Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-01-22

One OF the most C0tU- 0AO00eu
murders of which records have
found their way into the courts Of
the state, or rather one OF series
Of murders resulting In legal exc
cuti0ns In Montana, were these Of
Eugene Cullinane and Capt. Oliver
Dotson. both OF American gMlch,
i'm what Is now Powell county. For
the first Of these murders a trio
was sentenced to the penitenEiary
for terms ranging from 10 to 80
years, and for the latter, two were
sentenced TO be hanged, 3 son Of
Captain DOtSOn having been con-
cerned In both the murder Of Gull
Inane and also that Of his own
father.
The murder of Captain Dotson was
the indirect result of the murder OF
Eugene Cullinane, his neighbor, which
occurred Aug. 8, 1899, and which was
committed by Clinton Dotson, Charles
Oliver Benson and Ellis Persinger.
In the summer of 1899 Clinton DotSon
left his home in the Black Hills of
South Dakota to visit his father, Cap
tain Oliver Dotson, who for six years
had been q resident of American glllch.
He was accompanied by his sister S
son, Charles Oliver Benson, a youth
who had then recently deserted the
United States navy. They Travelled by
wagon, a rickety old canvas-covered
affair, the distinguishing mark Of which
was black oilcloth patch on one side
While at American gulch, Clinton
DotSon got acquainted with Eugene
Culhnane, pioneer placer miner and
kindly old man who lived in a lonely
cabin with his friend John Mulholland.
The talk of the neighborhood was that
Cullinane was worth $4,000 in cash and
that, having lost money IN a Helena
bank failure, he mistrusted banks and
always kept his money with him.
Clinton pondered over this and his
cupidity was aroused. He was poor
man, one who had hard struggle to
keep afloat. Once he had been on the
high road to prosperity, but had lost
all. His father, too, had been unfor-
tunate. Years before the old man was
a rich steamboat owner on the Missis-
sippi but lost his all by fire, and then
took up farming and placer mining.
Clinton first preached the subject
of robbery to Chadwick. neighbor,
but Chadwick did not fall in with the
limited plan. Then DotSon learned that
at a certain time Mulholland was to go
away for a week or more, leaving Gull
linane alone. About that time Clinton
and his nephew went to Helena, trav-
cling in their old wagon. At Helena
they met Ellis Persinger, big, happy,
reckless Missourian out of luck. He and
Clinton grew intimate and he Joined
them on the return trip to American
gulch.
They reached point near Cullinane's
place early in the morning of Aug 8.
1899, and hid their outfit in the brush
Dotson and Persinger went away with
their rifles, leaving Benson in charge
Of the horses. They were gone all day.
Exactly how they trapped Cullinane
never came out but they attacked him
as he was walking down q shady lane.
Possibly there was parley and pos
sibly they shot him without warning.
Anyhow the old man received several
bullets, any one of which would have
been fatal.
The men searched the body, taking
all of value the pockets contained-a
gold watch and SIS. They failed to find
there or in the cabin the reported
wealth.
Returning to the outfit they hitched
up and returned to Helena, and after
a brief stop there passed on east still |
using the wagon with the black patch. |
Aug. is, Mulholland returned, found |
Cullinane's horse in the stable nearly
dead from hunger and thirst and the
cabin disorganized Searching parties |
formed and they found the body OF |
Cullinane hidden under some leaves
IN the hillside.
Pursuit of the murdererS was inaug-
rated at once. BY fast and clever work |
hey were captured in Gallatin county
md Benson confessed. DotSon was
committed to the penitentiary at Deer
Lodge for SO years and Benson and /
1ersinger for 10 years each.
In the penitentiary was James Flem-
ng, alias Macarthur, committed for
burglary and known to be a desperate
He and Clinton DotSon were
ell mates and became intimate. After
consultation with Benson and Per-
niger, Dotson proposed to Macarthur,
whose term was about to expire, that
lpon being released he should go to
he home of Captain DotSon, secure his
confidence, remain there and at an
,pportune time kin the old man, so
'lacing the body and weapon that it
would appear like suicide, and leave in
he cabin a written document purport-
ng to be in his handwriting stating
hat he had killed Cullinane and de-
laring that his son, Benson and Per-
niger, were innocent.
Clinton DotSon believed this would