The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-01-26
FIGHT TO DEATH
IN LONELY CABIN
NEAR THOMPSON
Arthur S0ule Shoots, Then
Clubs to Death Young
Relative.
~ 4
FINDS WIFE WITH
MAN IN HIS HOME
Accuses Ben SOule of Evil
Relations With Aunt;
Battle Follows.

Catching his wife and benjamin n.
Soule, his young nephew In what he
considered improper intimacy. Arthur
Soule, rancher living near Thompson
Falls. yesterday afternoon ahot the
younger man and then ciubbcd him to
death after grim gun duel.
With only the accused woman an
witness to their battle. uncle and
nephew fought to the death In Ben
Sonle's lonely little cabin In the hills
below Thompson Falls.
While the frightened wife OF the
older clung In panic to the wall the two
men. crouching behind such shelter as
the bare room afforded. shot at each
other until both lay wounded.
Clubs Ben to Death.
Then. creeping across the room with
shattered shoulder hindering him.
the old man clinched with his nephew,
whom he had crippled with ahot
through the leg. In a death grapple.
Slowly ne mastered him. Al last,
raising the butt OF his rifle overhead.
he dealt killing blows upon the younger
man and turned away.
Ben Soule was not dead when hia
uncle staggered from the cabin. Hut
the help OF the frightened woman failed
TO keep him alive. He died before
nightfall.
Arthur Soule, his shoulder broken by
bullet, walked TO his ranch az best
he could. He started for town In a
sleigh, but was picked up. finally. by
Ernie Ross Of Thompson Falls and
rushed 70 hospital IN that town.
where he Is now lying.
Woman Tells Broken Story.
II Is broken story which Mrs. Ar
thur Soule tells Of the duel. In mortal
fear Of a bullet which should end her
own life. she saw the death struggle
between her husband and his brothers
son. AZ through haze. Last night
she would hardly speak OF II for terror
and grief She could only reiternte
that she and Ben were innocent: that
Arthur. her husband. had wronged
them Doth.
This she kept repeating Inst night.
pointing to her seven children az 'evi-
dence that she could never have for
gotten her responsibilities
The story, as gathered from the
frightened woman and Arthur Souie's
children, seems to be that the older
man came home yesterday to learn that
his wife had gone to young Ben's cabin.
a mile and half away. Taking down
his rifle. n 45-70, he ran down the road
toward his nephew's place. His wife
and young Ben were In the cabin to-
gethcr, talking.
The old man accused them OF evil.
and without waiting he attacked the
younger man with his fists.
Fight Gun Duel in Cabin.
During the fight which followed. the
nephew contrived to get hold Of his re-
volver. He shot the old man through
the left shoulder, then grazed his fore
head with another bullet before Ar
thur could find cover.
From opposite sides OF the room the
two watched for "A chance to get fatal
shot. the old man holding his rifle. the
nephew armed with the revolver
Arthur Soulc finally hit his nephew
in the leg. breaking It and dropping his
foe TO the floor. Then. with one arm
useless. the old man leaped upon the
younger and dubbed him into insensi-
bility.
He staggered home. got into a sleigh
Continued on Page Five.)