The Elbert County tribune., 1904-04-14
AWFUL MURDER
CONFESSION OF a. D. eAleRAlrH
Bodies OF Murdered wife and Child
Found in Lonely Cabin
In Russell oulch.

Denver. April 1O.--Azel d, Galbraith.
who was arrested Friday for forgery.
was discovered last night to have muir
dered his wife and nlne-year-old son.
Donald. on or about last March 9Th,
and to have left their bodies in the
lonely cabin at Russell Guleh. where
the murder was committed. With the
announcement of Galbraith's arrest.
friends living In Russell Gulch insti-
tuted n search and discovered the
bodies in bed. where they had lain a
month. Galbraith had removed all
suspicion by stating that hts family
had gone to Boston.
Galbraith made n complete confess
sion OF the murder TO Chief of Police
Armstrong and Detective Captain
Connor last night. Smoking cigar
ette and some times smiling. he related
| the awful details without tremor.
The only thing about which the po-
| lice are undecided is Galbraith's mo-
tive. Galbraith evidently had Intended
I TO take his own life after the murder
of his wife and child. but. as Chief
| Armstrong told him, he lacked the
nerve"
1t is thought by the police that the
whole motive for Galbraith's crime lay
& IN his infatuation for Mrs. Lottie Rus
sell Of IS Twenty-second avenue. He
denies this and claims that his motive
was the financial straits into which he
had brought himself by gambling,
drinking and following women. Mrs.
/ Lottie Russell was arrested last night
and after an interview with Chief
Armstrong and Captain Connor she
was locked up to be held until tho ar
I rival Of Sheriff Thomas Cody OF Gil-
/ pin county. She Is not thought to have
known anything of the murder.
Did you kill your wife and boy7''
asked Captain Connor OF Galbraith
II did" replied Galbraith. II killed
my wife and boy early in the morning.
! shot my wife through the head while
she was talking TO me. We were In bed
at the time and she never moved af-
terward.
Then / went to the door OF tho
house and called tho boy down and
coaxed him to get in bed beside me.
after | had covered up his mothers
head, and when he turned his head to
look out of the window | shot him
through the head.
Then | dressed and got on quartz
wagon. | drank all the whisky In tho
house before left. | rode on the
quartz wagon to Idaho Springs and
stayed there two or three days drink
ing. came to Denver March 14th.'
Galbraith's murder OF his wife and
child is regarded as one OF the most
cold -blooded crimes ever committed.
Galbraith admitted that he had been
planning the double murder for nearly
month before he committed It II
was reported in Denver last night that
Indignation was at white heat In Gil
pin county and It is thought that II CAL
braith is taken back there at any time
soon an attempt will be made to lynch
him.
Galbraith and his wife hnd known
each other from childhood. They were
schoolmates and had always been con-
sidered a devoted couple.
He probably will be held In the city
jail in Denver for an indefinite time.
Both Galbraith and his wife were
reared in and around Fort Collins.
where they were very well known.
Many relatives live there. Sheriff John
A. Gross of Fort Collins came to Den
yer last night as an agent of Gal
bralth's sister to see what could be done
to have him cleared of the forgery
charge.
with the utmost composure GAL
braith related the details of his crime
He told how he had shot his wife and
son and afterward picked the bullets
out OF the bedclothingf and carried
them in his pocket for several days
About April 1st he returned to the cab
in. where he took out all the furniture
except the bed on which lay the
bodies of his wife and boy, and hauled
Il away to sell 1t.
1t was early In the morning that Gal
braith. lying beside his wife. shot her.
Their nine-year- boy. Donald. had
dressed and gone out on the side of the
hill to play. After killing the mother
; Galbraith went to the door and called
the boy down to him. He covered up
the form of his wife and persuaded the
child to lie down on the bed beside him.
Then when the boy turned his head to
look out of the window. he shot him.
too.
After the murder Galbraith wanted
to get away from the scene of his crime
and went to Idaho Springs. He re-
mained in Idaho Springs drinking. for
-hree days, and came to Denver on
March 14th. going to the Brown Palace
hotel. He said last night that he had
not drawn a sober breath since killing
his wife until he became sober after his
arrest Friday afternoon by Detectives
Carberry and Sanders When he was
arrested Galbraith had in his pocket
the revolver with which he had killed
his wife and boy. but he made 10 effort
to use II.