Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-12-22
SHERMAN TELLS STORY OF HIS CRIMES

was on my mothers account that
acted as did. When l first saw her
after my arrest, and she said it would
kill her if she found | was connected
with the murder, | commenced to
make misstatements. But 1t was in
evitable from the first that the full
truth should come out. When l was
allowed to go to my home with the
officers Tuesday, and see my mother,
| realized what it all meant to her.
thought she was dying. She said I
don't know this boy. He is not my boy
l had changed that much since she
had seen me last. Then l talked to
her and she said if would go down
on my knees and confess all to God,
she would live, but unless I did. and
told the Whole truth she could not
live. | believed her. So did as she
asked and confessed to my God and
told everything l have nothing what
ever to conceal. ! want the whole
truth to be known, and so far as can
recall. it has been told to you now.
II suppose l will be connected with
some other crimes, but l have told
you all of those in which l participat-
ed. | was not the man who entered
the Fad shoe store. nor did l have any
thing to do with the holding up Of
that man near George Wiedeman $
residence. 1t is even suspected, l am
told, that caused the mysterious ex-
plosion some months ago, and which
is still a mystery. Well, it lis still q
mystery to me. l know absolutely
nothing about it,
Asked if he thought ne would have
persevered in his determination not to
engage in another crime II the ex-
pOsure had not come, Sherman said
he believed he would. Having quit
gambling, he had freed himself from
the one evil that had drove him to
his crimes.
AS to the time selected by him for
his criminal work, he said that ordin-
arily it was late at night--after mid
night, although, as in the pOstOffice af-
fair, there were exceptions. Going ov-
er the tactics followed by him, he said
he wore the wOnan's slippers, with
the rubbers over them for the sole
purpose of throwing the officers off
the right track, and he also took the
woman's apparel from the stores with
the same object in veiw.
Asked if he did not fully expect that
the telephone man would find the
suit cases cached under the Argus
building when he went there to run
a wire through the floor some time
ago. Sherman said he did at the time
He did not understand how the man
could very well miss them, as they
We're right in his path, and so he wait
ed until the man came out, expecting
him to say something. DANIEL made
no remark when he came out, howev
er, and Sherman then believed that in
the darkness, he had either not no
tiCed the suit cases, or had paid nc
attension to them. When he came tC
work on Dec. II and found that I'm
der Sheriff Martin had brought out
the suit cases and that some of the
Studzinski loot had been identified
he still felt secure, believing that sus
picion would fall on almost anyone else
before on him. Throughout all the
developments, when Martin was fol
lowing the scent like bloodhound
Sherman felt no uneaSiness, but just
at the end, he realized that it was get
ting very close to him. He still be
leved he was safe right up to the
moment when he walked into the
sherffs office Friday morning, Dec.l5
to deliver some blanks that had been
sent for in order to have him call
there and be examined. When he
saw the officers and others awaiting
him, and was told to take seat, he
knew what was coming, and was pre-
pared for any line of action. He al
once implicated Alex Mccoy as the
one who had sold him the bride and
the watch because he believed sus
picon would rest on him more readil.
than anyone else he could think of al
the time.
Sherman said he had not had the
slightest inclination to try to injure
his former business associates at any
time.
Not a Montana Boy.
James Sherman is not a Montana
product at all, as has been erroneous
ly supposed. He was born nearly
nineteen years ago on farm in Cal
noun county, Michigan, two miles
from the town of Albion He came tc
this section in the spring of 1889 ol
1890 with his parents, although JEFF
Sherman, his father had been here
some time before that. The family
settled at Flatwillow, and resided
there until James was about 10 years
| OF age. The lad remained in choo
here until he was between IS and 16
when he accepted a position at the
| Argus, and remained in that employ
ment until he was arrested.