The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-10-11

The Coroner's Jury Charges a Chinaman
With it-He Cannot be Found.
The jury on the coroner's inquest investi-
eating the cause of the death OF Name
OBrien or Lacey, who died in Clore
street brothel last Sunday morning, re-
turned a sealed verdict. The jury charged
Chinaman with the death of the woman.
The evidence clearly points to the fact that
death was due to excessive opium smoking,
the opium having been prepared and given
to her by Chinaman, in Chinese opium
den on Cutler street.
Upon receiving this verdict the coroner
at once ordered the sheriff to find and place
the Chinaman under arrest. Deputy Parker
started in pursuit of him. being accompa-
MED by colored woman who had been to
the opium den with the girl. She pointed
/ out the house, but nobody was IN. and no
great effort was made to discover his where
abouts that night. It is very probable that
| the Chinaman has since had a suspicion OF
what the jurys verdict would be, as Sheriff
Jefferis' deputies have been unable to find
that it is next to impossible to
capture Chinaman when he Is
wanted and though they are still on the
alert they believe that he has either skipped
out of town or is in hiding. The opium
den, where he resided, has been visited
several times bv the deputies but they have
never seen him there.
The story of the girls death as adduced
from the testimony is substantially as fol,
lows: For some days previous to her death
she had been drinking and smoking opium
and eating very little. Last Saturday after
noon, in company with another woman, she
went to an opium resort for the purpose OF
hitting the pipe.'' While she had been
I ,j.,,, hos
testified that she did not indulge in liquor
to any extent on Saturday. When they
reached the Chinese opium den colored
woman was there already. She cooked
opium for "Mamie's' companion and the
Cninaman fixed it up for '.Mamie." They
not leave until some time after $50, and
during this time they ''hit' many pipes:
Mamie" smoked fifty cents worth OF
opium while Twenty-Five cents worth was
enough for her companion. The latter tes-
! titled that she thought Mamie was
opinion that if she had not smoked that
day she would not have died. After she
left the place she staggered on the street
and complained Of feeling bad. They
walked along to Clore street and as soon as
Mamie. stepped into Millie kelly's house
she fell PROSTATE and insensible upon the
: floor. She never spoke after that. Friendl
were called in and physicians sent fox and
3 everything that medical science could suR
gest was done for her. She remained un
conscious until few minutes after three
, O'Clock Sunday morning. just before thu
fatal moment her eyes opened only to Close
: again in death, and all was over.
+ II was evident, then, from the testimony
7 that opium smoking was the direct result
of her death, conclusion reached also by
J the attending physicians. The jury con
cluded that in this case a crime had beer
, | po toI md that ChInQman req
ponsible. They saw here an opportunity tc
/ make an example of one opium den keeper
who i'll this instance was to their view guilt.
of a double crime, and this sad case pre-
J sented a chance of securing convlctlol
where previous efforts had proved of NJ
avail. While the guilty one may flee from
/: justice, the jury will have the satisfaction
(: of knowing that it was through no fault o
3 theirs that the ends of justice were de
feated.
Their verdict was as follows:
. ~ We find that the said Mani
t O'Brien came to her death, October 5, 1896
t at 122 Clore street, from the effects 0
3 smoking opium.
. "The jury further finds that the i'm
e mediate cause of her death was the ex
: cessive smoking of opium. which san
t opium was administered by Chinama
g whose name has been given rs Poy, bu
6 otherwise unknown to the jury. The jur
e also finds from the evidence that the sal
It Chinaman is the keeper of an opium resort
:. that upon the evidence adduced in this in
J. vestigation the jury believes that opium re
, sorts exist in that portion of Helena know
as Chinatown, which are open for the recer
10 ton of opium smokers.
70 '"rhe jury also believes that the existenc
of these opium resorts is a menace to tn
10 morals of the community, and comment
Y. airy upon the execution of existing laws b
is the officials of the city of Helena and til
o. county of Lewis and Clarke
L. 1.-The jury recommends Il vigorous prose
10 cution of all persons directly and indirectl
ID responsible for the maintenance of said r
Sorts and particularly recommends that IL
rs proper authorities institute proceedings
Z. this particular case, the jury being Statistic
d that the said Mamie O'Brien, as abo'
10 stated, came to her death directly from IL
a effects of opium prepared and administers
r by said Chinaman.'
h 1t was learned yesterday that the name
n the Chinaman who is wanted is Yong 10
So sotr