The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-09-14
A Chance Shot From Night Watchman Hyde's
Gun Does the Work.

stated in substance that on the night of
The 9th. he was going down the road:
heard an unusual noise at the head OF
the hume: it was quite dark; went +
down the bank to the fume: followed I
up the flume to near where | heard
the noise; crossed over the f1ume 20 or
30 feet and listened: knew somebody |
was in the lume: could not see; drew
my revolver and fired up the flume in
the direction of the noise: fired another
shot in the air to alarm Mr.. Hall; then
but could hear no further
noise proceeded to Mr.. Halls house
and gave the alarm; Mr.. Hall, Mr..
Ogden and myself went back to the
tlume: found the body lying in the
tlume.
VIM. Hall testified as follows: That
he was awakened by Mr.. Hyde little
before twelve o'clock on the 9th.
Hyde said: "Get up qnick; did you
hear the shot?" Witness replied that
he did not: Hyde said he shot twice;
witness got up, dressed as quickly as
possible and went down to the flume
and found the dead body Of an'unknown
man in the fume; Mr.. Hyde is night
watchman for Rossiter & Co., and was
on guard watching the aume for Mr..
Rossiter and myself.
The testimony of Sam Ogden was
corroborative, and in addition to the
testimony given by the other witnesses
he told of the dead mans tools which
consisted of a pick, pan and scraper,
and of the gravel he had collected.
After celebrating on the evidence
the jury returned the following ver-
dict:
State Of Montana, County of Madi-
son: An inquisition holden at Summit,
in the county of Madison on the tenth
day of September, A. D. 1895, before
me, Charles A. McNulty, coroner OF
said county, upon the body of an un'
known body there lying dead, by the
! Jurors whose names are hereunto sub
scribed, the said jurors upon their
oaths do say that said unknown person
came to his death by gunshot wound
in top of the head inflicted by JOSEPH
Hyde, ghtwatchman for Rossiter 4
Co., and that the said unknown was II
the act of robbing the mining hume IL
the night; and the jurors further fine
that the said Joseph Hyde was justified
in the killing of the said unknown ant
fully exhonorates the said Joseph Hyd
from any blame whatever.
F. j. EMERSON, Foreman
JOHN HEGARTY,
H. E. GORDON,
NELSON PTOMEY,
JULIUS KRAEMER,
H. C. PTOMEY.
CHARLES A. MCNULTY,
/, Coroner Madison Co., MOn'
AS TO HIS IDENTITY
The body of the dead man wa
brought to Virginia Tuesday morning
where it was viewed by large nun
ber of people. No one seemed to kno
HIM. A placer miner employ ed fe
days previous at the Parker mir
claimed to have met him at Lauri
! last Saturday, and stated that he slel
! with him there He said his chan'
l acuuaintance seemed to know tt
country pretty we'll, talked place
+ and invited him to go with him
J. Biven's gulch.
: At undertaken Herndon's, until Il
n afternoon, no one had recognized hil
:, Late in the afternoon Bert Kelloe
k pronounced him tom" Bowers,
If former employe of the Easton. Othe
Is corroborated Mr.. Kellogg's claim, a
n among them several who claimed
d have worked with him. Another m
t. who said he had been with "Tor
8, Bowers three months, stated emphat
Is ally that the dead man was not Be
ers. Later, however, number
Easton men positively identified h
1T as Bowers. "Tom" it seems '
IL merely . nickname. One man clai
v ed to have known Bowers quite II
70 mately. in the Wood kiver, Ida
ID country, and asserts that his reputat
10 In. that section Was excellent.
Ie At the time Of his death Bow