Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-07
Verdict of COrOner's Jury in
the Murray Case.
TESTIMONY X TODAY
None of the Witnesses Saw the Fatal
Blow Struck..The Boulevard
House Scored.

Alexander Murray who was fatally stab
bed at the Boulevard house last Sunday
the following verdict this after
noon.
That the said Alexander Murray came
to his death at or about 4:3O o'clock on
January 4, 1899 at Butte, Sill
yer Bow county, Montana, from the eff
fects of prolonged surgical shock which
was the result of wounds inflicted by a
knife or other sharp instrument of a
deadly characters; that said instrument
was held in the hand of James J.. Neary;
that the said cutting was the result of al
alteration which arose between the said
Murray and the said Neary at an unlaw-
full exhibition given at a resort known as
the Boulevard house in South Montana
street on Jan. 1, 1899. and that the said
cutting was done without justifying pro-
VOCATION"
The testimony taken at the inquest at
Richards undertaking rooms this after
noon was as follows:
Con Gibbons, a miner, residing at 731
East Center street was the first witness
and testified that he was present last
sunday at tUe bUultNdIu IouSS III
Murray was cut by Neary. Witness said
that he stood on the pit where the chick
ems were fighting. He bet $40 to $40 on
one of the birds and threw it into the pit
and it was picked up by Neary. When
the fight was over Neary refused to pay
the $40 which witness thought he had
fairly lost. Witness called him a foul
name and Murray said You did bet 500
to $40 Con" Then Neary denied that he
intended to bet and Murray hit him. Wit
ness saw Neary put his hand in his pock-
ct and when the crowd separated he saw
a knife in his han A man named John
Finn was holding Neary at the time. The
blow struck by Murray made Neary's
mouth bleed. After the blow Murray was
requested to leave the room and did so.
After Neary was released by Finn he also
went out. After Neary was hit he cried
and shed tears. After Neary went out
witness remained near the pit and three
or four minutes afterwards heard of the
cutting.
VIM. Coudell a plasterer, testified that
he was in the pit handling the bird Glib
bons bet on. Did not see any blow struck.
just DIS soon DIS lIc lSlI WIS oNSl IS Z
to take off the heels. He had a room up
stairs and was IN it when Murray came
up stairs n showed how he was cut.
Witness put a vest around Murray and
took him into an adjoining room and ran
for a doctor. This was about ten min
utes after he had left the pit. He denied
that he was in the saloon when the cut
ting took place.
John O'Neill, a miner, was the next
witness and the statement was made to
him that Murray had said that witness
was drinking with him at the bar when
the trouble occurred. O'Neill denied this
and said he knew nothing of the trouble.
He said he was in the house when 1t oc-
Cured.
Edward Bishop, bartender. testified
that he did not know either Murray or
Ncary. He did not see or hear any of
the trouble in the cockpit. He was in
the saloon once but everything was quiet
while he was there. He did not see any
of the trouble. Mr.. Libby was behind
the bar with witness helping him. He
was behind the bar when the cutting
occurred, but saw nothing of it. He did
not recollect selling any drinks to Muir
ray. He saw him after he was cut. He
persisted in the statement that he neither
heard nor saw anything of the trouble.
Afterwards he admitted that he saw
some scuffling. He saw two men in the
position of s%crapping and then one of
them went out. Witness was so busy
serving drinks that he did not pay any
attention to it. They were sparring. He
heard no remarks made by the crowd
afterwards. He recollected seeing a child
but did not see Mr.. Aitken pick it up. He
said in answer to a question that he did
not see any knife and that he did not tell
anybody afterwards that he saw a knife.
r,-- mr. NV ~ of fIo s,,ror
the witness said that he knew Mr.. Aitken
but could not tell whether or not he was
talking to one of the principals in the
cutting scrape. The only reason witness
took notice of Aitken was because he
was getting money from him for the
drinks. The jurors We're not satisfied
with the statement of witness that he
was within a few feet of the cOmbatants
and still knew nothing about it. Witness
said that all he was attending to was
business and did not care whether men
fought or not. He said he served Mr..
Aitken, but paid no attention to the man
he was drinking with. AS far as witness
could judge the trouble occurred between
6 and 7 o'clock.
Edmund Lebbe, barkeeper at the Boule-
ward house, testified that he was on duty
Sunday evening and saw two men
clinching. He did not know who started
it. 1t was done so quick and then they
paIteu iuiChly. ne ulu not KNOW lnal
any cutting had been done until some
one asked if there was a doctor in the
house. He noticed that Murray went up
stairs and the other man go out the front
door. After they asked for a doctor wit
ness asked what the matter was and was
told that Murray had been cut. Witness
did not see any knife. He did not see
any blows struck. Neary did not run.
He turned away and walked out. After
the trouble he heard that one of the mel!
had been cut. He did not hear any one
say that they saw the cutting. Every