The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-23
Witness Riedel Told the Story Of
the Tragedy.
KICKED HIM IN THE FACE
The Hammer Placed in Evidence-Pur-
cell Outlines the Defense Carson
Insists That the Attack Was
unprecedented.
Special Dispatch to the Standard.

I
called. Testified that he was barkeeper
at Wahle's saloon, where the murder oc-
Cured. He and Phil Smith were in the
| saloon when Dahlman and John Berg
man came in; they went to the bar and
| Dahlman asked Smith to join them in a
| drink. AS they stood at the bar Carson
came in the front door, walked back of
| them, started back towards the door,
| then turned, and coming back behind
Dahlman, placed his left hand on Dahl
| mans shoulder and with his right hand
took something from his pocket; it looked
| like a hammer wrapped in a handkerchief
| or cloth. Carson said to Dahlman: you
| round-headed Swede $ b., you will hire
some one to whip me, will your at the
same time striking Dahlman two blows
on the top of the head with the weapon.
| Dahlman fell to the floor as a result of
| the blows, and as he lay the floor Car
son came up and kicked him in the face;
| also gave other details concerning the at
| fair.
| Defendants attorneys. on cross-exami-
nation, tried to get witness to testify that
| Carson also said to Dahlman: You will
| talk about my wife and sisters will you?"
| but witness denied that such a statement
| was made.
| John Bergman then testified as to the
| mode and circumstances of the attack
| substantially related by Riedel.
| Philip Fl. Smith. the third of the wit
! nesses to the tragedy, testified substan-
| TALLY the same the others regarding
| the attack. The hammer claimed to have
| been used by Carson brought into
court tp
| how it was held in Carsons hand, how it
| was wrapped, the manner in which the
| blows were struck and how witness took
hold of the weapon while it was in Car
sons hand. Witness was sure it was a
| hammer that part of the wrapping came
off and he the claw end of the ham
mer: it appeared to be a blacksmiths
hammer; looked like the one exhibited in
court.
The testimony of the three men who
| saw the affair was substantially the same
| and was unbroken by the defense
! The next witness was Tracy Blair Was
in VOTERS saloon, near Wahle's. Carson
came in and told him that he was going
| to settle that matter with Dahlman; he
| then went out the back door Of the
| loon and was gone about five minutes;
returned by back door: took off his over
| shoes and went out of front door; came
| back in about 10 minutes and said to
| WITNESS. NOW 80 anu look at your
Swede friend and see if you know him.
Defense endeavored to show that wit
| ness. Blair had been hired by Dahlman to
| whip Carson. Witness testified that on
| the evening before the crime was COM
| mitted he around town with Dahl
man, Bergen and Barteau: that Dahlman
had asked him to go with him and see
! that he wasn't whipped; Blair agreed to
do so, and afterwards told Carson of the
conversation.
Blair was on the witness stand at the
adjournment of court Friday evening.
On resumption of the trial this morn
ing Witness Blair, was asked a few ques-
tons and was followed by Al Riedel, who
testified as to the nature of Dahlman's
wounds and being with the deceased from
the time of his being brought to the doc
tors office until the time of his death.
Brush Beckwth was called and testi-
fled as to a previous quarrel between
Carson and Dahlman. Questioning was
begun also as to Dahlman's having
bought a revolver from the Gaffney Mer-
camille company but this will probably
be gone into more fully by the defense.
F. N. Smith testified that he saw Car
son come out of Wahles saloon and that
he was wiping his hands with handker-
chief; that he went to the rear of Wolter's
saloon; that next morning witness and
Wolters found. partly buried in a snow
drift back of Wolters place, a hammer.
which he then identified This hammer
was then offered by the prosecution in
evidence, but was resisted by the defense
on the ground that it had not been sufti-
GENTLY identified by the prosecution as the
instrument, if any, with which Carson
dealt the blows which caused Dahlman's
death, and that it had not been traced
to the ownership or possession of de-
fendant Motion to allow the hammer to
go to the jury as an exhibit in the case
was not allowed.
B. E. Barteau testified to having had a
conversation with Carson in which de-
PENDANT said that he expected to have a
fight with Dahlman: that he had armed
himself with a slungshot, revolver and
a razor. and that he expected to win the
fight. The night before the tragedy Car
son said that he intended to whip Dahl
man: witness advised him not to do So
and he said he wouldn' THAT night.
Here the state rested and Attorney
Purcell, in his opening statement to the
jury outlined what they intended to
prove: that enmity existed between the
men; that Dahlman had made threats
not only towards defendant. but towards
his family and relatives: had carried a
gun for the purpose of shooting defend
ant: that there had been a controversy
between them regarding mining claims;
that there had been law suits in which |
Carson and his relatives were Interested !
citing the case wherein Mrs. Hungate sued
Dahlman for Nellie Doherty's board while |
defendant was one of the partners in the !
operation of the Gray Eagle mine: also |
cited the case of Nellie Doherty against |
Dahlman for breach of promise, in which |
she obtained damages: claimed that Car |
son went into the saloon. not to have |
trouble with Dahlman, but for another |
purpose: that he spoke to Dahlman, who |
thereupon made a motion with his hand |
towards his pocket, as If to draw a gun, |
whereupon defendant struck him, the de- |
Tense thus setting up a plea of self-de- |
Tense and attempting to bring in miti- |
eating circumstances.
The witnesses called and sworn for the |
defense were Frank Carson, Peter VOL !
colt George Dunn, William Wolters, w. |
H. Concannon, Mrs. Hulda Hungate. Mrs. |
Kate Carson, Dan Curry, Theo. Ham, |
John Mulligan. G. R. Hardesty, Mrs. Har- |
desty, Joseph Crosier, James Fought and |
Frank Happ1