The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-01-07
REslsTs ARREST AND is MORTAL
LY WOUNDED.
LAST DESPERATE STAND
Replies With Shots to Demand for
Surrender-Posse's Effective
Work.

Sunday afternoon between 4 and
5 o'clock one of the most exciting
man hunts conducted in eastern Mon
tana in a long time came to a sudden
end. A desperate man, but recently
escaped from Jail, and a boy compan-
ion faced a posse of equally determined
men. A demand to surrender and
yield to the law, a defiant refusal, ac-
companied by shots from a rife; a re-
turn volley from the posse and the
tragedy had been enacted. Lon Kilby
lay writhing in the agonies of death
and his boy companion was again a
prisoner, to be brought back to the
jail from which he and Kilby had es-
capped only a few days before.
Ever since Kilby and Huffman dug
their way out of Jail efforts to re-
capture them were not relaxed. In ad-
dition to the deputies who have been
securing the Musselshell for them, the
settlers of that locality took up the
hunt, spurred on by the reward that
Sheriff Hubbard offered for the re-
turn of the fugitives and the desire
to protect themselves against further
depredations by the pair, for since
their appearance in that part of the
county Nlby and Huffman had left a
trail of property stolen and other
| depredations to mark their presence.
No longer ago than Friday night
they stole a pack saddle and two ordi-
nary saddles from the ranch of Herley
& Lamotte, beside stealing a horse
elsewhere for an additional mount.
having but one horse, that stolen from
Theodore Fenske when they broke
out of Jail. The news of the raid on
the Herley & Lamotte ranch was tele-
phoned to the city last Saturday and
Under Sheriff Sayles at once left for
that place, expecting to come up with
the fugitives before they would have
time to leave the country. When he
arrived at Buckeyes ranch he found
men who were willing and anxious to
join in the chase and a posse of ten
was organized.
kiIby is Shot.
The trail Of the two was struck and
followed until Sunday afternoon, when
it ended at a small tributary of Fattig
creek, called Snoll coulee, at the head
of the creek. Back under a shelving
rock Kilby and Huffman were found.
They had been in camp and were on
the point of leaving when the posse
discovered them, as they were all
packed, and prepared to move. The
posse surrounded them and then made
a demand on them to surrender. Kill
by acted as the spokesman and re-
piled to the demand by opening fire
on the sherif's men, and from the
closeness Of some of his shots he fired
to kill. The fire was returned and
Kilby fell. Being unable to longer
continue the unequal fight he gave in
and it Was found that a rife bullet
had struck him under the right arm.
Huffman was taken in charge by
some OF the posse, while others took
care of Kilby. The party immediate
ly left for the HX ranch, owned by
John Chandler, about four miles north
west of which the fight occurred. A
messenger was dispatched to the near
est telephone station, a considerable
distance away, and the sheriff and
DR.. Chapple notified. The message
was received here about 9 o'clock
Sunday night and the doctor and sher-
if Immediately started out for the
scene of the shooting. Before they