St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-03-04
lin. The deposition was then read to the
Jury BY Mr.. Davis, as follows:

LAUGHLIN's DYING STATEMENT
81 was on duty the night of July 25 my beat
being on Washington avenue, between Hennepin
and Fourth avenue north. At about O'Clock on
the morning of the goth of July, 1884, was on
Washington avenue north, near the kessler house.
and heard two or three shots in the vicinity of
| the Manitoba depot. l then started up the ave-
nue. and got as far as the Pacific house. where
| met three men: they were in a row. scuffiing and
| talking loud; ordered them to move along tell
| ing them it was after hours; and this week, es-
pecially the police officers had strict orders to
allow nobody on the streets late. Then walked
in between them and they tried to get my club
away; then blew my whistle three
times; then they started toward Hennepin ave-
nue., kicking and striking signs as they went
along, and talking back to me. When they got
to the corner of Second avenue north on Wash
! ington avenue they then stopped and began
| scufiing. Then went to them second time
and told them that they would nave to be
rested II they did not move along. Then one of
the three, whose name is Tony Cantieny, said:
You can't arrest me-" Then went in between
them and took hold of Canteny and one of them
whose name is Mart German; then they broke
away and ran. shouted after them three times
to halt, and followed them. When saw they
would not stop l pulled out my revolver and
tried to fire 1T them; it snapped twice before 1t
went off. Then CantieEy turned around the
corner of the Windsor house and fired ut me,
domen. l cried out. I'm shot, and terrible
pain seized me at once. / sat down on the steps
of the Windsor house. and l don't remember
anything more until Sergeant Helm and some
others came up. l said was shot and wanted
drink, when they brought me some liquor to
drink
This closed the evidence for the state.
Mr.. wooLLEY
then addressed the jury briefly, saying that
he hoped that the evidence for the defense
would be submitted soon enough to enable
the trial to close tomorrow.
He said that all which appeared from the
evidence introduced by the state was that
the prisoner had turned when pursued and
had shot and killed Robert Laughlin without
provocation; that a mob had afterwards tried
to break in the jail in which he was incar-
cerated with the intention of killing him.
What had this last assertion to do with the
case? Should a man be considered as
innocent because mob did not try to hang
him. No. Then he should not be con-
sidered as guilty because a mob (Which was
dispersed with few sQuirts of water from d
hose had tried to take him from jail to kill
him. Besides killing the officer that night
Antony Cantieny had committed no breach
of the peace. A point overlooked by the
state is the fact that the officer first fred at
him-a man who had committed no
crime and who was running away.
Another surprising oversight was that Cor
man, the only person beside Cantieny who
could testify to what really took place be-
tween the two men on that fatal night, sits
in the court room and is not asked to state
what he saw and knows. After giving a
short synopsis of what Mart Germans testi-
mony would show, Mr.. Woolley closed, say
ing he intended to make no attack upon the
members of the police force, but intended to
maintain that blue coats and brass buttons
did not authorize policemen to follow and
shoot at citizens who had committed no
breach of the peace.
The first witness for the defense was
MART GoRMAN,
one of the young men who was with Can
tieny on the night of July 25. His testimony
agreed in every particular with that of Can
tieny which followed. He said he had lived
in the city for sixteen years and last July re-
sided on Plymouth avenue. He related how
he had gone to Cantieny's saloon, first at s
O'Clock that evening and afterwards at l
O'Clock in the morning, and described the
way in which Cantieny, Harvey and himself
shooting.
ANTONY CANTIENY,
the prisoner, was next called and stepped
briskly up to the clerks desk to be sworn.
When be took his seat on the witness stand
it was evident that he was quite nervous, al
though this appeared to be for the most part
natural and not the result of agitation.
There was hardly an instant that some por-
ton Of his anatomy was not in motion as he
was constantly changing his position, twirl-
ing his fingers, twisting his head about, etc.
He gave his evidence in q clear voice and
only became confused once, when he hest
tated in describing the rumpus which
preceded his difficulty With Laughlin. He
said that five minutes before midnight he
closed up his saloon and in company with
German andoParker started to investigate
the cause of a disturbance on the street,
which proved 10 be occasoned by woman
who was either drunk or crazy. They then
strolled over 10 the SchlitZ bottling works,
run By Gustaye Dore, where they drank
glass Of beer. From there they walked along
| 10 about Sixteenth avenue north, aud stopped
once on the way to talk TO Il policeman.
They then turned back and returned 10 his
saloon, where they drank another glass or
two of beer. He happened to see a revoiverin
a drawer at the bar which had been
pawned by lumberman, and as he closed
up he put this in his pocket. The three then
strolled along towards the Manitoba depot
and afterwards walked up Washington ave
nue. to Knowles saloon, between NIcollet
and First avenues, where they drank another
glass OF beer. When they left here they
Turned back and walked north on Washing
hpip he 81 SiI 10 oft no
street. They heard some revolver shots in
the direction Of the Manitoba depot, aud
hurried along TO ascertain the cause. When
they got about Third avenue, Laughlin came
up behind and passed them, and made some
remark about the revolver shots. German
said of Laughlin as he passed, Hes from
Maine" Upon this Laughlin came back,
and after some words had passed, struck
Gormau. He told the officer that il was
id shame,n and that they were willing to
90 To the police station with him. Laughln
said they were under arrest then and blew
his whistle; two other policemen came up
aud took hold of German and Parker, while
he turned and ran, followed by German. This
happened he thought in front of c. W. Shat
tos agricultural store. When he got to the
corner he heard the snap of revolver and
soon after that the report of shot. AS soon
as he heard that he went down in his pocket
for his gun" aud fired back, without taking
aim, in the direction of his pursuer. He
only saw the officers hands 90 up in the
darkness, aud did not know whether he had
hit him OF not. He ran on until he came to
Bassett's creek, where he threw the
revolver into the water. After that
he returned 10 the saloon, where
he went to work cleaning up the bar,
and WIS thus employed when the police Off
GERS arrested him, placed him in q hack aud
drove him to the lookup, where he was in
carcerated. He denied that he was intox-
cated; said that be had never seen Laughliu
and had no grudge against him. Upon cross
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