PROBABLE MURDER.

William Meert Receives a Terrible Wound.

About 5:30 yesterday afternoon William Meert, who had been employed for some time past by Budde Bros., received a horrible wound on the top of his head at the hands of Arthur McGahey, a boy about 16 years of age. As near as could be ascertained last night the facts are these, though there are conflicting stories of the manner in which the affair happened. It seems that McGahey went to the Budde stable, by permission of one of the Buddes, to get an armful of hay. Meert, who was in the stable, told him he could not have it. What followed is not definitely known, but for some reason Meert chased McGahey to Christie's blacksmith shop, McGahey, it is stated, having thrown a stone at Meert in the stable. As Meert entered the shop McGahey struck him on the head with a horse-shoeing hammer. Tom Coghlin, who works with Mr. Christie, says the first he knew of the affair he saw Meert leaning against the wall and the blood running from his head.

The wounded man was taken to his quarters, the Nora house, near the passenger depot. Drs. Camp and O'Donnell were called, and an examination, revealed a fracture of the skull immediately beneath an ugly flesh wound in the shape of a T. Several pieces of the skull were removed and the wound was sewed up. Dr. O'Donnell was very doubtful of Meert's recovery, while Dr. Camp said the injury was not necessarily fatal.

McGahey had not been arrested at half-past 7 last evening, but will probably be taken into custody when the ponderous local legal machinery one gets a-going.

Devils Lake Inter-Ocean, 11/15/1884