over
Ja ic hot
ther were other reasons. Not only
is this view taken in halispell, but
the residents of Somers as well hold
the same opinion. Take the cream
stances surrounding the case and it
is evident that if robbery was the
reason for the crime the work was
done in an extremely bungling man
ner and those who had a hana in it
were tyros in the business.
1t would have been an easy matter
for anyone intending to rob the Of
fee to have done so without inds-
criminately shooting and thus run
the risk of arousing the neighbor-
hood and risking capture. Mr. Ma
cauley was alone in the Office and as
was afterwards discovered, there was
not a weapon of any kind in the
room. AS his desk faces the door
and is but short distance away
anyone standing in the door could
have held him up. 1t is not probable
that anyone taken by surprise as
he was would have attempted to re-
sst, especially when he had no wea-
pom. Simply the order to hold up his
hands would be enough, especially
since there was nothing there for the
robbers to get and he knew it. On
the other hand, if the motive for the
crime was revenge, as is the view of
the matter taken by many people,
the work was done in a way that
would most naturally be taken In
the day time it would have been diff
ficult to shoot Macauley without run
ming too much risk of detection and
capture, but at night it was different
1t was well known that he was in
the habit of returning to the office
after supper and remaining there for
an hour or So and all it was necey;-
sary to do was TO wait, securely hid
den in the darkness, until he was
alone and then. throwing open the
door. commence shooting as was
done Thursday night. Despite Ma
cauley's positive assertion that there
were two men implicated, it is the
general opinion that one man done
the work. In the excl ament of the
moment, suffering from the shock of
the bullet wounds, it is probable that
he thought he saw two men, but il
there We're two it is hard to see how
he could have eluded them and reach
ed the door, especially when he
would have to brush by them to dc
so.
All in all the case is most mys-
terious one, and is hard nut for the
authorities to crack. 1t is thought
there is a good deal behind the
shooting that has not been ye;
brought to light and that when the
true motive for the crime is discov
cred the capture of the would be MUIR
derer or murderers will easily follow.
Mr.. Macauley is at present doing
well. The bullet wound above the
eye was but scratch and has healed.
The breast wound was also of no con-
sequence, and is healing rapidly.
The abdominal wound is the most Sc
rious, but it is thought unles compli-
cations set in that nothing serious
will result and the chance for his ul-
innate recovery is extremely good.