The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-31
ANACONDA NEWS.
THE HAM|L TON INQUEST
Cornor's Jury Inquiries Into the
Cause of Death.
sTILLIE CARR'S EVIDENCE
! The Woman Makes Some Statements
II That Appear to Be Very Damaging
q to Santi-How the Shooting
Occurred.
sTILLIE CARR'S EVIDENCE

The inquest on the body of Rober
Hamilton, who died on Saturday after.
snoon at ST. AIMS hospital from
wounds which James Santi is accused OF
Shaving inflicted, was held yesterday
Eafternoon before Coroner Hardenbrook,
sin Judge Kennedy's court room. The
ajury was composed of George Elston, J.
VI. Flick, c. H. Tracey, w. C. Haynes,
4Dave Evans and r. n Gibson.
& Five witnesses were examined, the
s most important of whom was Tillie
Carr, whose testimony was damaging
4 in the extreme to Santi After their
I testimony had been heard, the jury
rendered the following verdict:
eve find that the deceased came to
This death from a. gun-shot in the head,
THE gun at that time being in the hands
, of James Santi."
< Before the beginning of the inquest,
4 Attorney C. E. Oles asked the coroner
6 that he be permitted to appear as coun-
sci for the defendant. He explained
that he left it entirely to the coroner
3 to grant or refuse his demand to cross
n examine the witnesses. Mr.. Oles based
I. his request on the fact that in many
cases counsel for the defendant was al
4 lowed to appear.
n Coroner Hardenbrook said that what
!, was about to take place Avas only an
! inquiry as to the cause of the death CT
4 Hamilton and he did not see the neces-
1 sity Of there being any cross-examina-
ton of the witnesses. The examina-
1 ton of witnesses was then begun.
4 The first witness was DR.. J. F. Spell
man. He testified that he is practic-
\ ing physician and surgeon in this city
and was was called upon to examine
\ the body of Robert Hamilton. He and
\ DR.. Stephens held a post norton exam
nation of the body. They found a
compound fracture of the skull in the
I, frontal region, the result of a wound
produced by a bullet. That wound
I caused Inflammation of the brain, with
& resulting abscess and death. The point
of entrance of the bullet was on the
left hand side of the nose and the ex-
Sit on the right side of the head. The
wound was an absolutely fatal one.
!. Tillie Carr was the next witness. Her
{ testimony was of the most sensational
nature, so far as related to the actions
Il of Santi on the night in question She
Y said in answer to interrogations that
Il she knew Robert Hamilton in his life
" time. She was not sure whether she
saw him on, the 18th, but. saw a man
who she afterwards was told by a
policeman was Hamilton. She said size
was in Saints house on the night OF
the 14th.
-E ..What were you doing there?'
II was moving back that week and
was going to cook for them
8 "Wfll you tell just what you heard
3there at that house that night?'
Il WELL Santi was in the kitchen fixing
his pipe to take a smoke and said i
guess | will go to bed Right after
that was there washing my hands
there came loud rap on the kitchen
door, so loud that it must have broken
the door in, had it been only fairly
strong
came was located in the middle part
of the house, and was not locksd-it
was provided with a catch.
After your attention was first at
tracted to this loud knock at the door,
what did Santi do?'
:. He said, Who's there? and he said
a couple Of times, loudly, Come in A
loud rap came again, and he asked,
Who's there?' a couple of times more.
The answer was a louder rap
After the last loud rap the witness
said she told Santi to go and see who
was there. He did SO.
! "Who was there?'
81 can't say. When he opened the
door there was nobody outside the
door,
WAS there anybody outside in front
of the door?"
mo, sir, just a little to one side
i The witness said when Santi opened
the door he stepped out and left the
door wide open behind him. The Wit
ness was about 10 feet from Santi at
the time.
II heard him speak to some person
and ask, What do you want-who are
you looking for-come, show yourself
what are you knocking for? Come
show yourself. What do you want?'
Il could not hear his answer. l could
not hear what he said, because Hamil-
ton was a, kind of low talker, anyhow
and spoke in low tone of voice.
did you hear any Words?'
3. IT heard Santi say like this-I could
not remember for sure: You ought tt
know better than to come to door
and rap like that. 1 pay my rent.
have a right to talk as loud in my
house as ! want to-. But I did not
know what he was saying to him.
"You did not know at that time to
whom he was addressing his remarks?"
mo, sir
Mrs. Carr could not state positively
how far the man outside was away
from Santi, but thought about IA feet
She could not distinguish who the man
was, but said he was a tall man. She
said she knew Hanilton's voice
Fright after Santi told him he could