The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-17
IT GAVE SATISFACTION
Butte Was Pleased at the Ac-
quittal of Mrs. Baptiste.
ONE MORECL0UD REMOVED
A Witness to the Marriage Found and
There Is No Reason for Doubt
ing the Truth of His
Statements.

Mrs. Emma j. Baptiste called at the
county jail yesterday and packed up
her small belongings and had her trunk
removed to the home of her sister. Mrs
Woten. Her release from Jail already
had a noticeable effect on her health
She looked quite well and reasonably
happy. Her acquittal on the charge
of murder gave very general satisfac-
tion in Butte. Very few persons ex-
pressed themselves otherwise than
pleased. She has not yet determined
what to do, but it is likely she will re-
main with her sister for while at
least.
The question whether or not Mrs.
Baptiste had ever been legally married
to the man whom she killed for desert
ing her and marrying another woman
has never been fully cleared up, but
late Tuesday evening a man appeared
at the court house for whom Mrs. Bap-
tistes attorneys had been looking ever
since the murder trial began. The man
was ready to go on the witness stand
and testify that he was witness to
the marriage, which occurred at St.
Joe. Mo. Aug. 6, 1889. The witness was
Jesse Barril, a telegraph operator, who
was a friend of Baptiste, and worked
with him in ST. Joe at the time of the
marriage The ceremony was per-
formed by justice of the peace. but
as no licenses for marriages were re-
quired in that state at that time and
records of marriages We're loosely kept
it was found impossible TO locate the
justice of the peace or discover trace
of the record, when Baptiste denied il,
although one of her attorneys went TO
st Joe and made diligent search
Mrs. Baptiste. however, remembered
two of the witnesses to the ceremony
and a search was begun for them.
Barril who had lived in Butte. disap-
peared recently, but was finally located
at Great Falls, and as soon as he
learned that he was wanted he started
for Butte. Something occurred to the
train on which he rode to delay it at
Woodville and he walked the eight
miles from that place into Butte. ar
irving at the court house about half an
hour before the jury came in with a
verdict of not guilty.
Mrs. Baptiste was oyerjoyed to see
him. although he came too late to tes-
tify in her behalf. She knew that he
could remove one of the clouds that
had been hanging over her. To a
Standard reporter Barril detailed the
circumstances of the marriage and re-
lated incidents so minutely that there
seemed to remain no reason for doubt
ing the truth of what he said. He
named several other persons who We're
present at the marriage and expressed
his astonishment that Baptste should
ever have denied it. He said he could
never understand why he did it. Rarril
was formerly employed by the Rocky
Mountain Telegraph cominny in Butte
and came to the city about the same
time the Baptistes did.
Besides Rarril there are several per-
sons in Butte to whom BaptisLe fire.
auently spoke of his marriage and re-
lated circumstances concerning IL.
When his wife decided tn institute suit
for divorce. he went TO her lawyer IL
give him some Information on which to
base the complaint and gave him the
date of the marriage. In the light Of
these facts his action in marrying the
Casino woman. frankie Bell. is the
more nexpleahe except on the ground
that he, too. was insane.