The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-05-15
SHOT ON SIGHT.
j. w. Crawford Shot and Almost In
stsntly Killed by Harry
Roberts, at Butte.
The Tragedy the Result of an Old
Quarrel. the Origin of Which
is Not Known.
An Interview With the Murderer. In which
He Seeks to Justify HIS
Deadly Work.

BUTTE, May l4-[Special to the Inde-
! pendent IA cold blOoded and deliberate
murder occurred here to-day, when Harry
Roberts shot and killed J. W. Crawford in
the Silver Bow boarding house. on East
| Park street, next 10 the Silver Bow mill
| Both men were in the employ OF COrea's
| Transfer company, and there had been bad
blood between them for some time. To
day at l O'Clock Crawford was IN the board
ing house washrOom washing his hands,
preparatory 70 eating dinner, when Rob
erts stepped In and without a word shot
him. The weapon used was q Ss-calIbre
Smith and Wesson, and the ball passed
through Crawford's right arm into his
heart. He ran a few steps into the back
yard and fell dead without having spoken
Roberts raised his revolver for q second
time, intending 10 kill Corea, who was In
the room. but the weapon was knocked
out OF his hand. he left the rom saying
my heart was burning, but il is all right
now. am willing to be hanged He
walked up town with the intention Of Civ
ing himself up, as he says, but was arrest
ed ON Park street by Under Sheriff Frank
Thomes. The shooting was the result
of long standing quarrel between
the men, the exact origin Of
which is not known. Both men
were in the employ of Mr.. COrea,
Crawford as tesmster and Roberts as fore
man Crawford had only been in Butte
about a year and WAS known as Long Tex
lie was an unusually tall and powerful
man, and weighed 21O pounds. About .wO
months ago he and Roberts had a quarrel.
IN which the latter drew a knife and Craw-
ford knocked him down with q pitchfOrk.
The man told conflicting stories about the
origin of the fight, and 1t is not known who
was % blame. There has been the worst
Of feeling between them since that Occas-
ion, and It eliminated in tO-day's tragedy.
Your correspondent called on the mur-
dereT this morning at the county Jail and
succeeded in obtaining an interview with
him. He is a medium sized man with
red mOustaehe, and though he is 50 years
of age, he does not look above 45. He is Of
Welsh birth and has been in Montana
twenty-three years, most Of the time IN
Butte and its immediate vicinity. He was
a teamster for Kirkendall & Brown for six
or seven years, and has always borne a
good reputation. He was unmarried and
has no relatives in this country. He was
cool and selt-possessed and had no objee-
tiOns whatever 70 talk about the
shooting. He said there had
been some trihing misunderstanding
between them, which he endeayored to
make up. One evening about two months
ago he and Long Tex, the did not know
his real name) had several drinks together
and a friendly talk. and as be supposed
everything was all right between them
they went out into COrea's barn yard and
were working together, when Tex, so
Roberts says, struck him with pItchfOrk
and was in the act Of plunging the fork
into his vitals, when restrained by other
workmen- He exhibited long scar, still
red, from the blow, on the top ot his head.
"Last night" said Roberts, "we had some
words together, and he finished by saying,
Tll put worse scar on our head than the
one you've got now. 1 thought il over,
aud had no doubt in my own mind that he
intended 10 kill me. Rather than lose my
own life / concluded 10 shoot him. did
not think there was any other choice.v
The corOner's jury returned a verdict Of
murder. and Roberts stands an excellent
chance of hanging Be told several this
morning that he was going % kill Crawford
before sundOWn. Roberts IL Of a quarrel
some disposition, and his victim Is gwen a
good character by all who knew him.