The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-18

| man standing by Mrs. Kirby's fence
| had gun in his hand and Santi saw
| 1t. He told the men to show them
| selves and he was reviled and cursed
| by his noisy visitors. He saw they
were drunk. and to protect himself
| went back and got a gun and then re-
! turned to the door. He fired one shot
into the air to frighten the men away
! and also to call the police. Then came
a shot from across the way from the
| direction of the man standing by Mrs.
| kirby's fence. Then a man grappled
with him and tried to get his gun. In
| the scuff1e a shot was fired whether
| from his own gun or from that of the
man across the way, he does not know.
| But even if he did shoot the man down
he was justified under the circum-
| stances, and if it was an accident he
| should go free.
| With this preface the defense called
| the defendant, Jim Santi. to the stand
| Felix F. Castellano of Butte was sworn
and acted as interpreter. Santi, for the
| first time during the trial, appeared
| nervous. His feet and hands were busy
| throughout the examination and he fire.
quently changed his position in the
| chair, a marked contrast to the almost
stolid Indifference which had marked
his demeanor during the preceding
part of the trial Speaking a dialect
of Southern Italy. he had some diff
Guilty in understanding the pure Italian
| of the interpreter and his answers We're
at times confused and wide of the
point. Frequently questions had to be
| put to him three times before the prop
er answer would be given, and again
| he would start off in flood of imma
| terial explanation. Upon the whole
| his answers We're readily given and he
stuck to his story throughout
In reply to interrogations by Mr.. Oles.
| Santi said he was born in Italy and
| had been in this country u years, seven
of which had been passed in Anaconda.
| The evening of the tragedy he came
| home at about 9 o'clock. That even
| ing, a friend. Antoine France came in
and stayed a few minutes. He said he
| had no trouble with Lille that night
except that he was vexed that she had
not cooked his meals for him.
A few minutes before II o'clock
while lying on the bed--he had been
drinking-he heard loud knocking on
the door. He got up, went to the door
| and asked who was there and asked
them to come in. In reply he was
called vile names, "a - - - -
of dago.' He was afraid and got a
revolver. He feared the men intended
| to rob him. as he had $50 in the house.
He opened the door and looked out
and saw two men, one on each side,
| and at some little distance from the
door. He then stepped outside and
fired a shot into the air in order to
brighten off the men and also to call
for assistance and the police. Immedi-
ately after that one of the men grabbed
his hand and tried to wrest the re-
volver from him. The other man was
standing by Mrs. Kirby's cabin with a
revolver in his hand and Santi heard
shot which seemed to come from that
direction and which was fired while the
other man was graphing with him. He
would not state for positive fact
which revolver was discharged. 1t
might have been the one in his own
| hand that the other man was trying to
get hold of. Then the man fell and the
man standing near Mrs. Kirby's cabin
ran away.
Santi said he went into the house and
put the revolver on the bed. He was
greatly excited and Immediately start
| ed for Butte. He walked part of the
way and finally reached his friend
house. where he was arrested while in
bed. He went to bed Immediately upon
his arrival, as he was very tired and
was also under the influence of liquor.
TN relation to Mis- conversation with
Officer Leyden, he said he told him he
came from Anaconda, but nothing more
that he could remember. He had nc
recollection of talking with any one
4 while in Jail and was positive that he
did not admit that he killed Hamilton
He was soon afterwards brought tC
Anaconda and has been kept in prison
ever since He remembered being taker
to the hospital by Under Sheriff Nor.
gan and Deputy Sheriff DAILY and also
remembered seeing Hamilton. Never
knew him before and had no idea who
was standing by Mrs. kirby's fence
| when the shooting took place 1t was
too dark to see distinctly but he coult
see that the man was tall and wore al
OVercOat.
Upon further Interrogation he denied
that he was jealous of Title Carr, ant
stated In addition shat he was a either
OF the United States and had never
been in trouble before
county Attorney Duffy subjected tn,
defendant to a searching cross-exami
nation. He made him account, will
some difficulty, for every moment of hi.
time during the evening, night anc
next day. He brought out after som,
hesitancy the fact that Tillie Carr wa.
his mistress in addition to being hi,
cook.
Tracing his journey ito Butte. SAINT
said he walked that night to a deserted
CABIN beside the B., A. G. P. track
about eight miles from Anaconda. 1
was bitterly cold, but he slept there TO
several hours without blankets and hat
hothnS no eat. He went to Gregsol
When he woke up and boarded an empt,
freight car, in which he went to Butt
and to his friends:
In reply to a question from Mr.. Duffy
ne denied that he knew Wider and tina
ne talked with him in the Anacond,
JAN. He said he knew no one in tn
alley, in which he had lived for onl.
three months. He had never Spoken
to Wider nor did he know Hamilton
even by sight
AT the time Of the shooting the rea
son he did not notify the authorities
was because he was excited and drunk
He recognized the revolver and ac
knowledged it as the one he used on tn
night in question, but denied that h.
hid it in the bed.
When asked why he covered up hi
head when discovered in Butte, he sim
ply said that he was resting himself.
Felix F. Castellano, who acted as in
terpreter for Santi, was then placed up
on the stand. In reply to a question
| from hp hat