The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-07
MORE ABOUT LEYDEN
Trial of the Murder Casa DragS Along
at a Slow Pace.
SIMPSONS BAD ADVENTURE
He Deserts a Noble wife and
Elopes With a Common Woman
of the Low District : His
Whereabouts Unknown.
SIMPSONS BAD ADVENTURE

Great Falls, March 6.-The defense in
the Leyden murder case used the en-
tire day presenting evidence, and have
three or four more witnesses beside
the defendant to be called Saturday.
The greater part of the evidence to-day
has been that of eye witnesses to the
tragedy and has been mostly of a Gu
mulatiye character, supporting in the
main the testimony of the first witnesses
for the defense. The defense so far has
been ably managed, but County Attor-
ney Freeman succeeded, in cross-exam-
ination, in eliciting some rather dam
aging admissions from Leyden's wit
nesses.
The cross examination of John
Swanston, the Swede carpenter, occu-
pied the opening hour this morning.
He testified that when Zig went towards
Leyden, just before the last encounter,
when the fatal shots were fired, Zig said
to the defendant: Now. partner, let's
talk decent" Witness said that he
could see the expression on Ilg's face
and that he did not look mad or angry
He also said that after the first shot
was fired he saw Ilg's clothes catch fire.
AS the defense in its opening of the
case said ii would try to prove that the
first shot was fired in the air, this ad-
mission is of a damaging character.
After the first shot, Swanston heard Zig
say: You - - -, I'm going to
lick you" and after the second shot, the
words, I'll lick you yet
William T. Dwyer, a Neihart miner,
said he was in the hall just before the
ARRAY occurred and that Zig came up
TO him drunk and using abusive lam
guage, wanted to fight him. Zig did not
strike him.
William p. Stone was an eye witness
to the affair. He said he heard George
Speck say as the trouble began: There
is going to be trouble; have his friends
take him away" After the two had
grappled he said he heard Zig say, Tn
take your own gun and kill you with
it, Upon cross-examination he said
he did not hear any one besides Speck
call upon anyone to take Zig away. He
was sure that Leydens revolver was
pointed towards the ceiling when the
first shot was fired. The witness, in re-
ply to question as to how much liquor
he had been drinking before he saw the
fight, replied that he didn't keep cases
on his drinks, but confessed that he
had been drinking and was feeling
pretty comfortably later on.
Harry Buser. barber at Belt, testi-
fled that Zig tried to pick a quarrel
with him before his fight with Leyden
Charles n. Johnson, the man i'm
charge of the hall at the time, testified
that Zig told him he was going out to
buy a gun in order to kill Leyden.
When Zig was going towards Leyden
he heard him say: "A man couldn't
scare you till he kills you" He also
heard Leyden tell Zig that he didn't
want to fight him. In the opinion of
the witness Zig was not so drunk that
he couldn't handle himself all right.
Charles Lane said that Leyden struck
Zig as the latter moved towards the
end of the table, and before he was
near the chair. striking him across the
table.
George Speck was the witness for the
defense. He was running the poker
game at the time Of the shooting, and
when Zig knocked Leyden down he
grabbed a hammer and went towards
them. but they were separated before
he reached them.
Charles Leek. a Roumanian, and eye
witness of the shooting. said that Ley
denis first shot was fired into the cell
ing. His testimony was mainly corrob-
oTative as was that of NJ. L. Lewis.
Harry F. Jackson, a laborer, said in
his testimony that he heard Leyden say
just after the third shot was fired:
I'm sorry / did it. but i had to-" OBJ |
il was struck out of the record. Cross
examination brought several contradic-
tions between Jackson's statements !
made at the bail hearing in December /
and these made on the stand to-day.