Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-04-29
THE MYSTERIOUS MURDER OF THE CITY
TREASURER OF new CASTLE, PA.

! William Blevins reached home at IL
| o'clock to find that his father was not
! there. AS the treasurer never remained
out so late, the family became alarmed
| and the son started out to seek his
| father. He went direct to the office. He
entered the brilliantly lighted room. The
father lay as dead in a pool of blood.
| His head WAS under a table. Every
| thing in the room, desks. books and all.
was turned topsy-turvy and was Gov
cred with blood
Old Man Blevins.
Old man Blevns was breathing. but
was unconscious. The son quickly
brought physician, but nothing could
| be done. and the treasurer died without
, regaining consciousness.
The blood despatched furniture, books
and walls. and the many wounds inflit'
ed upon the murdered man, told of a to-
rible struggle. The poor old fellow nai
made an heroic fight for life and had
truly been slaughtered. His skull ;
fractured, his jaw was broken, his nose
was crushed and his face was battered
and cut.
Honest John Blevins as he WAS
called. was SO widely and favorably
! known that his murder created intense
excitement and Indignation. The city
| council and the county commission.
met and each offered reward of s., UOo
| for the detection of the murderer The
| town was quickly flooded with detectives
from most of the large cities. and the
| cleverest efforts We're made to throw
! light on the tragedy.
! The firemen who had sat within plaza
view of the treasurers office said they
had neither seen nor heard anything.
although they We're only a few f.
away In the lookup underneath the
office some tramps We're lodged. Tl v
had heard a scuffiing about 10 o'clock,
and this faint information was all that
was ever obtained as bearing directly
| upon the tragedy.
He Knew His Slayer.
The opinion was and is still general
| that Blevins was murdered by some eli.
zen of New Castle with whom he was
Well acquainted. One theory is that he
| had an appointment to meet some ono
at his office to discuss money matters
and that during the discussion a quar e.
| arose and blevins was killed. The idea
that money matters may have had to Go
| with the tragedy was early supported
! by the facts that were uncovered.
Ever since the murder experts have
| been at work on the books and records
| in the treasurer's office, and these in
| vestigators have made such startling
! discoveries that it is not hard to imagine
why some person might have wanted
\ Blevis out of the way. Blevins was
! treasurer of both the city and the school
funds, and shortages have been discov-
cred in both. At first glance at these
| facts it would seem that Honest John
Blevins' might have been misnomer.
but brief story of the investigators
work will best show why his friends still
assert that John Blevins was perfectly
upright, and that it was through no
fault of his that the funds are short.
His Methods.
For several years before the murder
it was known that Blevins' methods OF
doing business We're decidedly original,
and that the loose way in which the
treasurers office was conducted might
some day get the city into trouble. How
ever, nothing was done about it unit
July, 1897, when an ordinance to have ar
expert investigate the treasurer's off'cn
was introduced in the council. 1t passed
reached the mayor he vetoed it, and i
was dropped. Nothing more was done
until January, 1898, when a similar ordi
nance was introduced and passed.
After considerable delay, r. L. Nc
Canoe, of Pittsburg, was employed a.
expert accountant. He commenced il
May, 1898, and did not complete tn
work until about three years after tn
murder He then reported that every
thing was all right, but that the pro
ceedings of the Office had been irregular
, He said that, apparently, the city fund
were about $4,000 short, but that Their
were assets, consisting of tax receipt
, and other papers that more than GOV
! cred this shortage.
! Soon after this the council appointe
a committee consisting of ]. j. Dea
r. X. Aiken, Thomas Davis, j. Z
Newell and A. w. Thompson, all promi
nent men, to audit the city accounts
1 and w. w. Edgar, whose report is no,
made, was employed.
There Was a Shortage.
< The school board employed Allen Ma,
$ thens, of Pittsburg, to look after it's in
n terests. and his report, made recent
i shows a shortage in the school funds c
: $50, 091 80: that Blevens had system
t bookkeeping, if it could be called sys
e tenn peculiar to himself, and that ther
il was shortage of several thousand do
l. lars the first year he was in office. I
g trying to explain part of this shortas
e Marthens said that Blevins was Yer
o lenient with everybody and willing t
favor tn