Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-30
SMTZGER Is IN JAIL.
Says That He Can Account For
His Time and all His
Movements.
Mrs. Stenberg, August Stem.
berg and Larry Smitzger
Plead Not Guilty.

the btenDery case, and the arrest OF th
man Larry Smetzger was the most
exciting feature of that sensation. II
was thought that he had left
the town and that he would not
return. Such seems to have been not the
case. At IL o'clocka Park street acquaint.
ancs met and talked for a while with Smitz.
ger and soon hereafter that friend betray d
his acquaintance by notifying the police
that they whom they sought might be
found. At about 1 O'Clock Officer Carroll
walked into the Combination gambling
house and spied the supposed fugitive sit.
ting at a faro-layout listening to
the reading OF THE MINERS account OF the
attempted murder. When the reader
reached the point at which Smitzger ap.
psared as one OF the suspects wanted by
the police, the young man arose and was
about to depart. Officer Carroll tapped
him on the arm and told him that there
was n warrant for his arrest. Smitzger
said, "What for2" and Carroll told him.
Its pretty tough to be arrested on a
charge of that kind. suggested the
prisoner. The officer replied that such was
the case, and began leading him toward
the back door. keeping watch all the while
lest Smitxger should pull the gun that
went of accidentally" some time ago
when the prisoner and Mr.. Stenberg were
engaged In an unfriendly meeting.
Carroll thought that if his cap
ture showed fight the alley would be a
better place than the main street of the
town in which to prevent an escape. But
Smitzger had no gun, made no resistance
and was led OF toward the county jail. On
the way he told his captor hat he knew
nothing whatever about the case; that he
was In no way concerned; that he knew
on Thursday afternoon that he was
wanted; that he had made no attempt to
get away. He said that he had passed sew
eral policemen on the street that morning
and had not tried to avoid being seen, and
that q deputy sheriff who knew him had
passed him without notifying him that he
was in great demand. Arrived at the Jail,
Undersheriff Thomes read the warrant to
the prisoner and, without another word,
the young man was given q secure apart
ment all to himself. The new OF the ar
rest spread rapidly through the town and
occasioned more surprise than excitement.
Between 800 and 400 O'Clock the STEM
bsrgs--Mrs. Stenberg, August Stenberg and
the ~baby-were led of to the police court
by Officers Carroll and Leyden, closely fol.
lowed by Smitzger in the custody ofDeputy
Sheriff Nichols. The party were readily
identified, even by people who had no per-
8Oudl ACQuHluUduCO i v dHy Hull III
the group, and curious ~glances followed
them as long as they were in sight. There
having bsen no announcement OF the ar
raignment at that hour, the court oom
crowd was small. The exercises were brief;
zach one pleaded not guilty and the court
announced the amount OF bail that would
be ..rsquired-$500 for the son., the
same amount for Smitzger and $1,000 for
Mrs. Stenberg. There was no attempt
made to get bonds n the re urn march to
jail was begun; Mrs. Stenberg shifting, the
baby awed and open-eyed by the strange
ness OF tire scene, the son swaggering de.
family and Smitzger assuming an air of in
difference and a forced smile OF contempt.
On the way to the bastile a MINER reporter
asked Smitzgec where he was at the time
OF the explosion. He replied:
~ can account for every minute OF my
time"
where have you been for the last few
days2" was asked.
iWith a friend up here" naming the
street on which his friend resided.
What business is your friend inn" was
the next venture.
"He's q Clerk
whats bis manner Where can I find
himP"
SmitEger turned his little eyes on the re-
porter with g. look that said II can't be
pumped" and replied pleasantly enough:
II don't think it is necessary Tor me to tell
you that. I can account for ell nay time"
When asked II he had engaged counsel,
Smitzgsr replied that he did not need any;
Mrs. Gtenberg, who was walking ahead AND
could overhear the conversation, echoed
the sentiment, but the boy August yolun-
teered the information thatCharles ODon-
nell was his mothers attorney.
The officers were very careful on the way
to and from the Jail and in the court room
to prevent the prisoners from having any
conversation with each other, and when
mother on the way back to the jail, at the
corner OF Montana street Broadway,
she too was not allowed to have any pri.
yate conversation with her maternal
parent. Smitzger was the best behaved
and lsast communicative member OF the
party. August was protane and veng1fu!
and complained, with tears in his voice, II
not in his eyes, that "they" tnougn5
that because he was q boy "they"
couid run over him and make him
tell something tibet was not in his power to
tell, He damned q little, staggered q
little, and, when he was once again i'll the
bosom OF the Jail, smiled a little at the
coarse greetings and ribald Iests OF the
motley crew whose noses alone were
eaoss. Little Miss Agnes followed
her obese mother into her cell in the
voman's ward and blandly announced. as
abe seated herself beside the cot, that she
would give her consent to being locked up.
I! Agnes was a timid maiden Thursday she
underwent a. wonderful metamorphosls IN
twenty-iour hours, for yesterday she was
the picture of impudence and mann
pugnacity. She outdid her mother IN nno,
Inc isult with the sheriff, the police and
everyone else whom she regarded as TO
blame for her mothers and her brothers
enforced idleness. But Agnes was not per
mitted to make a prisoner OF herself. her
wits were too keen to make her q
companion of her motheI, PROVIDED ner
mother desires to communicate WIZ
either her son Or her husoanos ono
enemy. smit1Se an,b,e AZ v. ptF', and the
baby croWed. Hearts that have not been
hardened to others griefs might have been
touched by the scene, but among those wno
witnessed it there was not one whose sehsl.
bilities had not been SO dulled by contacC
with criminals that to him the separation
was nothingmoreth than the immutaoiiity Oh
cause and effect.
Oscar berg 'siniuries are greater than
they were supposed at first. The burns
caused by the smouldering bed clothing
viii not result seriously providing niooa
poisoning or other complication does noC
ensue. His sight has not been Destroyer
his nurse RAISED one OF his eyellds yesteruay
and stenberg saw the l,shs o. oa Bu ,tf the
shock to his system has been tremendous,
90 great, DR.. Howard says. that the muscle
fbers and the tissues of the body seem 70
be in a condition OF disintegration. stem
berg 10 in constant agony, but his purse IL
strong. his respiration good and mind
clear. He asked yesterday that Agnes
would make for him some Cruel sucn as
she knows how to make" The request
WAS not unheeded.
The police were at work on the case
oil day but they unearthed nothing new.
Tie, difficulty attending the '%d tannd ander
8tenbrrg's bed after the explosion will not
be great because even though it bears no
brand o mark and is Of a size common
in all manufactures OF giant, an
analysis would reveal to what particular
variety it belonged and it would be easy TO
ascertain the name Of the Butte
agent Of that variety of high explosive.
mn