The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-08

icine. When he came back he told OF
having met a man on the way up town
who stabbed him. He did not know
who the man was, and said he thought
his assailant had mistaken him for an
other man. Witness had once asked
deceased his nationality. and he said he
was Russian Finn, but did not say
where he came from or how long he
had been in this part of the country.
Witness never heard deceased say any
thing to lead him to think he was de-
spondent or had suicidal tendencies.
Witness did hear him say frequently
that he was broke. Witness did not
take much stock in the cutting story
and limited at an impression that he had
cut himself. Witness did not see any
cut in the clothes of the deceased. Wit
ness knew him to have a knife. The
coroner stated no knife was found
among his effects. For the last few
days. in fact, frequently, the deceased
would walk up and down and act very
nervous. At times he was Eighty and
peculiar. Witness saw deceased last
Monday night after supper. He said
he was going up town to get some to-
bacco, and left the section house. He
would naturally go along the Great
Northern tracks, which would lead him
past the scene of his death.
Witness said some smoking tobacco
was found along the track and in his
opinion, deceased got his tobacco and
got back to the track as the train pass
ed and attempted to board the train
and ride up to the section house and
fell under the wheels.
Edward Gavin, section foreman by
whom deceased was employed, SAID
Harris complained of being sick. Mon
day evening at the table one of the
men related in witness hearing, the
story told by the preceding witness re-
lative to the cutting. Witness knew
nothing Of the history of the deceased.
His department while employed by the
witness was good He would frequently
lay off for sickness but witness noticed
he never missed meal and came to the
conclusion his sickness was only a whim.
Witness at times thought Harris was
little off mentally. At such times as
he would lay off he would pretend to be
sick and would always be seen reading
a bible at such times. He was, to say
the least, peculiar. Witness expressed
the opinion the cut in the breast was
inflicted by deceased himself in fit of
dependency, as he appeared very de-
spondent al dinner time.
Patrick Leehy, a section hand, had
worked with deceased. At dinner Mon
day Harris said he had gone up town
for some medicine Monday morning and
block or so from the section house
he met man who came up to him and
stabbed him and then ran. He said he
thought the man had meant to stab
some one else. He said the wound was
not serious, and he had bound it up
himself. Witness saw deceased when
he left the section house in the evening
to go for tobacco. Witness in examining
the scene of the accident yesterday
found the remains Of a new tobacco
sack which had contained the kind of
tobacco deceased smoked.
Lawrence Murphy, another section
hand, knew the deceased. All he knew
relative to the matter of the alleged
stabbing was what the other section
men had told him. Witness said de-
ceased was peculiar and he had worked
with him some times a whole day with
out hearing him speak. Witness saw
diseased at dinner Monday and he APP
peared both sickly and Respondent. Wit
ness said it was common for section
men to ride up from the station to the
section house on trains when they got
an opportunity as it saved long walk.
He thought the theory deceased had
gotten his tobacco and was trying to
catch a ride to the section house was
tenable.
Patrick Clark, section man, did not