The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-01
He WAS A SURPRISE
One Witness In the BaFFiore Case Who
Claims TO Know II All.
Evidence Introduced Yesterday
Which 10 Good Enough " the
Jurymen Conclude That
II Is Truth.
by the standards Special Wire.

roIl u hi SttttESAy III" Whtitf5s W tfAa
been present at the shooting, animated
in this mornings STANDARD, was hurled
by the prosecution, and Il fell with good
effect. II had been supposed that the
4-year-old child, Bejuni, was the only wit
ness of the shooting, but a nan was put
on the stand this morning who
claimed to have seen the whole
affair. He had not appeared at
the coroner's inquest or the preliminary
examination, but he told his story in a
straightforward and apparently truthful
manner. If the story is true the doubt as
to whether Mrs. Barriere met her death
accidentally or was deliberately shot by
her husband Is removed.
The witness, L. Y. Laveque, told his
story as follows, through an interpreter:
81 am a carpenter and live in Ana
conda. Last November | lived in Butte.
l remember the homicide at that time. l
was in the house at the time of the trag-
cdy. II occurred in the back part Of Bar
riere's house, ON Galena street. There
were three rooms in the house. The
only n present were Joe and his
wife and the child Bejuni. The shooting
occurred betwee Z n . o'clock in the
morning. Barriere was there when l went
in. He was speaking to his wife. who vas
lying down on the bed. The little girl was
talking to her mother and standing be
side the bed. / was in there four or five
minutes before the shooting occurred.
Barrierc was standing close TO the ont
side DOT He had slept with the children
in a cabin at the rear of the house, % or
10 feet in the rear. Mrs. Barriere was
undrcssed and covered with the blankets.
On entering the room l gave her an
empty cigar box to light "a fire with. When
| went in Mrs. Barriere said to her hus-
band, This old man is smarter than
YOU are, give him a drink
Then Barriere put his hand i'm his pocket
and accused his wife of having stolen his
pocket book. He went To shoot her, and
she pushed him back and said don't
come neal me, or else ! will fix you.'
just before going close up to her, Bar
riere said, stop, stopn He said, Il only
have a few dollars and You have taken il
away The weapon was a revolver with
a black handle. / couldn't see lwhere Joe
took il from. l had scarcely seen il before
IL went off. Joe brought the muzzle of
the gun right up to his wife's face, almost
touching her. Mrs. Barriere was standing
at the time. She a no weapons. She
had got up, went into the other room To
put on her dress, and came back
TO the rear room i'm an instant. She
was b%uttoning the dress as she came in
and the moment she came into the room,
the shot wen Off. She had nothing i'm
her hands. When shot, she fell against
the side of the bed and then to the fioor.
ENINt Sall Ill ~ III Niiot. VIZ
made no cutlery. She fell instantly on the
firing of the shot. As soon as ! heard the
shot l wen away. Bejuni came running
to me and | took her i'm my arms and wen
away | went out by the back door. Joe
said nothing to me after the shot was
fired. Nothing vas said at all. As soon
as l went out / saw the revolver fall by
the steps OF h next door. j did not see
what direction il came from, but saw il
fall. l returned to the house about five
minutes afterwards. | wen in
the front door at the same
man entered. | merely went in and
came right out again. doe said come in
and sit down. but l did not stay. ! did
not go in again that morning. doe Bar
riere never made any statement to me
relative to h shooting. He has said To
me, What will | do? She won't give me
any money, n / can't go AVA without
it, Barriere has requested me to try and
take his part. l went to see him in Jail,
and he said, don't do me my damage
He also asked me to try 10 get him out on
bail. The conversation took place n OF
two weeks after the tragedy. Barriere
sent for me. We had three conversations
at the JAIL"
The witness, when questioned further,
said he had slept at the Barrieres that
night with Joe in the cabin back OF the
house. He came i'm about . or 10
o'clock and got up little after
with the couple several months, as he had
worked for them. He built the house in
South Butte, and the store and the kitch-
en- of the Galena street house. He had
known of frequent quarrels between them
and had been present when Joe pulled his
revolver out and had shot up in the air.
He said, after firing, that some day she
would nave "a bullet through her head.
On cross examination, the witness said
he is n married man. His family Is I'm
Canada. He left them a year ago last
January. He worked more than half the
time. The rest of the time he has been
supported by his son., who is a miner,and
who supports him when he is out Of work.
His son is living in East Park street.
"Before the shooting ! was working
for Godin in Grant street, he said.
~ worked Friday, the day before the
shooting, but not the day of the shooting.
Friday for Charles Provost,making a little
counter for the dancing hall. ! did not
sleep in South Butte the night before the
shooting, hut ut the Barrieres. There
were two beds, the children occupying
| awoke about q o'clock and got up
after Z o'clock. ! left Joe in bed. ] dressed
the children, lit the fires, washed and
went To Provost's to get some tools. ]
got To Provost's n little before <. The
bartender. Cunningham, was there. !
did not &c to South Butte that morning.
This concluded the morning session.
At the beginning of the afternoon session
the defense offered to show that the wit.
ness, instead of being an honest carpen.
ter. is "A "rounder;" that he mad over
lures for money n was not a reliable
character. Mr.. Haldorn spoke Of the fact
that the witness had not appeared at any
previous examination. Objection was
made To this and was sustained. Con.
tinuing to answer questions on cross
examination, Laveque said:
81 have been detained as a witnes.
since the meeting of the grand jury.
saw Barrierc in Jail and he asked me Il
step aside with him. i did not tell Bar
riere hat ] didn't kno anything abou'
the case, and that ] was in Anaconda
and Blanche Desjardins sent for me I,
come up. | told lies to twenty-five or thirt,
people about The matter. | first told tn,
truth TO Mr.. Malbeuf.n Tho witness adj.
mittcd ~unconcernedly that he a told {
lie to Bolan and several others in refer