The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-04
HE WILL STAND TRIAL
"Hot Water Slim" Must Face q
Jury
FOR ALLEGED ROBBERY
He Is Accused of Participation in the
Attempt to Holdup the Copper
State Saloon-Given Pre-
liminary Hearing.

| Tom Moore, who when travelling as a
capitalist, poses as James G. Fair, but
VINO is commonly known among the
fraternity of crooks as Hot Water
SLIM" will stand trial in the district
court for alleged participation in the
! attempt to hold up the Copper State
saloon at the corner of Arizona and
Platinum streets on Christmas morn
ing. He was bound over at the con-
clusion of his preliminary hearing by
Justice Nichols yesterday afternoon.
| 1t will be remembered that two men
attempted to hold up the Copper State
| saloon Christmas morning, but the at
tempt was frustrated by Police Off
GER David Laughlin, who had most
desperate encounter with the robbers.
One of the hold-ups, Patrick Quinn, was
captured and is now in the peniten-
! tiary for 20 years. His partner got
| away. slim" was suspected among
| others, and in the work of the officers
| on the case it was found he and a side
partner had passed as James G. Fair
| and j. w. Mackay, the names of two
California millionaires. 1t was also
| found Slim Went to the house on
| Christmas morning and when he had
+
! ed with blood. He was later found in
a Dublin gulch boarding house with a
bullet hole in his leg. All these facts
were brought out in evidence and went
far toward strengthening the probable
| ity of guilt
his own case. He displayed quite
marked familiarity with court room
ethics, and craftly refrained from ask
| ing anything but unimportant ques-
| tions in cross examining the witnesses,
| to avoid bringing out damaging an
swers. He did not put in a defense,
| but merely moved, lawyer-lke, for a
dismissal at the submission Of the
states case, saying he did not think
a case had been made. Chief Deputy
County Attorney Stivers conducted the
| prosecution.
Andrew Howard, one of the two
swampers. said he was at work clean
| ing up the saloon when two masked
men came in and held him and his
partner up, and one of the two went
| behind the bar and opened the cash
| register The witness was asked if
he had any opportunity to see the faces
| of the robbers, and he said they pass
! ed very close to him couple of times.
! Witness had seen the defendant in the
| county attorneys office. He was the
same size and build as one Of the rob-
! bers, but witness was not sure that
he was the man. Witness saw the
robbers hair, and it had the appear
ance Of having been sprinkled with
| something. He wore long dark coat,
an overcoat or Prince Albert. Wit
ness said the defendant resembled the
| robber who got away.
| J. E. Ledford, proprietor Of the Cop
| per State saloon, was next called. He
| stated that the amount Of money taken
| from the cash register amounted to IS
n1. stoir thn
| saloon. He ran down when the alarm
| was given. AS he reached the saloon
bullet whizzed through the door from
| the inside.
E. P. Meyers, the second swamper at
work at the time of the hold-up, said
| he saw the two robbers. He tried to
get good opportunity to see the men,
and was able to identify Quinn, but
the tall man was so disguised that
he could not be positive as to his iden-
tity. The tall mans overcoat was a
dark brown and his hat an old fash
Toned derby, very much soiled. The
trousers were short and rather tight.
Witness saw the defendant in the coun-
ty attorneys office at the time of his
arrest and examined him. He looked
very much like the tall robber He
could not say positively however, that
the defendant was the man. After the
defendant had cross-examned the wit
ness, Mr.. Stivers asked if his voice
| sounded like that of the robber. The
witness replied he could not remember.
Police officer David Laughrin, who
interrupted the hold-up, told the fol-
| lowing graphic story of the desperate
affair: 'On Christmas morning I was
at the corner of Arizona and Plati-
mum streets I saw two men on Plat
mum street. They crossed over to the
junction of Arizona street and Utah
avenue. They looked around and
crossed back to the corner of Platinum
and Arizona, the Copper State saloon.
about Is feet. The short man whis-
tied to his partner who crossed Plat
mum to the side door of the saloon
Then they adjusted their Masks"
Witness saw the men without their
masks on at a distance of the width
faces very distinctly, but they apper-
ed to have a weeks growth of beard.
When they put on their masks they
each took out a gun. They then went
along the street to the front door of
the saloon, the tall man in the lead.
They opened the door and went in.
The tall man threw UP his gun and
told those inside to throw up their
hands. The tall man went across the
saloon and got the swampers in line.
then followed them in with my gun in
my hand, and on getting inside I fired
d SIlOl III the all ana lOlu Lnen TO sur
render. The tall man replied, and the
bullet knocked my cap off. After sew
eral more shots had been fired the
robbers got out
Replying to questions, the witness
said the tall man Wore a dark over
coat with the collar turned up, his hat
pulled down, and he wore mask over
the lower part of the face. Both men
fired shots at witness. From the build
and general appearance of the tall man
the witness said the defendant COM
pared very closely with the taller of
the two robbers. Witness fired four
shots, three at the robbers and one
as a signal for help. He did not know
that he hit either of them. AS near
as witness could remember the tall
man fired six shots.
Sam H. Harris, who was on duty
as bartender at the time Of the hold
up, said between So and 50 was taken
from the cash register Witness saw
hn two hn Tha