The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-05-21
HAZELTON'S FAMOUS PRIEST
PROBABLY MURDERED.
SUSPECT HELD BY POLICE
Body Discovered Badly Decomposed
in Apartments Of Prisoner
Authorities Reticent.

New York, May ia we'll dressed
man about 81 years of age, was found
dead in a room on Ninth avenue early
this morning.
which the dead man was found was
occupied by Edward Higgins and the
second by Mrs. Catherine Bermus. DR..
Kirk Stanley, formerly of San Fran
cisco, who claims to cure rheuma-
tism by new methods, also occupied
rooms in the building.
The body was identified as that of
the Rev. Edward S. Phillips of st.
Gabriel's church, Hazleton, Pa, who
recently had a conference with J.
-Pierpont Morgan in reference to the
threatened strike in the iron and coal
regions of Pennsylvania.
The police are working on what
may prove to be a murder. Kirk Stan
ley, in whose rooms the body was
found, is under arrest as a suspicious
person. Decomposition had advanced
SO far when the body was discovered
that a cursory examination was not
sufficient to reveal the cause of death
and no autopsy was performed. Stan
ley has been subjected to a rigid ex-
animation and is said to have told
conflicting stories.
Mrs. Bermus, from whom Stanley
leased four rooms, in one of which
the body was found, says that her ten
ant claimed to be from San Francisco
and called himself cdr. Stanley" He
was accompanied by a young woman,
whom he introduced as his wife.
The body was discovered by Mrs.
Bermus' daughter, who went into
Stanley's apartments to remove some
bedding which was hanging out of
the window. The police were imme-
diately notified and a search of the
body disclosed a number of papers.
Among them was a letter from John
Mitchell, president of the United Mine
Workers, addressed to Rev. Edward
S. Phillips, Hazleton, Pa. There were
also several kilograms from Mitchell
addressed to the priest. a half-fare
railway coupon, such as is issued to
clergymen, and several receipts made
out in DR.. Phillips name. (.
1t was made public for the first
time, after the Identification of the
body, that two confidential alarms had
been sent out by Captain of Detec-
tives Titus for Mr.. Phillips, who, ac-
cording to this information, had been
missing from his home in Hazleton,,
Pa, since April &c. The first alarm
vyoc cNrt out Nov . @-l 4La o--u
yesterday, and detectives from the
central office have been quietly search
ing the hotels and hospitals in this
city for the missing clergyman. Pc.
lice Captain Donohue, who, while he
was examining the body. the rooms
and the effects of the dead man, sent
out a general alarm for the apprehen-
sion of Stanley. Shortly after mid
night Stanley was seen walking
through Fiftieth street. When he came
to the corner of Ninth avenue, half a
block from his apartments, he stopped.
A policeman saw him. Stanley saw
the policeman at the same moment
and at once turned and walked rapid
ly through Fiftieth street towards
Ninth avenue The policeman ran
after him and touching him on the
shoulder said the captain desired to
see him. Stanley accompanied the
policeman and when he reached The
station house was taken to Captain
Donohue's private office. He and the
captain were closeted together for
more than an hour The captain then
took. Stanley before Sergeant Shible
and told the sergeant to lock him up.
The prisoner seemed to be suffering
from the effects of drink or drugs.
HE roonnnr uyoc fho+ of n MON 1,,b y
was badly dazed. He said his name
was Kirk Stanley anu that he had
come to this city about a year ago.
He said they called llim doctor but
he had no diploma. He was a mas
sage operator and intended to open
an office here.
Captain Donohue was reticent in
discussing the case. All that he would
say was that the prisoner had made
conflicting statements. He had de-
MED knowing the man whose body
was foUnd in his rooms n said he
had never eel him before and that
he did not know there was a body
there until told by the police. The
police are searching for a woman who
was known as Stanley's wife. They
say the woman left the house in Ninth
avenue May 9 and has not returned.
Father Phillips disappeared May s.
Stanley was arraigned in police
court and was remanded to the GUS
tody of the coroner. He refused to
make any statement.
After the autopsy on the body of
Father Phillips had been completed
Coroner Bausch announced that no
mark of violence had been found ON
the body. The condition of the or
90 ch0WoH fhot Tho mon hoH cp1f-
fered from chronic nephritis and fat
ty liver. The said that owing
to the suspicious circumstances sur
rounding the case, it was deemed ad-
visable to have the vital organs ana
1v1ou