The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-05-22
KILLS HIMELF RATHER THAN
STAND TRIAL FOR GRIMES.
AT YOUNG BOYS
s~heepherder Finds Body on Sand Bar
in Yellowstone River Eighteen
Hours After suicide-LittIe Brown
Man Wrote Bad Checks.

The dead body Of w. H. Tanasey
a Japanese, was found on a sand ba,
along the river, about three-quarters
of a mile below the east wagon bridge
yesterday Don by Pete Peterson, a
sheepherder, whose camp was but a
few hundred yards distant. Fear OF
the consequences after he had issued
a number of bogus checks is believed
to have been the cause OF the deed.
Death was due to a bullet wound In
the neck.
The only witnesses Of the Jap's
rash act were two Billings boys, Peter
Klos, son Of Nick Klos, and Arthur
Bolton. Fear and doubt as to wheth-
er or not the nan had really killed
himself kept them from informing
the police Of the affair, though they
told their parents of it on their re-
turn home. from the river about 8
O'clock Wednesday night.
Fired Twice at Them.
L H.EES E%lNN MaiAl4 srEF &H 2
The two boys were fishing along
the river about $3.50 o'clock Wednes-
day evening when the first noticed
the Jap, Shortly after they observed
him he fired two shots at them and
then turned the gun on himself. They
saw MIN fall, and although they were
not certain that he had killed himself
they believed at the time that he had
done $ Immediately after the oc-
currence the boys started for Billings.
The first intimation the police or
county authorities had that Tanasey
had killed himself was when Peterson
informed them Of his discovery. Chief
OF Police Talgo and County Treasurer
Watkins notified the undertaken and
accompanied the ambulance to the
scene of the shooting.
Revolver BY His Side.
According to Peterson's story, he
was at the river getting water pre-
paratory to cooking his dinner when
he observed the body on the sandbar.
The Jap was lying on his back cold
in death, with a .38-caliber revolver
Of cheap make lying near his right
hand.
A bullet wound in the front part
Of the neck showed that the bullet
had severed the jugular vein, The
mans shirt and the flesh on his neck
was powder burned. showing that the
bullet had been fired at short range.
The dead man has been employed
in this city as a porter at one of the
local saloons. He was an educated
Japanese, and could read and write
English well. He was a good dresser,
and, judging from the financial diff
culties he was swamped with before
his death. was a good spender. Among
the other Japanese residents Of the
city he was we'll liked and it is prob
able that his friends will bear the fu-
neral expenses.
Arrested Last Monday.
Tanasey was taken in custody by
the police last Monday on information
furnished by Deputy Sheriff Burla OF
Laurel to the effect that he had pass.
ed a bogus check for $3.50 n one
OF the Laurel merchants. The check
was drawn on the First National bank
of this city in Tanasey's favor and
signed by ]. E. Robson. When the
victim telephoned the local bank soon
after cashing the check he found
that no such man as Robson had an
account and Immediately notified the
deputy sheriff.
Burla arrived in Billings Monday /
night and Tanasey squared" the
matter. Lack of evidence was the
cause of his not being prosecuted, but
since that time conclusive evidence
that he issued the check with fraudu. \
lent intent has been unearthed.
Passed Check on Attorneyf1.
Tanasey was last seer in Billings
Wednesday afternoon, when he passed
a bogus check for $29 on Lou Chap
pie in payment for an account which
the Billings attorney had been given
to collect. He also passed a check
for $50 drawn on Yegen Bros bank
on the proprietors Of the Turf saloon.
Ten dollars of this amount he had on
deposit in the bank. 1t is said that |
Tanasey borrowed small amounts
from the proprietors of the Turf and
the Mint saloons.
Inquiry among Tanasey's Japanese
friends fails to reveal any other mo-
tive for the suicide than the one as
signed by the police, his financial diff
iculties. His friends declare that
they do not think Tanasey was de.
mented. .rtsY
AL -tL 49, A- |