The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1889-10-03
HELENA'S PRETTY MILLINER.
How Her Advent Cost Handsome Al.
Worrall His Life.
Several Lynchings and Gen.
eral Reformation.

II saw the first hanging in Helena,
Montana, the strjnging up of Big Jim
Daily, the notorious desperate, by the
Helena regulators" said a man who
was one of the engineer corps that
made the preliminary survey of the
route for the Northern Pacific
railway, to reporter, "and I saw the
memorable deadly fracas that fol-
lowed the execution, and which re-
suited In the summary cleaning out
of the remnants of Jim Daily's gang,
who had continued to haunt Helena,
and were showing a disposition to run
things again with high hand. That
bloody affray was indirectly caused by
a woman, who subsequently became a
social leader. in Helena, and who
probably is yet, if she is living.
For awhile after Jim Daily was
hanged there was peaceful lull in
the town, and it semed an ominous
calm to the citizens. Gradually the
gambling hells, hurdy -gurdies and
other lawless establishments became
as free as ever. Still there was no
trouble and the regulators. had come
to the conclusion that things were GO
ing ON as well as might be expected,
when calamity was precipitated by an
unforeseen circumstance. The stage
from Gallatin drew up in front Of the
international hotel one afternoon, and
from it alighted a dainty, genteelly
dressed young woman. She was clad
in black, and an unmistakable air of
mystery surrounded her. She en-
tered the hotel, and nothing was seen
or heard of her by the outside world
for day or SO, when a modest sign
was hung out opposite the side door
of the hotel stating that Madame
Louise was prepared to do millinery
work for the female portion of Hell
ena.' Madame Louise was the hand
some and mysterious arrival by the
Gallatin coach. That was all she saw
fit to make known of her personality
or antecedents, and that was all that
the public ever knew of her history.
But the men all fell in love with her.
toughs and all.
The leadership in toughdom, after
the hanging of Jim Daily, seemed to
have fallen by natural selection, to
the part of Burr, one of Daily's chief
aids. Bill got fair load of Helena
tanglefoot on board one day, not long
after the pretty milliner had settled
in Helena, and in the course of his
remarks he referred in very warm and
confident terms to the possibilities in
the direction of Nine. Louise. He
was promptly informed that he was
wide of the mark in his calculations,
as it had become an open secret at the
hotel that the milliner was already in
love with Al Worrall. This threw Bill
in terrible rage He swore that the
statement was a lie and made big
wager that he would come out ahead
in the favor of the young woman.
"'Pll get all hunk with the milli-
ner,' he exclaimed, 'or I'll make AL
Worrall crawlP"
"Al Worrall was handsome young
Philadelphia, and is remembered yet
as one of the best amateur athletes
that had ever settled in the west.
Bill Burr's bravado and boasting re-
marks soon reached the ears of both
Nine. Louise and Worrall. They
amused the lady, but made Al mad.
He threatened, In event of hearing
any further remarks of that kind from
Bill Burr or any of his friends, that he
would stand them on their heads.
''The next day was a lively one in
Helena, for it was Saturday, and min
ers had come in from all sides to make
a day of it. Our engineering corps
was at the international, and Satur-
day afternoon Al Worral came into
the bar room to see some of the party
with whom he was acquainted. Al
was a strict teetotaler. While he was
there Bill Burr walked in with half a
dozen of his toughs, and, striding to
the bar, called all hands to step up
and drink. A number of citizens,
knowing of the presence of Worrall
in the saloon, naturally supposed
there would be a fuss, and came in
to watch the result. Worrall refused
to drink because of his temperance
habits. Bill worked himself into an
ugly fit.
"'Any one who won't drink with
me- he shouted with an oath, will
weigh more than he does now when |
get through with himP
"Al seeing that the remark was di-
rected to him, turned slowly around,
and placing a hand on each hip, said
calmly and cody:
81 have heard enough from you,
Bill! Ii you raise any more fuss in
this room I'll break your headr
"Bill stopped down, and placing
both hands out before him in a plead
ing sort of way, said:
Don't shoot! don't shootP
"All the while he kept coming
closer to Al, as if he was afraid of him,
STOPPING low with all the appearance
of fear. Worrall stood still, quietly
watching the ruffian. He nor no one
else was prepared for Bills next act.
When he got within reaching distance
of Worrall, quick as fash he whipped
long murderous knife out of his
boot leg, and plunged it into WorralPs
abdomen; giving it a vicious turn and
twist as it dashed into, his victims
vitals. .WOrrall dropped to the floor.
Bill started to go out. His friends
crowded around him and for terrible
moment nobody spoke word. Then
a young miner who had been quietly
sitting by one of the windows coolly
rose up and leveling a revolver sent
a bullet crashing through Bill Bnrrs