Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-05-31

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ABE HOGELAND
There was no radio or teletype then,
but the roundup was on and. with
riders coming and going all the time,
the news soon spread all over the
Basin country. A check soon showed
work Of stranger.
Efforts to identify the people and to
establish just how many strangers had
been in the vicinity recently were un-
dertaken.
Soon information began to trickle in
James Crowder reported seeing a man
with a Balm wagon and a led horse
crossing Spring creek below Samples
near Louise creek A rider came in to
report that someone had thrown a lot
of dishes into the water near Louise
creek.
peace at Lewtstown, then had taken up
a premption near the crossing. He had
been on a freighting trip to Fort Ben
ton and returned shortly after the
bodies were found. A young man who
worked for him disclosed to Hogeland
called at the Hogeland place and asked,
as there anybody down the river be-
tween here and the mouth?"
Il told him there wasn't anybody as
the folks on the ranch below were not
home" the boy told Hogeland.
Suspicion clearly conferred on the
man with the Balm wagon. Then. G. w.
Morgan, a freighter, came in. He too
had news of the wagon and the man.
But, it was not exciting news. Quite the
contrary 1t was that he had met the
man with the wagon. had camped over
night with him. There was nothing
suspicious about the man excepting
gan, thrown away some broken dishes.
The man had identified himself as
homestead seeker from Nebraska.
In view OF Morgan's information con-
corning the innocent actions OF the
man with the Balm wagon suspicion
was lulled Authorities continued their
checkup and deputy and the sheriff
began new investigation.
Study Of the bodies revealed that the
women and one of the men had been
shot through the back with rifle bull
lets. The other man had been struck
in the head with an ak. The GIRL
however, had been drowned.
These facts gave a peculiar slant TO
the case. 1t was obvious that the adults
might have been killed and then trans.
ported to the river, but. the girl must
have met her death in the Judith river.
That meant authorities reasoned, that
she was alive when she reached the
river And, no one had seen girl
with the man with the Balm wagon. SO,
with that man cleared, who could have
done the killings?
Graves May Be Seen Today
The bodies were buried on the banks
of the Judith where their graves are
until this day Homemade collins were
contributed by Thomas GarIck ana
the women of the ranches dressed the
flowers for the graves.
A coroner's jury Of Abe Hoge!ana,
W. H. Simons, j. L. Hooper, Sullivan
Wareham, Paul Morase and George
w. Sample found a verdict OF death
at the hands Of person ant or PIP perS i0fS
full sway and, the sheriff turned to me
task Of irving to determine who the
killed persons were.
Peculiar things trap murderers., In
this case 1t was a chance conversation
between Abe Hogeland and L. S. But
Ter when, they met at the Horseshoe
few days after the burial OF course
they discussed the murder and Butler
mentioned that he had encountered
the man with the Balm wagon near
Won Tobel springs. Saw where he
burned SOME SJull. lIlIlh,
from the irons" Butler stated.
Abe Hogeland was thinking over the
case. Suddenly he said Irons? Are
you sure they were barrel irons? Could
they have been trunk ironS?"
by golly!" exclaimed Butler. come
to think Of it, they might have been.
Let's go see"
When the men completed their ex-
animation Of the campsite and the
old irons in the fire at Won Tobel
springs they rushed to the sheriff.
You want to get that man with the
Balm wagon. Bill" they told him. Hes
your mani"
But Sheriff Clary was obstinate. He
was unwilling to believe the man had
anything to do with it. The two men
argued with him. At last they con-
Look" they said, in effect. 1.-THE
man with the Balm wagon was the only
stranger in the country at the time of
the murders. We will admit that when
he camped with Morgan, the freighter,
he had no bodies with him, there was
no evidence that his outfit was other
than his own. But, suppose he already
had destroyed part of the outfit. burnt
it up right after the killing, SO what
was left would look like the outfit Of
just one man and not group Of peo-
pie? That is what we figure he did.
There are trunk irons and part Of a
bird cage, stuff family would have,
in that fire at Won Tobel springs.
1T didn't look as II the bodies were