The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-12

The notorious gambler. hop fiend, and
sure-thing man, Bob Shadwel, started
a day of fatalism in Butte early yes
terday morning with the shooting to
death of Martin j. O'Connor, in a poker
room, in the rear of the White Metal
saloon, in East Park street. Ii was as
cold-blooded a killing as the one which
followed later in the day, or in fact, as
ever occurred in Montana, being utterly
without n mitigating circumstance to
justify the murderer. who took O'Con-
nor's life simply because he was not
| allowed to cheat in a game of cards
which was in progress in poker room
conducted by O'Connor The murderer
was overpowered before he could leave
the place and his gun taken from him.
\ moment later the police arrived and
the murderer taken into custody. He is
now safely confined in the county JAIL
Red" O'Connof. as the murdered
man was commonly known, conducted
poker room in the rear of the White
Metal saloon, run by p. Nj. Kelly and
}. NJ. Eagan at No. 10 East Park street
Night before last. or more properly.
early yesterday morning. he was him
self sitting in game Of stud poker in
which the other players We're Shadwell,
Nj. *. Johnson and Fred Shaenbeen or
Black Fred as the latter is generally
known. OConnor caught Shadwel
passing johnson, his side partner a
card. and informed him he would have
to play square if he expected to con-
| tinue in the game. Accounts differ
somewhat with regard to just what was
said. some saying O'Connor threatened
to hit Shadwell over the head with
chair ii he caught him cheating again,
and others that he merely told Shadwell
| to play square or he would have to quit
| the game. Whichever is the fact, the
/ 1rnnna6 ha if1a.a hntY a
| the game progressed as usual for some
! time until O'Connor again caught Shad-
well cheating, and told him he could
not play any longer, at the same time
instructing Henry Hathwell, an assist
| anr, to cash Shadwells chips.
| As O'Connor said this ShadweIl
| jumped up and left the room. leaving
his stacks of chips on the table. He
was in high dudgeon. and Joseph
| Clancy who was one of the onlookers
in the room, walked out to the bar
! where number of men We're drinking,
| and remarked that it looked very much
| as though there was going to be a
! shooting scrape. Kelly, one of the pro-
! prietorS of the saloon, who was on duty
| tending bar, observed that Red" should
| close his game if he could not run it
without quarreling. No one appeared
| to pay much attention to the matter.
! however, and had apparently forgotten
! all about it. when Shadwell came back
/ q few minutes later.
II was at this time. about five min
! utes OF O'Clock in the morning. Shad-
| well passed through the saloon. which
j is separated from the gambling room
/ by set of double doors, and going di-
| rect to his old place at the BILE took
| his seat and called for hand. He kept
/ his right hand constantly inside of the
| waistband at the front of his trousers
| but. singularly enough. no one paid any
| attention to it.
| When Shadwell called for hand.
| O'Connor told him he could not, play in
! the game any more. 1t was quite APP
| parent that Shadwell. who had. a dose
| of hop in him, was looking for trouble.
| for he saatehed the deck from the man
next him, who was dealing. and started
| to deal himself. O'Connor had cashed
| in Shadwell's chips during his absence
| and now handed him the $50 they called
/ for.
| AT the same time he reached for the
! cards. As he did SO. Shadwell's hand.
| which had been withdrawn when he
! snatched the cards, went swiftly to the
/ Waistband of his trousers again and
drawing 45-caliber Colts sx-shooter,
/ he poked the muzzle in O'Connors
| face and fired O'Connur was stand
/ ing up, and Shadwell got to his feet
! just as he fired which put him in such
| position that the ball entering at the
| right of the lower jaw, ranged up and
/ lodged in the brain.
oConnor fell on his face on the floor
and never moved. and the crowd of 20
or 50 men who We're in the little room
fe2ring the hop-crazed fiend would fol-
| low his first shot With a general fusi-
/ lade. made d stampede for the doors,
/ between the gambling room and saloon.
! thus for the time being cutting off the
murderers escape As they crowded
| through the door they yelled that Red
| had been shot. BY the time they had all
! that was by this time assembled there.
/ gathered their senses and started 10 in
/ tercept the murderer. At this instant
] ShadWell appeared in the doorway. and
/ Thomas Brady shouting. Here's the
/ man." grabbed the pistol which Shad-
well still carried in his hand. The MUIR
derer eIung Ia the gun. but Brady held
the hand so that the weapon pointed to
the floor and Martin MaeDougall caught
/ ShadWell by the throat and forced him
| into corner As he did So Charles Nc
| Gowan took the gun out of the murder
] er's hand.
While all this was going on Propri
+ etor Kelly jumped over the bar. and
running 10 the street door, blew police
/ whistle. Patrolman Peter Handiin
CHANGED to be entering a restaurant
next door 10 the saloon and hearing the
shot. started for the saloon, reaching
+ the door just as Kelley blew his whistle
I In word Kelley explained the situa-
ton that a killing had occurred and
/ ShadNell had done il. officer HandIin
1 entered quickly and took shadWetI in
+ charge. He took the gun from MeGow-
an and started for the city jail with his
prisoner, Entering the jail alley they
met Captain Dawson and Sergeant
+ Buchanan. the former turning back
with Officer Handlin and Sergeant Blu
chanan proceeding TO IN. saloon Wher+
the murder had occurred 10 secure the
Z witnesses and get their statements