Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-23
He Tells All About the Trouble
Between
0'CONNOR AND HIMSELF
Says the Man He Killed Was Superior
to Him In Size and
Strength.

When the Shadwell trial was resumed
in Judge Clancy's court this morning
Bert Hammer was called to the stand.
He said he was in Kelly & Egan's saloon
before the trouble etwee O'Connor and
Shadwell came up, but left because he
was afraid h would get into trouble.
O'Connor was drunk and inviting a
fracas by calling various persons vile
names.
He reached over,' said the witness,
"and caught one of the card players by
the nose and pulled It,"
On cross-examination Hammer said
he had known Shadwell 10 or IL years;
knew him when he was dealing faro
in the old Arcade. Hammer further
said he himself was a miner by occupa-
ton. but liked to play poker once in a
while. He had found, however, that
there We're men that could play at the
game better han he could. Either on
the night before the tragedy or two
nights previous he had met O'Connor
near the Owsley block and had been in
vited over to Kelly & Egan's to take a
hand in the game. Witness asked h
played in the game and O'Connor told
him. He mentioned the name of Shad-
well, and added in connection with it
that he intended to stop him from play
ing there: hat he would request him to
stop, and if he did not comply he would
take a chair and beat him to death with
it. The witness was not sure whether
O'Connor used the expression beat him
to death or beat him over the head"
rs it not a fact" asked Mr.. Connolly,
that O'ConnOr told you that Shadwell
was a gun fighter. and a cheater at cards
and that was Why he would take a chair
to him."
mo: he gaVe no reason for Saying he
would use the chair"
Hammer further said he was Al years
old and had come from Texas to Butte
in 1882. He was a brother of Jack Ham
mer. formerly a Butte policeman.
Were you ever convicted of a felony %
asked the county attorney.
"Well-um-nO."
What do you mean by saying well"
and then 'no?'"
II was arrested once in this city for
playing poker"
The testimony given by Jake Barrett
at the first trial was read by the stenog-
rapher, as Barrett was not in court to-
day. 1t related principally to the trou-
BILE between O'Connor and Shadwell at
the card table.
George smedley of Anaconda testified
that he was present when the play came
III between O'Connor and Shadwell. The
former, he said, had been losing money
and was not feeling any too well. He
cursed various persons and finally, when
it came to Shadwell's turn to deal, he
said:
lob. - - you if you don't shuttle
them cards right I'll break your head
with a chair. I'll fix you so tina you
will not be worth while to look att"
ShadWell. said Smedley, made no re-
ply, but played on and by and by left
the room.
Il recollect that on one occasion O'Con-
nor said he woul pull someone's nose.
He was very abusive"
The balance of Smedley's testimony
did not differ materially from that given
by the other witnesses.
John Albright: said he had followed the
business of gambling about Is years.
The last work he had done in that line
wa two or three ear ago, when he
dealt stud poker in the Fitschen block.
lie had seen Conn on the morning of
the killing. He was thinking and quar-
reling with others.
Following Albright came shadwell
himself. He modestly admitted he was
the defendant in the case.
Il knew oConnor usually about a
Year prior to January II, 1885, said he.
along about January 8 or 8 1 was in
Kelly & Egan's saloon. O'Connor and
others were there. We were playing
cards. Slim was dealing. We had all
Clipped into the pot. l asked Slim if
/ should cut the cards. l reached over
and just as I did so O'Connor said YOU
or I'll kill you!' l said anyone can cut
the cards. and as I said that an out
slider stepped up and cut. Slim won
the pot. and after / lost what money
had I LEFT the game"