The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-22
IT WAS A SURPRISE
The Jury Decides Against the Wife
of the Brave Fire Chief.
A JURORS FRANK ADMISSION
He Says He Doesn't Know How
They Arrived at ouch a Verdict
The Supreme Courts Action
viii Be Awaited.

The jury in the $1,000 damage case
| of Mrs. Minnie Cameron against the
Kenyon Cornell Commercial company.
had a genuine surprise for everybody
yesterday morning when IL came into
court with a unanimous verdict for
the defendant. Mrs. Cameron and her
attorneys looked as IL they could not
believe their ears. and Mr.. kinsley
asked that the jury be polled. Every
one answered that IL was his verdict
and then the jurors were discharged
from the case, and after a brief con-
sultation among the attorneys Mr.
Walsh announced to the court that the
other cases on the trial calendar. some
10 in number. might be continued pend
ing a decision of the supreme court in
the Milano case, in which the liability
of the trustees will be determined. The
setting OF all the other cases both
against the kenyon-Connell company
and the Butte Hardware company
were then vacated, and the trial jury
discharged from further attendance on
court.
There was considerable speculation
among the attorneys as to how the
jury could decide against Mrs. Cam
eron. The defense was in this case, as
in the former cases tried, that the first
big explosion, at which all the firemen
from the Butte Hardware building and
not from the Kenyon-Connell ware
house where the fire was and where
the firemen were at work. There was
no fire visible in the Butte Hardware
building and no one ever believed that
there was any fire there prior to the
first explosion which, IL was generally
believed, came from the burning Ken
yon building
out not more than half an hour. The
first ballot stood IL to in favor of the
defendant. and then another ballot was
taken to permit the other man to come
over to the majority. which he did.
One of the jurors was asked how
they arrived at the verdict and he
frankly said he didn't know.
There is not a man in this town that
could decide the question" he said.
Did you find that the first explosion
came from the Butte hardware build
ing?" he was asked.
mo, not exactly" he replied. You
see there were other questions to be
decided. There was the amount of
powder and all that, and they didn't
prove so much powder as they said"
''Then you found that the explosion
occurred in the Kenyon Connell build
ing but that there was not as much
powder there as had been claimed?"
well, no; not exactly that either.
I'll tell you IL was a hard question TO
decide Then IL was shown that the
rabble heads were thrown out at the
second explosion and that the Ken
yon- Cornell company carried the rab-
BILE heads, and that the wire was
thrown out at the first explosion and
heavy bars of iron were thrown on the
wire The Butte Hardware company
carried the wire and the Kenyon COM
pany carried the IRON"
1T is understood that the jury agreed
that the first explosion came from the
Kenyon Connell building but that you
found that there were not over five
boxes of powder there; is that right?"
the juror was asked.
I'm be hanged If know" said the
juror. but l think the supreme court
will say we were right"
The findings of the Cameron jury are
exactly opposite to the findings of the
juries in the two former trials of the
Goddard and Milano cases. The Cam
eron jury was composed of Richard
Thomas, Henry Wasley, William II.
Perry, Charles r. Miller. Arthur Thorn
as, Allen Beebe, William Hawke, Rich
ard Thierman, James l. Broughton,
DAILY.
Mrs. Cameron, the unsuccessful
plaintiff, is the widow of Fire Marshal
Cameron, who was blown TO pieces
while fighting the fire in the Kenyon
Connell warehouse on that terrible
night of Jan. 10. 1895. The defendant
company was represented at the trial
by ]. l.. Wines and John F. Forbis.