The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-02-12
MURDERS GREER
IN COLD BLOOD
Salt Lake Man Gets Confession From
Criminal.
MAN SHOT IN OWN DOOR
ATTORNEY WALTON TELLS HOW
RELATIVE WAS KILLED.

The confession of James Malcolm. a
prisoner al the Glasgow county jail
Montana, 20 the murder OF Waiter Will
! liam Greer. whom he shot in the lat
ter's cabin near Big Lake, Valley cOun-
ty, Montana, on Jan. 90, was made last
! Thursday to Attorney Z. A. Walton,
the brother-in-law Of the murdered
man. Mr. Walton returned last night
to his home, 449 South Eleventh East
James Malcolm was taken into Gus
tody the next day, when the body was
found, and charged with horse steal
ing. Word of the murder of Greer
was sent to Attorney Walton. and he
left about three weeks ago to inves-
tigate the matter. 1t was believed at
/ the time that Malcolm killed Greer, for
he had been seen at his victims cabin
the day before. and Greer had ac-
cused Malcolm of horse stealing Nal
coin had been a cowboy for three or
four years and had borne the name Of
q hard character.
Walter w. Greer was the brot her
of Mrs. Z. A. Walton and visited her
several times at her home here in
Salt Lake City. He left his profess
sion as lawyer about four years ago.
and came from Chicago to Montana,
where he started ranch.
MIR. Walton Tells His Story.
1T was a coId-blooded murder" At
torney Walton said last night. NAL
coins confession of the crime was
made to me in his cell at the Glasgow
county Jail. He denied the charge day
after day, but the evidence was so
strong that he finally admitted that
ne killed Greer in self defense He
claims that he stopped at the cabin
the evening of the killing, and that he
talked with Greer. During the con-
Versation Greer asked him about the
ownership of horse he had, and he
feared Greer intended to Kill him. He
| said they had no row, but he believed
Greer knew to whom it belonged.
He says he started away from the
cabin to mount his horse, which he had
tied TO wagon, but. turning around,
saw Greer in the doorway with a shot
gun aimed at him. He pulled up his
rifle and shot him. When Greer stag
gered to his feet he tried to aim his
gun at him again, but before he had
time to shoot Malcolm fired killing his
man. He said he went back to the
cabin, picked up the shotgun and stood
IL up behind the door. From there he
claims he rode to the next ranch. about
| four miles away, and spent the night.
There he was captured the following
| day.
When Greer was found by a couple
of ranchers the next day lying in his
cabin the body was brought to Cum
bertson and examined by a physician
1t was seen at once that one of the
bullets had entered his back and
| lodged in his hip bone. The other went
! through his left side, piercing the heart
and out the right side The officers
took up the search and soon located
Malcolm at ranch many miles from
the cabin. He was wanted on the
/ charge of horse stealing and was taken
TO the Glasgow county Jail. He pleaded
guilty TO the charge of horse stealing
but denied having killed Greer
Clear Case Against Malcolm.
1.-The officer worked hard on the case
and secured damaging evidence. The
furniture in the room was disturbed
and showed signs of a struggle. but
Malcolm says there was no trouble. The
gun was found standing UP behind the
/ door, and a rag was found in the bar
rel which had been used in cleaning
1t. When he was asked about the rag
the prisoner claimed he picked it up
! OFF the floor and showed it in the
barrel.
Malcolm Will be charged with muir
der in the first degree and / intend
! TO assist in the prosecution of the case
| The prisoner has pleaded guilty to the
charge of horse stealing and. with the
evidence in the case there is no doubt
but that he viii be found guilty Of
murder in the first degree.
Walter Greer was 81 years of age
and was born in BlOomdaIe, KY, where
he was reared. He graduated from the
Central university of that state in 1894
taking a degree in the law course he
pracdced his profession in Chicago for
two years and then commenced work
on the Cincinnati Enquirer during the
political campaign of 1896. He went
back to his law profession, and then
in 1899 went to Montana and took up
a tract of land. Since that time he
had visited Salt Lake a number of
times with his sister, Mrs. f. A. Wal
ton"
Attorney Walton shipped Greer's %
| mains to his home in Kentucky, where
his mother is still living.