Highland Cemetery, in Great Falls, is the resting place of people from all walks of life. There are deceased actors, war veterans, local town fathers, and some buried in Highland because they died nearby. One such person, a British World War I veteran, Sgt. John Joseph Wright is buried in Highland’s veteran section.
At age 35, Wright met his untimely end on September 20, 1930, when he was murdered on a freight train somewhere between Shelby and Dutton. He had recently immigrated to the United States, and, unable to find work, hopped in a freight car on his way to Great Falls.
The men later convicted of Sgt. Wright’s murder had robbed his transient companions, C.O. Dorris, Charles Blakeley, and Hobart Clark, who were forced to jump from the moving train. Dorris, an experienced railroad man, succeeded in boarding the train again before it passed him, and he conducted a search for Wright, finding him in a small pit at the end of the lumber car, shot dead in the chest and head.
When the train reached Dutton, Dorris notified the conductor, who wired to Great Falls, and the coroner met the train and took charge of the body. On Wright’s person was found a silk bag that contained a medal for gallantry awarded to him on November 9, 1914. Wright had been given this medal for rescuing a fellow soldier who had been wounded in battle.
Two other medals, both bearing his name, were in the package, which also contained a passport, letters from relatives, a demobilization order, and other documents.
Wright’s three companions were able to provide a good description of the men who had robbed them, and a broadcast from Great Falls radio station, KFBB, was put out that afternoon.
The robbers, Bert Williams (alias Thomas Harrison Groves), 35, of Chesterton, Maryland, and Harry E. Miller, 19, of California, were given a ride by a road supervisor, Hugh A. Rose. The two men then stayed the night at the ranch of Mr. and Mrs. James Snell, east of Brady. The radio broadcast had been heard by Mrs. Snell that afternoon, and it was she who put the Pondera County officials on the direct track of Williams and Miller the next day.
Deputy Sheriff Anderson, after speaking to Mrs. Snell, swore in Fred Conley as a special deputy, and they headed east out of Brady toward Fort Benton. The officers spotted Williams and Miller, who were waving them down for a ride about 20 miles outside of Fort Benton. Deputy Anderson stopped the car about 100 feet from the men and had his gun on them before they had a chance to resist. Anderson drove directly to Great Falls with the two men in the front seat, covered by Conley with a gun in the rear seat.
When arrested, Williams and Miller were identified by C.O. Dorris and Charles Blakeley as the men who had robbed them. Williams was found to be in possession of a 7.65 caliber French-made, rare firearm with the ability to fire 32 caliber American-made cartridges. In a test made after the arrest, it left the same peculiar half-moon impression as that on the empty shells found in the car where Wright was murdered.
Since the murder occurred on a moving train, there was some doubt as to which county Wright was killed in. Pondera, Toole, and Teton counties jointly shared the expense of the case and prosecuting staff. Formal murder charges were prepared, and a trial was held where Williams and Miller professed their innocence. Both men were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
Sgt. Wright was interred in the veteran section at Highland Cemetery, with The American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars being in charge of his burial. There is currently no marker for Wright’s grave at Highland, but he has a cenotaph (pictured) in his hometown of Egromont in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England.
Highland Cemetery is currently working towards getting markers purchased and placed for several soldiers, like John Joseph Wright, who have none. If you are interested in helping or being part of this project in any way, you can contact the Highland Cemetery office at 406-454-3731.
By Donna Winters: December 3, 2025 – Great Falls, Mt
Author: Staff
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