The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-10

cinct about 4:30 o'clock yesterday
morning. and Dennis O'Lesry. the spe-
cial deputy sheriff appointed to keep
order at the polls. was seriously wound
ed by two masked men. who entered
the booth while the counting of the
ballots was going on and commanded
all present to throw up their lands
Brave Dennis O'Leary promptly grap-
pied with the leader. An instant later
he was wounded in the shoulder, and
Jack Day. who had arisen to come to
his assistance. received a mortal
wound. Both men made good their es-
cape and the authorities have been un-
able to procure any clue to their iden-
titX.
The motive for the awful crime was
first given out alphabetically by par
ties believed to have been interested. as
as robbery. but It is the belief Of the
majority Of those who were in the
booth at the time. as well as of almost
everybody else. that the deed was a
dastardly attempt to prevent the cleo
ton Of the democratic ticket by steal
ing the ballots of one of the strongest
democratic precincts in the county.
Immediately after the shooting the
Sisters hospital ambulance was sum-
moned and both of the wounded sent to
the hospital. but Daily expired before
the hospital was reached. The vote I'm
precinct Nc s had been very heavy and
the canvas of the ballots was neces-
ca rilV Slnxy and tadianS Co pat,.h in
terest was manifested in the result
that even at the time of the shooting.
nearly two dozen people still fingered
in the booth. There were the judges,
Eugene Sullivan, Jerry Sullivan. John
Shugrow, James Ford n Andy Hig-
gins. who sat about a table i'm the en-
ter of the small temporary board struc-
ture which had been erected just north
of the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific
tracks directly west of the Never Sweat
mine. to be used as a polling place.
Lawrence Daily and CharIes Foley. the
clerks, kept tally at another table
close by. Jack DAILY. the murdered
man, and a brother of Lawrence DAILY,
the clerk. with F.. f. Castle, was en-
gagged in checking the clerks. Dennis
O'Leary, the special deputy sheriff.
lounged on a bench not far from the
entrance to the booth. IN several 9TH
ers. including a umbe of boys. were
gathered about the stove. This was the
situation when the murderous raid VAS
made. No N dreamed of impending
danger. and as the judges and clerks
were excessively fatigued. the work
was going rather lazily. when suddenly
the entrance door opened m framed
the figure of a man in the black back
ground. In each hand he held a pistol.
pointed at the group within. In harsh
tones he commanded,
Throw up you hands, you d"
Those within were so taken by sur
prise that no one obeyed on the instant.
and again came h stern command:
Throw up your hands, you d, or
I'll kill you
In that brief interval the first man
had move slowly forward and a sec
ond man entered also carrying a brace
of guns. AS the leader uttered his COM
mands, he moved slowly but steadily
forward in the direction of the ballot
box.
Special Detective O'Leary was first
to act. He thought he OWNED the pur-
pose of the intruders and springing to
his feet he grasped the first conner by
the throat. O'Leary is a man of extra
ordinary muscular development and
few men can cop with him in a physi-
cal encounter. II took but an instant
therefore to force his man to the floor.
The gun dropped from the mans hand.
II Jack DAILY who started to go to
O'Leary's assistance had been as eX-
peditious as O'Leary he probably would
not have been killed. n the precious
pair would doubtless have been bsgged.
Unfortunately however. his wits did not
seem to have worked a rapidly as
O'Leary's and when he rose to advance
on the second man. that worthy began
to blaze away. His first shot he aimed
at O'Leary who was still struggling
with his antagonist on the ground. The
ball entered O'Leary's left shoulder and
shattered the collar bone. disabling
him and causing him to fall back. Des-
perado number two then turned his gun
on lack DAILY who in another instant
would have been upon him. The second
shot struck DAILY in the abdomen. He
staggered against the side of the booth
clasping his hands over his wound and
exclaiming: Boys. I'm hit
BY this time the desperadoes had the
place to themselves. All the others
within fell to the ground and IL was
well they did so for a third bullet went
flying over the spot where the group
had been and buried itself in the wall.
Then the leader picked up his gun and
the pair backed out the door and van
ished in the darkness. All hands were
so COMPOUNDED with the s~uddenness
and desperate nature or the attack that
they did not recover their senses for a
minute or two and by the time there
was no use of attempting to follow, I'm
fact. not one of the party was armed.
not even Deputy OfLeary. for he had
gone to the polls in the morning TO vote
and had there been requested to serve
as a deputy and was sworn in and for
that eason was unarmed. and without
being armed. no one had my business
following two such desperate criminals.
When the men had gone. Lawrence
DAILY ran TO his brothers side. who was
still leaning against the wall. writing
in agony. The unfortunate fellow was
laid or the ground nea the stove.
O'Leary and one of the number hurried
to a telephone and summoned the am
bulance from the Sisters hospital. Be
fore IL arrived. DAILY gasped: Boys
I'm killed" and never spoke again al
though ne lived till the ambulance
came and die on the way to the hos
pital.