The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-09-08

with a certificate of deposit on
a Great Falls bank for $500 and
$3.50 in cash on his person, Emil
Warner, famous miser of the up
per Judith river, was found dead
in his cabin n day recently from
semi-starvation. Too misery to
spend his money even for food,
Warner had been living for years
past on bread, oatmeal and pOta-
toes, and his body was in a sadly
emaciated condition. For years he
had lived in a secluded spot in the
timber on the south fork of the
Judith river, and it was only by
accident that Swan and Bell, two
employees of the Highland Live
stock company of Utica, discovered
his body.
Returning from a horseback ride
up the south fork of the Judith, they
passed close to his cabin and hollered
for Warner. Receiving no answer,
one of them got off his horse and
pounded on the door. The door was
fastened on the inside, and he then
went to the window and discovered
Warner seated on the floor beside his
bed, partly u~ndressed, with his head
on one knee. When no attention
was paid to raps on the window, the
boys broke into the house and found
the aged miser, who was about ~
years old, cold and stiff.
They notified Forest Ranger Guy
Myers, who phoned to Coroner
Thomas, at Moccasin. Thomas at
once made a trip to Warmers cabin,
and on searching his person found a
certificate of deposit for $500 on
the Conrad Banking Company of
Great Falls, and $3.50 in currency in
a pocketbook in his vest. Coroner
Thomas believes Warner had not
been dead over 48 hours, and that
death resulted from semi-starvation,
and possibly also from lack of water.
Believed to Have Gold Cached
SO miserly was Warner, that he
would not even use decent bedding
but was sleeping, winter and summer,
in bed clothes composed entirely of
gunny sacks. The found
good blankets rolled up and carefully
put away in a trunk, but it was
cheaper to save them and use gunny
sacks and this is what Warner had
done. Armful after armful of filthy
burlap, reeking with vermin, was
carried outdoors by the 0 and
searched to see if they contained
valuables. Nothing was found eX-
cept in his pocketbook, but the belief
prevails that somewhere in the vicin-
ity the aged miser had a consider
able stock of gold coin buried away
The cabin is in the center of a vast
deserted wilderness, Astounding in
places for a misers' hoard, so that
searching for this buried treasure
would be like hunting for a needle
in a haystack, and it is doubtful if
it ever will be found.
Talked of Shooting Neighbors
The south fork, which flows by his
cabin and furnishes it with water,
drys up every summer, and recently
Warner had been accusing neighbour
ing ranchers of digging holes in the
river bed and letting the water sink
away. He had made numerous
threats against Harry Prichard, the
manager of the Middle Fork Cattle
company, in the belief that he was
doing this, and at one time told
Prichard he would kill him if he did
not cease stealing the water. Warn
er was very small in stature and con-
sidered harmless, or Prichard and
other neighbors might have taken the
seriously.
About 80 days ago he made a trip
to Lewistown to see Mr.. Warren, to
he sold his homestead, and
asked him to buy a pistol for him
with which to shoot the people who
we're stealing the water from south
Not finding Warren at home,
ne slept all night on the front porch
md was there when the family got
Up in the morning. Warren talked
1im out of the pistol notion.
Warren offered Warner money to
his meals, but he refused the Of
'er, saying he had plenty of money.
was allowed to sleep in the War
-en garage the following night and
lext morning took the Great North-ll