The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1930-02-07
THE o'BRIEN MYSTERY
SOLVED
a Real Detective Story

vi Vii k%N@
left FusselPs road house, on the
Timer Yukon. three men-Clayton,
a merchant of Seattle, Relfe, a
man who had been a "caller-off
in a Dawson dance hall, and Oh
sen. a telegraph lineman. the
latter Joined the party merely be-
aus he happened to be going
that way, unfortunately Tor MN
self From that time they were
never again seen alive.
A night or two later at a road
house. a bit farther up the river,
a mixed company of men n
women sat around the stove prior
TO retiring. Presently there enter
ed a man. short, dark, rough, but
not repulsive looking fellow at all,
who drew in a chair with the
company. The talk was OF the
never stale subject, Gold! There
were yarns about creeks, strikes,
trails. and at last of curious mug
gets.
Talking of curious nuggets,
said the newcomer, "how's that?',
and he displayed an interesting
specimen. It consisted of what
had been apparently a flat slab
of gold. irregularly circular, but
five portions of the edge had been
bv some means bent owe till they
nearly met, something like a very
fat hand with thumb and fingers
bent towards the palm. Enclosed
in the fingers was a smaller
nugget. This man gave his name
as O'Brien.
A day or so later, a traveller
driving a horse with a low sled,
was observed from the guard
room of the Tagish post to leave
the trail which led directly past
the barracks gate. He crossed to
the far side of the river. This
was such an unusual course to
follow that the police there nat
urally sat ND and took notice. He
kept towards the far shore, when
suddenly the horse stepped on
n Of those treacherous spots to
be found on all northern rivers,
however cold it may be, and his
hind quarters disappeared under
the water. The police a to the
rescue. With a rope they manag'
ed to haul the poor animal on to
the ice. and escorted horse and
man to the guard room to warm
up.
They questioned the man, but
his shifty look, hesitating story
and sullen manner made them
suspicious, and they took him be-
fore the commanding officer, who.
after examination, sentenced hin
to six months hard" as a vag
ran Several bank notes of large
denominations were found wheI
he was searched, together will
the nugget that had previousl!
been displayed in that groul
around the fireside. The Tagisl
police were sure they had caugh
a thief at least, though as We
there was no evidence. He gave
his name as O'Brien.
BY this time inquiry was being
made regarding Clayton, Relic
and Olsen, who had left Dawson
together for the outside late il
December. Minute descriptions 0
them and lists of things they wer'
known to carry were dispatcher
to all police detachments fror
Dawson to Tagish, and anon
these was mention of a peculia
nugget belonging to Relfe, some
things like a hand holding
smaller object.
O'Brien, now a prisoner, wa
recognized by a Dawson police
man as one who had lately don
two years for theft.
About this time a policema.
named P~ennecuick, an English
man. was sent on detachment t
Russell under Sergeant Holmes
and he was ordered out to scare
for some miles up and down tn
river for traces of the missin
men. Events showed that Pennt
cuick was a born detective, thong
he attributed his brilliant work t
m sense.
Without trying to detail hi
work day by day, we can folio
the order of it as shown by hi
official report, bearing in min
throughout that his task wa
made extremely difficult by fir
uuent falls of snow then seaso.
able.
First, the trooper noticed trace
six miles above Russell which i
dicated some one had tried
climb the side of a hill. Going
the top where it was more she
cred. he was sure that it hi
been travelled Overland recent
There had been, earlier in t
winter, before the river trail W
packed. a ''cut-off" here, but NJ
the regular trail went around.
He walked straight along the
cutoff and arriving at t
height Of land, looked about hi
There he noticed that he cou
q IN opd dovUn the Yukon riV