The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-04-14
CANNOT DETERMINE
WHO KILLED CANNON
County Attorney and Coroner
Are at Sea So Far as CIewS
Are Concerned
Special to The Globe

Special to The Globe
WINNIPEG, Man., April 13.-Her-
bert Loud, county attorney of Bel
trami county, Mimi, and Marcum, cor
oner, who have been conducting the
investigation into the death of Matt
Cannon, the murdered mayor of Beau
dette, passed through Winnipeg to-
night.
The investigation failed to bring out
anything tangible" asserted Loud.
There are thories that We have TO
work on. If the deed was committed
by any members of the Spooner crowd
our work will be easier; but if, as some
believe, it was a stranger that mingled
with the Spooner aggregation and
fired the fatal shots, then the vindica-
tion of justice will be difficult Such
theory is highly probable. While it is
not my practice to say aught i'll of the
dead, / am compelled to admit that
Cannon was an ex-convict and had a
very bad reputation in Beaudette.
Cannon, in the capacity of mayor,
had caused the arrest OF two Swedes.
These he had fined, but as that ap-
peared to be an amount which his pris-
oners could not pay he lowered the
sum to So AS even this amount was
not forthcoming, he held the watch of
one of the Scandinavians as security.
He also showed his displeasure by
striking them. People from Spooner
came down with the intention of re-
leasing the Swedes. Here arises the the
ory of personal enmity. 1t would have
been an easy matter for a stranger to
have mingled with the throng and
fired the shots. 1 know of but one
man in the neighborhood who was
openly at enmity with Cannon. That
was Cowan, but it has been proved
that Cowan was crossing the bridge
and was away from the scene of the
trouble at the time of the shooting"
Coroner Marcum fully indorsed the
theory of Attorney Loud.
Nothing has materialized," he re-
marked, but overwhelming evidence
of the unpopularity of Cannon. He
figured in gun plays, in which he was
the aggressor, shortly before his taking
off. His death statement as recorded
was untrue. In fact he lived a life of
untruth. Some say that he was not
mayor of Beaudette, or even a voter in
the precinct. However, if the guilty
party is in Spooner we will get him.
but if stranger did the shooting we
may not be able TO find and punish
him.
Told at the Inquest
BEAUDETTE, Mimi. April 1s.-The
coroner's jury sat seven hours over the
body of Cannon Twenty-seven wit
nesses were examined, ten being resi-
dents of Spooner and the remainder
from Beaudette.
The Spoonerites were subjected to a
searching examination by Loud. and
the ringleaders explained their where
abouts at the time the shots were fired
and their testimony was supported by
mortem statement read as follows:
E. Everett, Paul Cowan and E. Kath-
ern led gang this morning and threat
ened 10 lynch me, and also said if / were
there at 6 tonight they would settle me.
There We're also present Billy James. Gus
Exc, L. ]. Williams, Henry O'Nenl and
Peter Running. Tom Cathcart Sr., heard
II. Cowan said: You know the oath
you took last night. boys. which you have
postoffice that if 1 were there at they
would settle me. Williams and 0owan
both made the statement. Cowan said:
That was about II a. m. / left at that.
Fifteen minutes after that S. B. McNa-
mara came to me and said:
Will / tell that fellow to come down
Monday? l am going to Koochinching to-
night and you and he had better do bust
ness" l told him after what had been
done today 1 would not withdraw my
filing for $4,000. Billy Cathcart was a
witness to this. l had some words with
Watson and he told me 1 would have all
the trouble 1 wanted before the day was
over. Last fall Everett hired Montague
TO move my house back from its original
location. Ten days after the house was
burned. Three days after the house was
moved. l reported to the land department
that timber was being cut on the place
Montague and Fred Foote both threat
ened me with guns. John Killiar was
there and saw their action.
Magistrate Says Otherwise
Justice Killiar, a witness to one oc-
currence and who also witnessed the