The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-09-19
POLICEMAN GRANT KILLED IN THE MELEE
Curtis Evidently Too Drunk to Know
What He Was
Doing.
lie Protests His Innocence of the Crime.
But His Guilt Is Self
Evident.
ACTOR SHOOTS POLICEMAN.
Arrested While Drunk, lie Frees Himself
by Shooting His Captor.

Arrested While Drunk, He Frees Himself
by Shooting His Captor.
SAN Francisco, Sept. I'm. b. Cur
tbs, samuel Of Bosen." has boen arrested
charged with having killed Policeman
Grant while drunk.
The arrested comedian was a most
pitiable object as he sat in the southern
police station, wringing his hands in des-
despair, running from officer to another
to protest his innocence and telling IN an
incoherent way the doings of the night.
He was intoxicated and as he staggered
up from his seat some one would push
him back again. Time and again he
started to his feet. MY God" he said,
IF could only recall the last four
hours of my life. I'm no murderer. gem
men. ! had no pistol. | shot nobody.
| haven't an enemy in the world"
Nainly he protested his innocence of any
otfense and wanted to go home to his
wife, In a rambling way he told the
story of his business and his affairs. He
came to the city from his home in Berk-
ley on the 7:30 o'clock boat with his wife
and DIR. Cook and his family of Berkeley.
He had purchase a box for the Bern
hardt performance and left his wife and
those with her at the Grand
opera house. Then he went to the Ii
voli, where he met William Kreling and
a person whose name he could not recall.
but who spoke French and represented
himself to be a drummer for a liquor
house. The trio remained in the Tivoli
until the end of the performance. After
leaving the Tivoli he went to the Grand
Opera house to meet his wife. While on
Mission street he was caught in the
crowd. Someone struck him in the back
Of his neck and he fought his way out
to the street. There he found himself in
the hands of Officer Grant. Why he ,
was arrested he did not know, but
though he protested he went with the $
officer without opposition. why did +,
draw your pistol on him. was t
Il had no pistol" he exclaimed land q
did not shoot any one. an so sorry it :
happened. ! wanted to have a good
time and never harmed a man in my life.
am no train robber. gentlemen" Over
over again he reiterated his ignorance t
the affair until he was handcuffed and d
aiken OIL to the central station. The a
'nly known witnesses of the shooting :.
we're two young men. Thomas Muller -
md VIM. Toomey, who were directly ,,
'cross the street and heard the police -
nan say come along now" There was u
10 reply but almost at the same instant
he young men saw a flash, a pistol shot
ang out in the quiet street, followed in
succession by two more repOrts II
The officer fell to the sidewalk without a O,
roam and Curtis, who had been a mo- +.
nent before his prisoner turned and fled l
Up Folsom street. n
The scene OF the shooting was not OF
more than $50 feet from the station. a
.ust inside a number of police officers Ia
we're sitting. Hearing shots, Officers n,
Allen and Bodie ran out and found a &
rowd gathered about the PROSTATE form h,
I the dead policeman. He was living n,
ace downward in a pool Of blood and aar
fe was already extinct. Quits had not III
ct gained the corner of Folsom and "
18TH streets. The officers gave chase, III
ccompanied by half a dozen men who NJ
ere attracted to the spot. Curtis ran n
the corner of Fifth street, closely IN
ursued, and he was not overtaken until mr.
Q had turned down Shipley street. hi
here two policemen seized and hand ia
utfed him and walked him back past a
place where the shooting had been w
one. The nlppers which Policeman ar
rant had twisted on Curtis wrist were r.,
till there to evidence that he was the a,
ian who had been in custody. The Is
'eapon with which Grant was killed w,
as not in the shooters possession, but w
as found afterward near the corner of IL
fifth street, where he had thrown it as M,
e ran. 81