The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-21
Butte Department.

had been killed by the first explosion
| The witness was not injured and he
| went back to the scene for the purpose
| OF locating himself and to see how
near he came to being killed. After the
| first explosion the roof was off the
Butte Hardware building, the north
/, side seemed completely down. the east
/ side was out and the west side down.
Mr.. Genzberger said he was on the
wreck of the Butte Hardware building
after the first explosion and looked
| over where the building had stood. II
was the building farthest east. next to
the Frank bottling works. He did not
| go back after the second explosion. He
| could not say where the second came
| from, but 1T occurred to the southeast
of where he was.
On cross-exemination the witness
said he was not so positive when he
testified at the coroner's inquest, but
that he had satisfied himself since, for
when he stood on the wreck of the
Butte Hardware building he looked
over to the Frank building and saw
that the brick veneer had been knocked
of IT. He also said he saw the fire hose
lying in the wreckage of the Butte
Hardware building. He could not say
where the first explosion came from
He helped to handle Is or 40 bodies.
At the request of Mr.. Forbis he has in
terested himself in collecting evidence
assisted in hunting up testimony for
the defense.
George w. Tilton, a laborer and
volunteer fireman, said he responded to
the alarm of fire and in company with
two brother firemen"-"Shorty" Car
michael and Audrey Swift-proceeded
to the scene of the fire. AS they APP
preached the fiat north of the build
ings the first puff" occurred and in
an instant almost the big explosion
came. Tilton thought the fire and the
explosion came from the Butte Hard
ware building. The explosion knocked
him down and after he got up he went
closer to the buildings and saw a
number of dead and wounded lying
around. He couldn't say what was the
condition of the Butte Hardware
building after the first explosion and
didn't notice anything that was
thrown out by the explosion. He was
some distance away and facing north
when the second explosion came and
he did not know where IL came from.
On cross-examination Tilton said he
had also testified at the coroner's in
quest and that before the inquest he
had been introduced to w. r. Kenyon
and shook hands with him. Mr.. Nolan
asked the witness II he knew a man
named j. Mcdonald. Tilton said he !
did. and Mr.. Nolan asked him IL he did
not, six week ago in a saloon at the
corner of Park and Wyoming, say to
Mcdonald that when he first saw the
fire IT was in the Kenyon Connell
building. Tilton said he saw McDon-
AID In the saloon mentioned but de-
MED having made the statement re-
ferred to.
The witness said that to the best of
his knowledge. the first explosion came
from the northeast corner of the Butte
Hardware building, but he wouldn't
swear positively.
Alexander Anderson. an ore hauler.
testified that he lived on East Mercury
street on the night of the explosion,
and was In the Butte City hotel when
the f1rst explosion occurred and imme-
diately after IL he started toward the
scene or the fire and when he reached
the open space north OF the ware
houses he found several shovels and
Wheelbarrow trays, such as IL was al
legged only the Butte Hardware COM
pany carried in stock. He proceeded
toward the fire and when the second
explosion occurred he was so near that
the fur was burned off his overcoat.
Inc explosion came from the Kenyon
Connell building and pieces of iron fell
al around him. He expected to be
killed every instant, but he kept on |
running until he fell over an embank- |
ment and was lying on his back when |
the third explosion occurred. on |
cross-examination Mr.. Nolan called |
the attention OF the witness to the fact |
that he had not been so positive at the |
coroner's inquest as to where the sec |
ond explosion came from and, whereas |
ne was now positive. He replied that |
IL was to the best OF his knowledge. |
Anderson also admitted that he. too. |
was In the employ of the Kenyon Con- |
nell company to collect evidence for
dersons testimony the defense called /
another witness and they were re-
minded that they had exhausted the
unit or the witnesses allowed on the |
question or the explosion. and the de-
tense then announced its case closed.
The plaintiff then called about a
nozen witnesses In rebuttal and Mrs.
Mary Leetham was the first called to
the stand. She testified that she lived
little northwest of the warehouses.
ana she was asked IL she noticed any
that night after the first ex-
plosion. Mr. Forbis made a vigorous
protest against any further testimony
pm the subject of the explosion. He
said IL was not proper rebuttal and
NAT II was unfair as IL would give the
Dlaintin more witnesses than the de-
tense. Mr.. Walsh. for the plaintiff.
said they could not anticipate the de-
-ense and that the character of the
missiles and contents of the ware
houses had not been touched on or
'eferred TO by the plaintiff. The court
Interrupted the arguments and said
here was not shadow of doubt that
ne testimony was proper rebuttaI, as
he matter had not been referred TO by
he plaintiff In chief, and as the de-
endants had attempted to prove the
contents OF the warehouses and the
plaintiff certainly had the right TO re-
Dutt that testimony. Mrs Leetham
men testified that at the time of the
lrst explosion she was in the back
Dom of the house and instantly she
cit that her son had been killed She
vent into the front room and found
he entire front of the 5ouse shattered
md she picked up two rabble heads
IN the floor of the front room one
lad come in through the ceiling and
he other through the front of the
louse under the window. She gave
me OF the rabble heads TO County At
Orney Wines and kent the other