The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-26
BUTTE News.
IN THE JURY'S HANDS
Conclusion of the Case Against
Herrison and Nelson.
A SENSATIONAL FEATURE
Chief Deputy County Attorney Connolly
Makes a Startling Address TO the
Jury-Defends Himself Against
Aspersions of the Court.

The trial OF Gus Nelson and Martin
Herrison on the charge of attempting
to murder a fellow countryman. Gus
Johnson. on the evening of the 9th OF
last December was concluded yester-
day. and the case is now in the hands
of the jury. At . O'Clock this morning
they had not agreed. after having been
out nine hours and half
The proceedings at the trial were re-
markable in one respect and highly
sensational in another. The remark
able feature was the alibi testimony OF
more than a score of witnesses who, AT
) and o'clock on the 9th of December,
all took particular observations ana
made mental notes of the exact time.
They had no particular reason for doing
SO. but they did. and never forgot ii.
The sensational part of the case was
Chief Deputy County Attorney Connol-
Tvs address to the jury in which he
took the opportunity 10 resent in vigor-
Gus language some of the aspersions
cast upon his conduct by the court dur
ing the progress of the trial.
when the trial was resumed yester-
day morning Mr.. Connolly stated that
his missing witness, Charles d.
Wright, could not be found and the
sheriff had returned from Basin with
out him. The case for the state was
therefore closed, and the defense called
about % witnesses to prove an abb
for the two defendants.
Gus Nelson one of the defendants,
was the first witness for the defense.
He testified that in the afternoon of
Dec. 9 he was playing cards in a saloon
AT the corner of Park and Wyoming
streets and did not leave the place be-
tween oclock and 10 minutes after 3
in the evening. From there he went
TO his boarding house with Emil An
derson and had supper, and hair an
hour later went with the same Ander-
son to the postoffice and then walked
out to Granite and Washington streets
TO see some one with whom he had an
appointment but she was not at home.
and he then returned to his boarding
house.
aDid you see Gus Johnson that
night"
Il never saw him."
Did you have any trouble with
him?"
Il did not"
Did you ever have any trouble with
him?"
mo"
Were you always friendly with
him?''
Always was"
Did you have any trouble with Mrs.
Johnson asked Mr. Connolly on
DISCRIMINATION
Not any trouble that / would con-
slider
Did you have some trouble over a
bill just before this AFFAIR."
Yes"
Nelson said Mrs. Johnson had gar
nisheed his wages for a board bill. Mel
son had a birthday two days before
and he took layoff for week to cele-
brate IL. He said the first he knew of
the location where the assault took
place was when a boy in jail told him
that he had found Johnson's dinner
bucket at the corner of Second and
George streets The saloon in which
Nelson played cards was formerly the
notorious Clipper Shades, but is now
known as the Mountain Home. The
clock indicated that 1t was 6'10 O'Clock
when he left the place. That cl5ek
like the famous viii house timepiece
he afterward learned, was 10 minutes
fast He said he did not know Henri
son well and did not see him on that
day at all. He had not seen Johnson
since some time in August.
Albert Holman proprietor of the
Mountain Home, testified that Nelson
was in the saloon about two hours and
a half and left at about 6:15 o'clock in
the evening.
Chris Berthol testified that he left
the saloon with Nelson and he OBJ
served the time by his own watch. al
though at the preliminary examination
he said he knew the time by the fact
that the Parrot whistle blew about
that time.
rs IL not a fact that you afterward
learned that the Parrot whistle did not
blow at all that night?" asked Mr.
Connolly.
mo, / don't know If she blew OF
not"
The witness talked so fast and jun
bled that Stenographer Wilson had tc
protest.
is this man talking English ol