The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1902-06-30
REFUSES TO TELL CIRCUMSTANCES
OF SHOOTING, REPEATING HER
DECLARATION OF SUICIDE.
ROBBERY AS WELL AS
MURDER is SUSPECTED
Valuable Diamond Sunburst, Gold Watch
and Chain and Sealskn Sacque Are
Missing From Her Apartments-Ma
Holding Official Position Said to Bc
Mixed Up in the Affair.

Whether Mona Bell, as she is known in
Butte, lives or dies, she has declared her
intention OF standing by the story she first
tod Saturday, TO the effect that she shot
herself
Repeated efforts have been made to Sc
cure some statement from the woman
which would remove the doubts Of the
suicide. but so far without success.
This afternoon Chief Murphy and De
tecfivc ferry Reynolds made another effort
to get statement from the woman, in the
belief that she would uic. but were unslic-
ceSslul
Later, II was announced that the woman
could not live. and one of the surgeons
called to assis, in performing an operation,
decided upon as a last chance for her life.
telcphoned the county attorneys Office ask
ing for someone to take the woman's state
mcnt before the operation was performed
Assistant County Attorney Lynch went
to the hospital and was jcercd at by the
woman.
"l'm not going to die. and my siaicnten,
is no use, said the patient AN | can
say is that ! shot myself"
Refuses a Statement.
No persuasion could induce her to say
hHl'uliP WHICH Mblil tbllibIUl W Ilt lN
mors that another had shot her
Today il developed that the woman was
robbed soon after being shot, and il is
another mystery for the police TO clear
up--if they can.
According To the statements made by her
male and female friends, there is missing,
since Friday night a diamond sunburst,
valued at several hundred dollars, a gold
,H.trl and chain pnI a e,ul. lin
Chief Of Police Reynolds has received
positive statement to the effect that these
articles were in the womans possession
Friday night and are now missing.
Mona Bells correct name is Anna B.
Monahan. She came here from Cripple
Creek, and at one time lived IN Lincoln
and Beatrice. Neb. The latter place she
has asserted to be her home aud the home
Of her parents.
For some months she has conducted the
house over Jack Mcl.aughlins saloon,
known as No. "3f.
Called Attention to House.
The other night in the council meeting
Alderman Siebenacr called attention 10 the
houses Of that class which were permitted
to run on West Broadway. and was told by
another alderman to mind his own bust
ness, as fhOst places were cOnuHslcu
quietly, and that il all other resorts in the
town were kept as quiet there would be no
kick"
Il is now a settled fact that more than
one man was in the womans apartments
shortly before the time fixed for the shoot
inc. One Of these men is said to hold an
official position. The other is regarded as
the woman's lover and is suspected of the
shooting, while the other has not been fully
identified.
There Is n doubt among the officers who
have investigated the case as TO whether
the woman shot herself, though unless she
dies this will be accepted as a fact.
One Of the men was taken into custody
by Detective Murphy and Under Sheriff
McGuigan Saturday night, and to them he
made a statement, after breaking down and
crying over the intimaion that he had done
the shooting. This statement is corrobo-
rated up to this afternoon by the woman.
No Arrests Made.
For this reason no arrests have been
made though the police insist that it is
not probable that any woman would shoot
herself in the manner described If intent
on suicide
Late Saturday evening the Monahan
woman made statement 10 the officers
working on the case, in which she said
she shot herself with suicidal intent be-
cause OF financial troubles.
Late this afternoon il was announced
that she could not live many hours, not
withstanding the operation performed to
relieve the clogging of the intcstines.