The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1879-06-17
THE RInTON AGAIN.
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Fatal and Unprovsked Shoo6ing.

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Still another homicide already TO be report
1t 10 true 1t was only q Chinaman whose
life has been taken, but it was a human life
for all that, and its taking had not even the
excuse of a quarrel or misunderstood
ing of any kind to plead in justification. 1t
was an unprovoked, wanton murder, a crime,
which, even committed upon a Chinaman,
marks it's perpetrator as being possessed of
the devilish blood-thlrstiness of the human
tiger. The circumstances attending it so far
as known, are az follows: Some time after
twelve o'clock on last Wednesday night,
Marshal Beck was reused from his slumbers
and summoned to quel a disturbance
created by some intoxicated individuals In
King & Lowery's saloon. Arriving at the
saloon the officer learned that the parties
complained of had left, but in their place he
found Jenkins Hopkins, partner of John
Coleman, husband of last weeks suicide, in
the partnership Of the Union House on East
Park street. Previous TO the officer coming
Hopkins had mad some trouble with different
parties. At the time Of Mr.. Beck's arrival he
had his pistol out and was flourishing it in
rather a careless manner. He was-fntoxica-
ted at the time and we may remark that we
quite agree with the commonly expressed
opinion according to which al officer may
very we'll feel himself called upon to make an
arrest when he finds a man, known to be a
dangerous character, intoxicated and -four
ishing his pistol. Mr.. Beck did not make an
arrest, although the language employed by
Hopkins seemed to call for such a proceeding
on the officers part, but instead he remained
in the saloon until Hopkins quieted down
apparently, and then went home and retired
to rest. Half an hour afterwards he was
again summoned with the intelligence sthat
fellow has shot a Chinaman," when he rose,
hastily dressed and proceeded at once to the
scene Of the shooting, a house on Lower
Main street, in the Chinese quarter Of the
town. Here he learned that some one had
fred three shots through the window, after
which he had proceeded on down street to
the Farmers Corral where he fred one more
shot. OF those fired through the window
one bullet passed through a wooden binder
keeping the sash in place, thence into the
window casing where it was found and re-
moved as a link of evidence against lhe per.
son shooting. Another bullet ranged straight
across the narrow ante-room, and struck q
Chinaman sleeping on a bunk placed agains
the wall and elevated about four feet and
half above the floor. When shot the China
man was lying on his left side with his fac
turned towards the window. The bulle
struck him about an inch below the navel
making a hole into which the finger could b"
inserted, and inficing a mortal wound
Without wasting any time officers Beck an
Smith, who had also been summoned, imme
diately set out in quest of Hopkins, WHOM
they arrested about twenty minutes after
wards, while making his way toward the I'm
ion House, through an alley leading from tn
fiat to the east of Chinatown. When arrest
ed he had no arms about his person, account
ing for the absence Of his pistol by sayin
that a friend had taken it from him for SAT
keeping. On the afternoon of the followin
day the pistol, a pocket Colt, 80 caliber, wa
found in a prospect hole, with four of its fv
offender chambers empty. From the tim
of receiving the wound the Chinaman sun
steadily until five O'Clock of the followin
evening when he died.
On Friday, Hopkins was brought befor
POLICE Judge Warren, in whose court Dis
trict Attorney Mayhem was prepared to pro:
ecute on the charge of murder, but, actin
by advice of his attorney, the prisoner waive
examination and was committed to await til
Grand Jury's action.
TO RENT.