The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-09-08
cOLoRED INNATE OF RESTRICT
ED DISTRICT RESORT mYs-
TERIoUsLY MURDERED.
ONE SUSPECT IN PRISON
eody of Girl With Bullet Hole Over
Eye Is Found in Her Room and
6ioodstained Collar Identified as Be-
longing to Co!or,d Porter Leads to
His Detention by Officers.

/ The body of Pearl Anderson a col.
1 ored resident of the restricted dis
! trict. was found i'm her room. IS, West
Front street. about 4 O'Clock yester-
| day morning by S. 7. Dorsey. a col
| ored man employed as a porter in the
/ Southern saloon. who was taking a
/ flask of whisky to the woman. A
/ bullet hole was over the right eye
and she had evidently been dead for
| several hours. although the body was
still warm. The only clue to the
| identity of the woman's slayer is a
collar which was found on the dresser
in the room. The collar was identified
as being the property of John Clay
born, "A colored porter in II barber shop
on West Main street. and he is now
in the county Jail, pending an in
vestigation.
Dorsey. the finder of the body. states
that he had been requested by the
woman in the morning tn bring her
the whisky. and that furnished the
reason for his visit To her room. When
he discovered the body he did not
stop to see |hather or not tie woman
was dead. but at once notified Officer
Heel. who has tho Front street beat.
The officer went tn the room ami saw
that the woman was past all help. and
notified County Coroner w. y. Ken
drick. The coroner went to the place
and, after an examination of the
premises removed the body. The COL
lar was found by Officer HoeI. who
gave it to the sheriffs office.
Collar Identified.
A visit to the MissouIa and Flor
ence laundries to endeavor to find out
who owned it disclosed nothing, but
when the Northwestern laundry was
visited it was stated there that tho
collar belonged to Clayhorn, ownership
being established by the laundry mark
and by the fact that Clayborn was in
the habit of sending his laundry to
the Northwestern. When it was seen
that Clayborn was the owner of the
collar. Under Sheriff Miller went to
the colored club on West Main street
and there found the man and placed
him under arrest. At the county Jail
the collar which Clayborn was wear
ing was taken from him and found
to correspond exactly with the collar
found in the woman's room.
At the Jail the prisoner told many
stories in explanation of his actions
during the night. but they were all
contradictory. He stated that he had
slept all night with n colored man
by the name of Jennings. but this has
been disprovsn.
He claims that he had done some
work in the barber shop early in the
morning, before the arrival of the
BARRIERS. but when they arrived he was
told that some of the work was care
tessiy done and that he must do it
again. He left the shop. going out
the hack way and went down West
Front street. where he met Dorsey.
who told him that Pearl Anderson.
with when he had been friendly. had
been murdered He said that he then
walked past the house and watched
the officers. He watched the dead !
wagon take away the body of the /
woman and then went to the colored /
club.
Partly Drunk.
When placed under arrest. he was T
nartly drurk and when asked why he I
was in such condition. stated that /
he lad heard that Pearl was dead T
and he felt So bad over il that he had
drinking. He also wept.
An investigation conducted by the
sheriffs officers and the coroner has .
disclosed several important pieces oil
evidence. Joseph Johnson. proprietor
of the eolored club. says that Clay
born was in his place yesterday morn
ing about o'clock and stood around
Tau Iah Iaft hs
bar for few minutes and during his
absence ciayharn went behind it. This
act was seen by n habitue of the
,lace. Before johnson returned Clay
born had left the saloon and i'm a
few minutes Johnson noticed that a
i4-ealihre revolver which had been on
the fixture behind the bar. was miss
ng. He says no one else could have
taken the gun
One of the BARRIERS i'm tho barber
shon found a flattened bullet near
in the place and gave ii tn
he sheriff's officers. Although the
.nrCner states that The bullet which
silied the woman had entered her
leaa over the right eve and is still in
he head, the bullet found in the shop
nay have something to do with the
,ase. the officers think. Another con-
raaictinn Is the statement If Dorsey
hat he did not see clayhnrn until
after the body at the dead woman
lad been removed to the morgue.
Time Uncertain.
Just what time the crime was COM
nitred is not known 4 friend of the
murdered weman declares that she
LI.aE.tir, d. Tn ! II