The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-16
IFS CASE IS CONCLUDED.
State Rests in the Trial Of
Joseph shafer.
THE DEFENSE OUTLINED
An Attempt to Prove Good Reputation
for the Defendant and a Hard
Name for the Muir
dered Man.

Good progress has been made in the
trial of Joe Shafer for the murder of
John Hawkins. The state concluded its
case in chief yesterday and the defense
was trying to prove a good reputation
for Shafer and a hard name for Haw-
Sins when court adjourned for the day.
The attorneys for the defendant also
promised the jury to prove that Shafer
did not kill Hawkins at ALL
The state had DR.. Hammond and DR..
to the nature Of the wound which killed
Hawkins.
Henry Johnson and Charles Fortune
testified about the shooting which &C.
Cured in the Swim saloon on East Ca
lena street on the 18th of August, 1897.
w. A. Garrett related the circum-
stances leading up to the murder in the
Swim saloon. He said Shafer and Eva
Smith and Al Ford were standing at
the end of the bar near the ice box when
Hawkins came in. There were about
20 other colored persons in the saloon.
Hawkins entered and walked about half
way up along the bar, when Shafer
CaIHp out 1IDfH Ills corner ana met nm.
and placed a gun against his body and
fired.
The state produced a new witness in
George Russell, known among the col
ored people as Face" Russell testified
that about an hour and a half before
the murder he was out at Adams gar
den, where the colored people We're hav-
ing dance, and saw some trouole there
between Shafer and Hawkins. Mr.
Wines objected to any testimony about
that affair as being too remote The
court admitted the testimony for the
purpose of showing malice on the part
Of Shafer and for no other purpose. Rus
sell then said that Shafer and four or
five other men We're jumping on Eaw-
kins and he got away from them and
ran out of the dance hall, and Shafer
fired shot after him.
rs it not a fact that you went out to
the gardens with the Hawkins gang
with the intention of taking the girls
away from the other boys and the row
started over that?" asked Mr. Wines
mo, sir; don't know what started
the trouble"
Were you witness in the case
against Hawkins in which he was
charged with having stabbed man?"
No, sir"
Were you a witness against him in a
case where he was charged with break
ing the leg of messenger boy?"
No, sir.'' '' FL
Mr.. Connolly objected to that line of
questions and said It was done only
for the purpose of getting IMPROPER mat
tiers before the jury The court sus-
tanned the objection. The testimony of
Russell closed the case for the state.
Mr.. Wines made a statement to the
il1p 1i,,i,, Il
firmly believed and expected to show
that Shafer was in such a position, in
such hole, where the law did not re-
quire him to remain and be killed Haw-
kins was a big burly negro, and evil
IDENTIFY came from race that wore the
skulls of their own children as watch
charms. He was a burly, overbearing
bully While, on the tother hand. there
was not quieter or more peaceable
man in town than Joe Shafer Hawkins
went into that saloon looking for Shafer
with the intention of beating him to
death. Shafer knew that if he was
caught in the corner where he was he
would be killed, and he therefore came
out and met Hawkins, who was the ag-
gressor Mr.. Wines also said that as a
second defense it would be shown that
Shafer never did kill Hawkins at all,
but. he did not outline the nature of
that defense. -
Agnes Smith. woman from the bad
lands of Anaconda, who was 50 thor
oughly bleached and so thickly painted
that her real color could not be deter
mined, was the first witness for the de-
Tense. She said she had several CONVEX
sations with Annie Dougherty, other
wise known as John L. Sullivan, a wit
ness for the state, and that Dougherty
told her she was in the Shafer case for
the money there was in it, and she
didn't care whether Shafer was hung
or nn'.
G. P. Smith and Frank Daniels, col
ored, testified that they had known
Shafer and Hawkins both and that the
character of the former was good and
that of Hawkins bad.
Matt Lewis also testified to the good
of Shafer and the bad reputa-
ton of Hawkins. The defendants
other witnesses failed to show up and
the trial was continued until this morn
ing.