The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-12-14

ley for several miles and forded the
river and started for Virginia City,
| keeping in the hills and away from
| the few settlers who lived in that Sec
! ton at that time.
When they reached Virginia City they
| tried to dispose Of the horses. and SAID,
! in answer to the query as to where their
| employer was. that he was on the Madi-
| son awaiting their return: that. when
! they sold the extra pack horses they
! intended to join him and all of them
! would go to the Yellowstone to hunt
| buffalo for a while.
| No one wanted to buy the horses:
! the general suppostion was that the men
| had deserted their employer and had
| stolen the horses.
Seeing there was no hope to dispose
| of the horses in Virginia City the men
| announced that they would reioin their
| employer and go 10 the Gallatin valley,
! where they expected to find more lib
! eral and fair minded people 20 deal
! with.
! Residents Are Suspicious.
! \ number of the people of Virginia
! We're suspicious of their actions and
! watched them. to see which way they
! went. They followed the old ton road.
! which leads up past Cemetery hill and
climbs around the Raspberry patch to
reach the summit of the Tobacco Root
! range. from where the old town of Vir-
gina can he seen cozily nesting ir
the sulch thousand feet below.
| AS they passed over this hill they
/ passed out of the sight of the Virginia
/ City people forever. although less than
two months thereafter the entire ma
chinery of the law was fruitlessly
| ~. IS
locating them.
Some time after they had passed out
of sight about six weeks perhaps some
Stockman or hunter had occasion to
pass by the cabin on the upper Madi-
son. which the E.nslishman had built
| He found the cabin deserted. and Gu
! riosity led him to investigate the shack.
Odur of Burned Flesh.
The cabin was Il small one, and when
he threw open the uoor he noticed
a strong odor which made him think Of
burning flesh. For few moments he
could scarcely make out any object,
but his eyes soon became used to the
gloom and he could See an odd looking
object in the edge of the Fireplace.
1t had Fascination for him. and it
seemed as il he must examine it. He
did SO ana took it to the light in order
to get a closer look at it. 1t was a
part of the thigh bone of a man; black
and charred, and the little flesh sti!l
attached to it was shriveled and burnt
With a cry of dismay he dropped the
uncanny object and fled from the ca bir.
He lost no time in mounting his pony
and riding 10 Virginia City. where he
told of his grcwsone find to the au.hori-
ties.
OF course. there was a gra 1T deal of
wagging Of heads and Il told you SOS"
among the wise ones. and bitter regrets
were expressed over the fact that the
men with the horses had boa per-
mitted to leave before an investigator l
had been made into affairs on the up
per Madison.
Investigation Is Made.
AS soon as it was possible 20 do So
a party was sent to the lJAe.y cabin
on the Madison and an investigation
made There was not Il thing Of value
left in the cabin and not a scrap
OF paper by which any one os the three
could be identified.
In the Fireplace We're found num-
Der of partly burned bones, which af-
forwards proved to have belonged to
human being. In the creek short dis
lance below the cabin was found the
iron box. in which it was known that
the Englishman had kept his money.
but it was open and empty.
About the cabin were scattered a num-
Der of fine specimens of elk and noun
tain sheep heads.
With the exception of the thigh bone,
there was scarcely a handful of his
remains that We're not in ashes. Just to
satisfy the curiosity of the Investigate
ing party some of the ashes in the
fireplace We're scraped up and taken to
Virginia City where they We're given
a chemical examination and found to
be undoubtedly the ashes of man.
Big Reward Offered.
OF course there was a great hue and
cry over the matter and sheriffs' officers
all over the territory of Montana were
notified of the occurrence and the de-
scription of the two supposed murderers
was scattered broadcast.
A substantial reward was offered for
| their apprehension, both by the COVER
nor and by Madison county, but al
| though many years have passed since
! the greWSOme discovery was made, no
! one has ever made an attempt 20 claim
the reward nor explain how these two
men succeeded in disappearing as if the
| earth had opened and swallowed them.
| 1t was thought certain that they
would have to pass through the Gala
! tain valley after they left Virginia City,
! but the most dilisent inquiry failed to
! show that they had ever been seen by
! any one residing in that valley.
After this occurrence the creek was
named Dead Mans Creek" and.
! though that section offered a most
promising field for hunting. no one ever
pi~l,t ;v, <I,oA =; -,
j after the charred bones of the English
, man We're found.
Alleged to Be Haunted.
The report soon got abroad that the
place was haunted and both the cow
boys and hunters avoid the place as il
| it We're accursed. 1t has been half a