The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-10-12

The motive for the attempted muir
der has not as yet been learned and
Mr.. Macauley processes to have no
idea why an attempt should be made
on his life. If it was burglary, as is
thought by some. the perpetrators
We're the veriest novices in the busi-
ness. During the entire affair not
word was sand and when the men
who had taken Macauley to the store
returned to the office. everything
apparently the same as usual with
one exception. A drawer of the desk
at which Macauley was sitting and
which he had pulled partly out, was
found turned upside down on the
floor Whether he had pulled it out
hastily from his chair he knocked
against it in such a manner that it
fell to the iioor unnoticed by him,
Macaulcy can not say. The upturn-
ed drawer is the only indication SO
far as can be discovered that robbery
was the motive for the crime BY
, others it is thought that some one
who had grudge against Macaulcy
was the prime mover in the affair
and that in this way the old score
was W w WlpGu OUT.
Many believe that the statement
as made by the victim that lnree bul-
lets struck him and that two men
We're his assailants is mistake and
to certain extent the surroundings
bear out this belief. The Office where
| the shooting occurred is located in
the warehouse an. has only one en-
trance. As is the custom in the ware
| houses along railroad track the
building is raised several feet from
| the ground for convenience in the
| loading and unloading of freight
The office of the O'Brien Lumber
! company is in the south end of the
building. IMe nearest building to
J the office is the companys store and
is situated about 100 yards away.
The desk used by Mr.. 4uacauley is
about six feet from the door in di-
rect line and it is difficult to see how
he could have gotten up from his
chair and made his escape from two
| men, especially as he would have to
pass directly by them and within at
least two feet of where they were
standing in order to reach the door
and thus make his escape.
| The theory advanced by some is
that there was only one man impli-
Gated and that the first shot he fired
missed the mark. AS Macauley was
| rising from his chair and in a bend
ing posture the second shot was fired,
The bullet glancing from his forehead
and penetrating the breast, ranging
downwards and came out as stated.
Then as he was passing by the would
be murderer the third shot was fired,
making the abdominal wound. AS is
| often the Ease when one is struck
hard blow over the eye, it has the eff
feet of causing the victim to become
dazed and to see double, and, it is
believed, that such was the case with
Mr.. Macauley. After the shooting
and before they could be apprehend-
ed rufIian or rutfians had time to
jump to the ground and cross the un
occupied plat of land just east of the
| office and make their way to the
boarding houses, destroying the
masks en- route, and then boldly join
the rest in the search. The intense
darkness at the time would reader
such a procedure perfectly safe and
by many it is thought that this was
done.
/ AS Was wei kuOWu IL was cuSlOl0-
ary for Mr. Macauley to return to the
office in the evening and it was an
easy matter for anyone to enter the
office when he was alone and either
kattempt to rob or murder him. as was
done Thursday.
| 1t has been the custom heretofore
for the OBrien Lumber company .
pay off their men on the 10th of each
month and the payments were usual
ly made in coin. 1t had been decided
TO change this however. and pay in
checks, as the old way was deemed
100 dan, ,gerous. Thursday was pay
day, but Mr.. O'Brien and Mr.. Snow,
who are now in ST. Paul, the pay
ment of the men was postponed
!, until the 18th. 1t was not generally
known that the change in paying tie
men was to be made this month, ana
!, it is possible that the attempt on the
: life of Mr.. Macauley was made by
: someone who attempted to get at the
money supposed to be in the Office,
and which was to be used in paying
| the salaries of the men employed by
; the cOmapny.
The utter lack of apparent mo-
tive for the crime and the fact
: that Mr. Macauley can give no
/ description of his assailant, owing
/, Ito the fact that they Were
t masked, makes the case one of the
. hardest the authorities of Flathead