Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1913-05-30

isr uonntno JOURNAL seaeisl tttsro "iHsl
Mlssoula. Mont. May ga series
Of murders. including the assnsslna-
t,sn of General Thomas Francis
Mcnehcr. governor Of Montana ter
rltory. were claimed as his own mis-
deeds In confession made hy man
known as Pat Miller who gave M
correct name as frank DIAMOND. Nv
the town of Plains. ON Tuesday ac-
eordinp TO information made pubic
to-day Diamond was brought here to-
night and lodged In the county jail
p.nding an investigation OF his SELF
assum,d crimes. Murders that ne
claimed to have committed near me
palles. ore. nearly forty years ago
are not recorded in the official regis
ters there and none Of the Old resi-
dents recall them.
Diamonds confession was made ahu
signed in the presence of three cru
zena of f'lains. lie was III from the
effects Of sptcc and believed that he
was dying. He pledged his witnesses
silence until he died. threatening
death 10 any who divulged his secret
The confession. however, fell into the
hands of a local newspaper today TN.
authorities promptly were notified ana
Miller was placed under arrest Wheh
questioned about the confession, Dia-
mond said he would make no state
ment until arraigncd in court
OF the murder Of General Meagher'
f,.a.t.t- ,.aule
Il killed him on a steamboat nt Cow
Island in the Missouri, and threw nm
in the river. then swan ashore.
For that crime. Diamond claimed to
have received $4,000 from Montana
ylgiantes.
Other murders assumed by him
were two he claimed to have commit
ted near The Dulles, In 1874, ana tha'
Of u man named George Mitchell, kill
ed in Oregon in 1883, ana whose body
was thrown in the Willamette river
For one Of the former murders Dla-
nlond says notorious Montana des-
perado named Big Nose George was
( hanged.
Residents of Plains who have
known Diamond for twenty years say
he has always been inoffensivc except
when under the influence of liquor
/ lie Is 67 years Of age ana has been
! here one year.
While talking with friends In a sa-
loon Tuesday he was attacked win
heart foilure. After he had been taken
to a room and put to bed, he callcd
for pen ana ink. He was too weak &c
write and asked a friend to take down
his statement. The three men wht
witnessed it, say that Diamond Wa'
In full possession of his faculties.
General Mcaghcr was one of th'
important figures of Montanas enrlS
history. He served with distinction u
the Union army in the civil war, hav-
ing organized brigade of lrlshmcf
in New York and led them for two
wears. I'm 1865. he was appointed pS
General Grant on mission TO Mon
tana. Later he became acting governor
of the territory.
Ho made a trip from Helena to FOr'
Benton late in 1865, to secure proVi'
slons for command Of troops
While at Fort Benton. he visited his
friend, Captain John T. Doran Of th'
steamboat George A. Thompson
there. After retirne, Meagher wa'
heard to rise from his berth. \ few
moments later an outcry brought al
on deck. \ splash in the water in
dieatcd that General Mcagher haf
fallen overheard.
Although search Of the Missour
was made for months. his body wa'
never found The irish societies O
/ Montana always have held to th'
theory that Meagher met with fou
play and representatives Of these or
ganizations Indicated tonight tina
they would probe Diamonds story t
the bottpfu