15 January 2025
The day after Frank Little's brutal murder, the cops were completely stumped. Despite the ample evidence at the crime scenes, as well as, eye witnesses, the cops just stood there scratching their heads.
They had a hand-written note. They had a unique wound on Little's head that matched one of the suspects in the murder who had a hook on his right amputated arm. There were unique tire treads on the vehicle that took Little to the railroad trestle where he was hanged. The landlady at the boarding room, saw the murderers and possibly the car they were driving. The union had spoken to witnesses who saw the lynch mob speeding through town and recognized some of the men.
This story was published the day after Little's murder.
The I. W. W. lawyer William G. Sullivan claimed to know the names of five of the six murderers. The union had been doing their own investigation of Little's murder. But when it came time to present evidence about who did the crime, the union came up empty-handed.
My theory is that the union did know who killed Frank Little, and so did the cops. At least two of the murderers were cops with the Butte Police Department. The problem was that I'm certain none of the witnesses they spoke with wanted to stick their neck out and come forward publicly. Going after murdering police is dangerous stuff.
Sullivan said that witnesses they spoke with were "anxious" about coming forward. It's not surprising considering what they did to Little.
According to Wikipedia, the murderers were likely Billy Oates, Ed Morrisey and Peter Prlja. Only Oates is mentioned in this story ... the day after the murder. Morrisey was Butte's chief of detectives at the time of the murder. The following day, he went on a 20-day leave of absence, and witnesses said he has scratch marks on his face.
What's also intriguing is that Sullivan said there were copies of the evidence that they had stored in three different locations. I wonder if anyone ever found one of those locations, if they existed.
Every attempt was made to transcribe this story as it was printed - typos and clunky grammar intact. People wrote differently in 1917 than we do today.
William G. Sullivan, counsel for the Metal Mine Workers' union, utterly failed to substantiate charges contained in a bulletin issued by the Metal Mine Workers' union today that Little was murdered by gunmen. Sullivan admitted that he had no evidence upon which the charges contained in the bulletin could be based. He made this admission in the office of the county attorney in the presence of Attorney General Ford and County Attorney Jackson.
In the bulletin issued by the mine workers' union today the following paragraph by inference charged that certain men were implicated in the death of Little:
"William Oates, Herman Gillis (son of the former postmaster, Malcolm Gillis), Peter Beaudin, a rat named Middleton and about two dozen others, working under a chief gunman name Ryan, have been particularly active."
The five men referred to in the bulletin are: William Oates, Herman Gillis, Peter Beaudin, H. B. Middleton and Jack Ryan. They are guards in the employ of the Anaconda Copper company.
When the five men read the bulletin which by inference singled them out as assassins and placed their lives in jeopardy they appeared at the office of County Attorney Jackson, accompanied by D. M. Kelly, their attorney, and demanded that Sullivan give any evidence in the possession connecting them with the crime.
Sullivan was sent for and taken to the courthouse by Deputy Sheriff Whalen. County Attorney Jackson explained that he invited Attorney Sullivan to face the men and tell if he is in possession of any evidence which connects the five men with the death of Little. The county attorney read the mine union bulletin pointing out how by inference the five men are charged with the death of Little.
"If you know anything or know of anything to connect these men with the crime, I want you to tell us," said the county attorney.
Sullivan denied that the intention was to infer that the men took part in the killing of Little.
"You state in the bulletin that Little was killed by gunmen. Do you deny this?" asked the county attorney.
Sullivan thereupon declared that he did not write the bulletin in question, although he admitted that he has written others and also admitted that he passed a great deal of the matter in today's bulletin.
In the course of the bulletin issued by the Metal Mine workers and distributed broadcast today the statement was made that the names of five men who took part in the lynching are known. "Two of these," the bulletin address, "are men in business, two are gunmen and one is connected with law enforcement in the this city."
The bulletin then declares:
"We have found that certain people saw the automobile loaded with men, recognized some of them, are able to identify the others, and, above all, are anxious to do so.
"Threats have already been made that if we succeed in proving who committed this crime, we will never live to tell it. We want to inform them that three copies of every bit of information we have are deposited in three different places, to be used in case they succeed in getting any of us.
"We know already that alibis were prepared in advance for every on of the murderers, yet we have evidence that will break every alibi completely.
"And when we finish, some very prominent murderers will be headed for the gallows or Deer Lodge."
In a recent meeting at Finn hall when a bill for $1,000 from Sullivan was under consideration by the union, it was stated that he had not only given legal services but that he had written the matter for the official bulletins.
Earlier in the day - before the issuance of the bulletin - Sullivan appeared before County Attorney Jackson. He was asked if he could name the five men who composed the lynching party, as he declared yesterday. He admitted he could name none of them. Sullivan promised that he would turn any evidence he secures over to the county attorney and declared that he expected to have some definite information within 48 hours.
Sullivan hedged on a statement he made yesterday that he could name five of the six men in the lynching party. In the strike bulletin issued today by the Metal Min Workers' union, a bulletin that is credited to the pen of Sullivan by even the officials of the union themselves, it is declared that "We have evidence sufficient to indicate the names of the five men who took part. Two of the men are business men, two are gunmen and one is connected with law enforcement." Attorney Sullivan was not questioned concerning the statement in the bulletin, the county and state officials not knowing the text of the bulletin at the time of the conference.
"The conference between myself and Mr. Sullivan lasted considerably over one hour and in that the matter in connection with the lynching of Little was gone into," said the county attorney after the conference. "He most emphatically denied the statement published that he had declared that he had positive information as to who five of the six persons were who took part in the lynching.
"He said that he never made such a statement. I told him that if had any such information it was his duty to place it in the possession of the county attorney's office, and further told him that he would only place the information in my possession prompt measures would be take to prosecute the persons. Mr. Sullivan informed me that he may know some of the persons connected with the affair. He said that he was now engaged with the labor unions in conducting an investigation into the lynching, and he believed that within 48 hours he might be in a position to give the names of the guilty parties. He said that as yet the information secured was not in such a form as to give out. It was impressed upon Mr. Sullivan that if had any information to give at the present time, it would be greatly appreciated."
After the close of the conference the attorney general assured County Attorney Jackson that he was prepared to remain in the city several days and give whatever assistance he could in assisting to bring to justice the men responsible for Little's death. During the morning the attorney general and county attorney visited the scene of the lynching and went over the letters and other documents found in Little's room. Mr. Ford arrived in Butte last night.
An extra squad of detectives, all available deputy sheriffs, government men and special detectives were at work this morning trying to located evidence that would lead to some action in the Little matter. No arrests have been made and no persons are yet definitely under suspicion, it is admitted. The men who lynched Little took good care to cover up all tracks and to act at a time when their movements would be generally unnoticed.
The inquest into Little's death will start before a jury in Coroner Lane's office at 2 o'clock on Friday afternoon. For the inquest Coroner Lane has summoned Mrs. Nora Byrne, the landlady of the Steele block and heard the confusion incident to Little's kidnaping. Men who first saw the body and police officers who cut it down also will be witnesses.
Coroner Lane this morning expressed an opinion that some person my be found who saw the lynching party on its way to the Milwaukee tracks in its car. At the time of night the party went through the city about 3:10 or 3:20 in the morning there are always people on the streets with its heavy load without being noticed by a few persons, he believes. From the Metal Mine Workers' union comes the statement that "certain people saw the automobile loaded with men, recognized some of them, are able to identify the others and, above all, are anxious to do so." This statement, as well as others from the mine worker's union officials, will be the subject of action by the county attorney if supported by facts.
Arrangements for Little's funeral have not yet been made. Relatives in Oklahoma and in the west have been notified of the tragedy, but no answer has been received it was said today from the undertaking shop that has charge of Little's body.
The question as to whether or not men will be allowed to parade through the streets of Butte during the funeral of Frank H. Little will be put up to Mayor W. H. Maloney today or tomorrow. The mayor this morning declined to state his views as to the parade.
It was claimed this morning that a committee of business men who fear violence will call at the mayor's office to request that permission for the parade be denied.
Threats that "we'll bury him first and then revenge his death" were heard upon the streets this morning. For that reason it is feared that a riot may follow a large procession of men down Main street. The feeling remains intense.
Officials of the Campbell union claim that 3,000 men will pay their respects to the memory of Little by parading behind the hearse which will carry his body to the grave.
"I have received neither a request for permission to parade nor a protest against the parade," said the mayor this morning.
The place of Little's execution as one that must have been chosen some time before the actual kidnapping occurred. On the main road running west from Montana street and which passes under the Milwaukee trestle about 200 yards east of the Centennial brewery is a branch road, leaving the main road about 100 feet east of the railroad trestle. This road branches to the north, and itself passes under the trestle about 150 feet north of the trestle over the main road.
The branch road is a cutoff to Alabama street, is little used, has a bad grade at the end and is so sandy that it can be navigated by cars only with difficulty. Few drivers would attempt to drive a motor car through the sand to the north trestle and few cars could make the trip with a load such as was probably in the car of the lynchers.
From the marks left in the sand by the car and from the nature of the road, the lynching party turned off the main road and drove through the sand to the spot underneath the north trestle. One or more of the men went to the top of the trestle, the others stopping on the sandy roadway underneath. Over one of the ties of the trestle, about 15 feet away from the south end, is a mark made by the drawing of the half-inch rope which strangled Little. Only one theory of the actual hanging is now by officials. Little was unconscious from a blow over the head when the party reached the north trestle, they say. The noose was placed about his neck, one end of the rope was passed to the man on the trestle who turned it over a tie and passed it back to the ground. Then the men on the ground drew Little's body up, depending upon strangulation for his death. The loose end of the rope was tied to a brace board on the piles supporting the trestle.
One clue that the officials have and which may or may not prove of value in case arrests are made is the marks left by the motor car. This car seemingly was the only one that went under the north trestle within 24 hours of the time that Little was hanged. The tracks and even the style of tires used on the car were easily discerned. The size of the car is estimated by the police from the tire marks, and the mark of tire is uncommon.
From the scene of the hanging the lynching party drove northwest to the Alabama street road, turned south and gained the main road, either returning to Butte or going in the direction of Rocker. The car could not be traced further than the place where it turned south on the Alabama street road.
Some time last night visitors to the scene of the hanging cut in the railroad ties over which Little's executionary rope was strung, this inscription: "Little hung here, 7-1-77." Beside the inscription is a huge "X." Whether the inscription is by the members of the lynching party or by curious visitors in not known by the authorities.
In the explanation of the cabalistic initials at the bottom of the placard found on Little's body yesterday morning, the Post theorized that the letter "T" at the end of the seven letters might represent the name of L. Tomich. Tomich was referred to in the article as a "Serbian labor leader." A body of Serbians this morning visited the Post to explain that Tomich is not a Serbian. They said that the man is a paid agitator sent here from Gary, Ind. and not known to local Serbians.
Much speculation has started in reference to the men possibly designated by the letters. While the first five are generally agreed to mean, Little, Dunne, Campbell, Shannon and Shovlin, at least a half dozen men are named as possibilities for the last two letters. Three different men are said to have been possibly designated by the letter "W" and at least two men for the last letter, "T."
While the leaders of the Metal Mine Workers union are trying to fasten the hanging of Frank Little on so-called "gunmen," opinion among the I. W. W.'s as to who formed the vigilante committee is decidely varied. This developed at yesterday afternoon's meeting of the union and in talk among the I. W. W. on the streets today.
Some of the I. W. W. still cling to a theory that Little was a Burns detective and that a half dozen I. W. W.'s decided to punish him for what they believed was treachery. That theory, however, is given no credence among those who knew Little best.
There are not a few I. W. W. who believe that Little may have been dealt with by the soldiers who departed this morning. They declare that there was considerable feeling among the troops for Little's reference to the United States army as a bunch of "uniformed scabs."
Others advanced a theory that Little met his end by friends of Tom Munro, the guard who was slain at Park and Main streets during the labor troubles three years ago. They believe that Munro's friends sought revenge for his unjustified murder.
A few of the most radical of the I. W. W. this morning intimated that the killing might be laid to the American Federation of Labor, but this theory was discredited. This was pronounced as idle gossip among union men.
Many are of the opinion that the vigilante committee was formed by men who, tired of Little's treasonable tirades, decided to take the law into their own hands.
Six masked men lynch IWW leader Frank Little in Butte, Montana
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