The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1893-05-11
]. ". BROWN FIRES BOTH SHOTS
Details OF the Crime Which Startled the
Whole County Last saturday Night
Brown Still at Large-Testimony
of Witnesses at the Inquest
The Complete Particulars.

news from Flint station to the effect
that shooting scrape had taken place
there in the saloon OF Brown & Clay,
and that Joseph A. Gird, an old and
respected resident OF Wi low Creek. hod
fallen victim at the hands Of cold
blooded assassin in the person of j. w.
Brown, one OF the proprletors. On re-
celpt of the news in Phillpsburg Sheriff
Cole started at once tor the scene of the
trouble. On arriving there he found
Glrd lying dead IN the saloon with two
bullet holes in his b,dy and his face
blackened with powder from another
shot that must have been fired while he
and Brown we're in close conflict Upon
lnquiring for Brown the sheriff was in
formed that he had started on foot to
Philipsburg FOR the purpose of giving
himself up. With this information
Sheriff Cole dispatched deputy to 20
down the track from Philipsburg to meet
Brown. which was done, but the muir
derer was nowhere to be seen, and then
the officers became suspicious that the
criminal was making his escape. All
night the sheriff and his deputies kept
lookout up and down the valley, but no
trace OF Brown was seen and his where
abouts is still secret, probably to him
self alone, yet it is the general belief that
his partner, Clay, assisted him to escape
and if anyone knows where Brown is.
CLAY is that one ,g.... .s,.. "A, s4.
The first reports of the murder .eircu-
lated the impression that Brown did the
shooting IN self-defense, but from the
testimony of James Campbell and Eu-
gene Sifton, the only witnesses to the
tragedy, it is shown conclusively that the
killing was the most deliberate and cold
blooded that conld be imagined
Campbell's story Of the trouble from
the beginning, told by him at the
coroner's inquest Sunday, affords the
most correct idea of all the circumstances
Leading to the shooting. He says Gird,
Brown and himself went to Philipsburg
Saturday and returned to Flint station
on the afternoon train They walked
over to Browns stable, where Gird and
Campbell had put their saddle horses
before starting to Phillpsburg. When
they were leaving the stable Campbell
asked the party to accompany him to
the saloon and take drink, and after
hitching their horses to the fence near
by they all entered the saloon. Eugene
Sifton was behind the bar and G1rd pro-
posed that they all shake dice for the
drinks, which they did and Gird was
beaten for two games, Brown for two
and Slfton for one. After the dice shak-
ing .Gird proposed to play poker with
Brown for money and they sat down to
a card table and played for an hour or
more very quietly. Suddenly there was
some dispute about bet of dollar and
Brown remarked that lie did not care for
a dollar, and more than that, he did not
care for any man, big, little or otherwise
>iird replied in about the same words,
and both men arose from the table and
as they got up Gird took hold of Brown
by the shoulder and said to him: "You
lad the best of me once with a Henry
'itie didn't You, Brown?" Brown did |,
lot reply, but started behind the bar and
1ird followed him up apparently trying
20 make lin admit to the question about
The Henry rifle.
The witnesses say that Gird's manner
lid not indicate that he was angry. but
seemed more in a joculary way. AS soon
Is Brown took the revolver from
lrawer and began shooting, Gird started
% escape and as he turned bullet
truck him IN the left breast just over
he heart. He continued retreatlng from
he bar and another shot struck him in
he back under the left shoulder. He
'ot outside and walked down to the
ence where his horse was hitched. and
jampt ell followed soon after him. When