Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-26
ATTEupTRD ASSASSINATION.
The esIiner'' Ohlee the Scene o1 Q veFy
Exciting StruxxA.

AACAGA08 0eA 088~
About s O'Clock last evening TIE NNEz
Office wal the scene Of what came within
an ace of being q tras-dy. Henry Miller
of Anaconda. made q desperate attempt to
shoot and kin C. o. Zegenfuss, manager
aud editor of this paper, and that he did
not succeed was owing to NO fault Of his
He fired one shot, and the bullet passed
within an inch of the head it was aimed at
Following ID q Correct account OF the cir
cumstahces which led to
THE ArrEMPTED A~ssAssEAIIoS:
On last Monday night two attaches o.
The MISKR were informed that . man from
and o enly boastiDg that he was going to
have ''either . wedding or q hneral," as he
expressed it. When Questioned as to the
meaning Of his ambiguous remark
he did not hesitate to inform
his interlocutors that his daughter had
been wronged by a young fellow hamed
Harring, and q it Was his intention to kill
Harring if he did not marry the girl. The
excited father communicated his design to
q police officer, and requested the officer to
lend him q disguise Of some sort to enable
him to watch the movements OF Harring.
OF course, the officer refused to be . party
to the scheme. At l O'Clock Tuesday
morning Judge Notation Was aroused
from slumber to marry the couple, which
he did. TIE MINER of that morning con-
tanned q brief-a very brief-nention OF
the affair, and about noon Miller visited
The MINER Office and, in terms more for
chile than courteous, demanded q retrac-
ton. He was informed by Mr.. Ziegenfuss
that the matter would be investigated
and justice done to all parties concerned.
Apparently Modified by this assurance.
Miller DEPARTED, but returned several
times during the afternoon and evening.
and seemed i'll at ease. His movements
were 80 suspicious that the policeman on the
beat vas told to keepan eye upon him and
he wal under surveillance until he departed
for home at midnight. The matter would
have been Investigated o Tuesday by the
editor had he not been prevented from at
a pressing nature. Thus matters stood last
when the shooting occurred.
AcowARDLY ATTACK.
Miller entered the business Office OF The
MINER at 8 o'clock last evening and found
Mr.. Ziegenfuss conversing with the cashier.
II want to see you in your private
room" said Miller. addressing the editor.
"All right" was the r%ejoinder, "come
And the unsuspecting editor led the way
upstairs. He stepped into the bindery to
speak to the gentleman in charge OF that
to resume his way to the editorial
rooms. As he did so his collar was grasped
By MilIar's right hand, and thatindividual.
almost choking with rage. Missed in his ear:
"G-d- you, you promised to correct
that matter in this mornings paper, and
you have not done SOL"
As he spoke his left hand disappeared
beneath his coat, where it fumbled
or an instant. Mr.. Ziegenfuss, him
self unarmed, realized in q second
that he was in the grasp of an inflriated
man who was armed, and he made an
Effort to wrench himself away. But Miller's
grip was not to be broken, and a.
be struggled be whipped out q revolver,
it at the head Of Mr.. Ziegenfuss, and
fired. As he did so the editor gave him a
twist which threw the pistol to one
,ide, and the bullet whistled past his ear
and into the wall. Ere the would-be assas-
sin could again cock the pistol his unarmed
but powerful adversary hurled him down
the stairway, and being unable to release
The desperate grasp OF the other, rolleddown
the stairs with him. In the descent the
pistol fell from Miller's hand, and was
picked up by the foreman Of the
i"b department., who turned it over to the
police. When the struggling men reached
tI,e bottom of the stairs Miller was seized
BY several gentlemen connected with the
ofice, who turned him over to Officer
Mr.. Ziegenfuss was not in the least
by his rough experience.
The only complaint entered against Nil
Ter was by Officer Young, who charged him
With disorderly conduct and displaying
deadly weapons. He was released on fur.
bail in the sum OF $500, and will
De exam mined before Judge NcHatton.
Public sentiment is denunciatory of Mil
er's conduct. 1t is the unanimous opin-
on OF Butte's decent people that no pro,
vocation warrants q cold .blooded murder,
MiIler's crime is rendered entirely mex
disable by the fact that it val unprQvoked
~ the man he attempted to kill.