The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-07-11
FIND MAY SOLVE
LACASSE MYSTERY
BASIN BOY DISCOVERS SKELE-
TON OF WOMAN, KILLED BY
BLOW ON TEMPLE.
O. @. Skidmore, convict in the Col
orado penitentiary, is suspected of
holding key to the LaCasse wo-
mans disappearance.

CrumpIed in q boulder grave ON
Red Rock cliff between Bernice
and Basin, the skeleton of muir
dered woman, which may prove to
be that of the long missing Mrs.
Ernest LaCasse of Butte, was
found recently by Basin boy. The
woman had been killed by blow
ON the temple, the crushed skull
shows.
The skeleton, tied in blanket, had
been covered by big rocks. Strands
of red hair which chung to the skull
and dental work and other details
led to the immediate theory that the
mystery of the disappearance OF Mrs.
LaCasse had been cleared, while re-
1ations declared they believed it to
be her body.
A piece of what was apparently a
sofa pillow, embroidered with roses,
was also found and may identify the
skeleton as that of Mrs. LaCasse.
Mrs. Fred Taylor of Basin, an aunt
of Mr.. LaCasse, viewed the scene at
Red Rock and was struck with the re-
semblance of the embroidered article
to the one presented to Mrs. LaCasse
by Mrs. Fred Wedlake of Butte, mo-
Their of Ernest LaCasse. Mrs. We'd
lake embroidered the pillow cover and
will endeavor to identify it. Mrs. Tay-
lor was of the opinion that it was the
body of her nephew's wife.
Ernest LaCasse, husband of the
missing woman, says that from de-
scriptions of the skeleton it was un-
doubtedly that of his wife and will
attempt to make positive Identified
ton.
Turn to Skidmore.
Should identification be made of
the skeleton as that of the Butte
woman, c. G.. Skidmore, alias D. E.
Montague, now convict in the
Colorado penitentiary, who has long
been suspected of holding the key
to themystery, will be brought back
to Butte to stand trial for murder,
Chief of Police Murphy has an
nounced.
The skeleton was discovered by
Harvey Burrough, IS years old, of
Basin, while he tramped around the
rocks waiting for a comrade. Bur-
rough and Charles Collins were mo-
toring in the vicinity when they ran
out of gasoline. Collins walked to
Basin to secure some and Burrough |
remained with the car.
During his wait Burrough walked |
toward the foot of Red Rock cliff, |
about 100 feet from the roadside. |
Noticing pile of rocks which indi-
Gated cache of some kind, he in
vestigated an dfound the skeleton.
1t had been damned into small
space among heavy boulders and
rocks had been placed over the grave.
Shreds of clothing lay about the shall
low burial place and the bones had
fallen apart.
Sheriff John w. Mountjoy of Boul-
der was notified and investigated the
The murdered woman's
skull bore heavy dent back of the
right temple and the skull bone was
split, apparently the result of a heavy
blow from a hammer or some other
instrument.
A rope had been tied about a light
blue colored blanket or robe in which
the bones lay and pieces of what was
blue and white house |
1ress and silken undergarments were
"A the blanket.
In the seleton were number of
gold teeth and two pieces of bridge /;
work. LaCasse declares his wife had
similar dental work. Some of the .
eeth had fallen out but were found
n the resting place.
While DR.. T. B. Anderson, form {
'rly of Butte, who performed the dem +
al work for Mrs. LaCasse, is now liv- /.
ng California, LaCasse hopes to be
bile to identify the skeleton through
he teeth. (
Had Red Hair. :
The victim in the Jefferson county
ills had large amount of red hair, {
UGH as the missing Butte woman :
lad, and the stature was of small t
woman like Mrs. LaCasse. s
The skeleton was taken to a a
norgue in Boulder. r
If Identification is not made, au- a