The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-02
STARTS WITH A MURDER
Butte Makes q Beginning on 1899
Criminal Record.
WAS STABBED TO DEATH
The Tragedy Occurred at q Cock Fight.
scotty Murray Was the Victim
ard James J. Neary Must
49, Answer for the Crime.

che record OF crime LOT 1875 DcSdh III
Butte with a stabbing ARRAY which Is
~momentarily expected to eliminate in
a murder. At a cock fight. which look
place last evening at the Boulevard
house, run by Ovile Proulx and Frank
Leblanc on South Montana street. Alex
ander Murray. a stone mason. famil-
iarly known about town as "Scotty'
Murray, was stabbed by James j.
Neary, a miner, and so seriously fnjur-
ed thai the attending urgeons state
he cannot possible recover. Neary
gave himself up and is a prisoner at
the county Jail. The trouble which
eliminated in the cutting appears to
have been the ~outgrowth of the result
of the cock fight, which ~engendered
hard feeling between the two factions
| in attendance. Some time ago, billy
Condell, a well-known lover OF this
character of sport, sent to the country
| for a lot OF game cocks and a big cock
ing main was arranged for New Years
| day between these birds and a lot OF To-
| cal cocks, owned by Pete Holland.
Owing to c~ockfighting being unlawful.
the main was arranged to take place at
the Boulevard house to avoid Interior
ence from the authorities. The place
| being located OutSlut tDt CITY iinnito.
dog fights and cock fights are usually
given there. Men who indulge in this
sort Of sport were quietly notified. and
a hundred or more were in
when the fight commenced, late in the
afternoon.
Both sides had friends present, but the
supporters of the Holland birds were in
the majority and considerable money
was bet on them. Every n drank
freely, and when IL became apparent
that the Condell birds would win all
the money, trouble began to brew.
According to statements secured from
both sides. the trouble came to a head
about 6 o'clock when the Condell birds
had won. Murray had bet on the Con-
dell cocks and Neary was a supporter OF
the Holland contingent. A dispute arose
bet the two factions around the pit
and Neary said something rejecting on
Murray's ancestry, or at least something
which Murray so construed, n ne
struck Neary. knocking him down. A
general fist fight ensued. but peace was
restored and Murray's friends led him
away from the cock pit to the saloon
Half an hour or so later Murray stood
at the bar drinking with a man named
Aiken, when Neary came up from be
hind and without warning plunged 9
knife into Murray's neck. Before Muir
ray could defend himself or retaliat'
the knife came down again and wal
buried In the pit of the stomach, cut
ting a frightful cash. from which the In
testines quickly began to protrude
Murray staggered over to a table ant
fell across IL, while Neary ran out an
escaped to the city.
DIR. Cayley, who was summoned. di'
!: what he could for the injured man I'll
|. he could be gotten to a hospital. which
was some time, owing to a misunde
c.o,Iina Of nrdarG for an mhnlan nee
; and IL was 3 O'Clock before Murray ANAL
ly reached ST. James hospital. The eX
animation by the hospital surgeons re
vealed the fact that of the two wound
Murray had received. either was hkel'
to result fatally. There was a dee
wound in the left shoulder close to tn
neck, from which ar alarming amour
of blood had been lost. The wound 1
the abdomen was much the worse O
the two, and by the time the surgeon
reached the injured man nearly nj
whole intestines protruded from IL. TIL
surgeons on making their examinatio
at once stated Murray could not be eS
pected to live n Deputy County Al
= torney Stivers was to tax
3. his ante-mortem statement, which wa
: to the effect that he and Neary ha
words over the cock fight and he struc
Neary, but he thought very little OF 1
as the trouble did not amount to niue
and he had dismissed the occurreno
a from his mind and was taking a drin
with his friend Aiken, when Near
came up behind him and without givin
any warning plunged the knife into hi
g twice. Murray acknowledged to NJ
Stivers that he had been drinking mol
, or less all day.
The police were not notified of ii
cutting for some time after it occurre'
v When they did earn of IL, Detecti>
A. " A -
I house, and learning Neary had lf
suspected he would try to leave tow
and driving back to the city he wire
the authorities at other points to be {
the lookout. Detective Murphy al
n other officers who visited the Bouleval
house stated they had great difficult
in getting information. Detective IRA
interviewed Bartender Bishop, who a
u mitted seeing the stabbing. but pr
fessed to know nothing as to who wiel
'r ed the knife or what the trouble W
,r about, and It was only from a frier
of Murray's that the identity of d
II man who did the cutting could
e learned. Ii transpired. however, tn
friends Of Neary's got hold of him al
dvise him to give himself up al
:. while the officers were searching 4
city for him he sent word to CAPITA
of Police Dawson and ave himself In
!, that officers hands. When searched
the city Jail he had nothing in
pockets but $3.50 in money. No weap
e. was found.
To a reporter Neary made a stat
ment of his version of the cutting.
l. said in effect, that he stood by Murr'
t. at the side of the cock pit. He W
talking to friends and doing his "a
4 OF shouting, but did not address "a
as of his. remarks to Murray. He knew
o. no a for IL, but Murray sudder
,g struck him, knocking him out. and
fell to the fool insensible. While
lay Unconscious. some one. he did n
know who, but he supposed Murrs
A. kicked him on the e and body. +
evidence of this he exhibited sevel
IN bumps on his e and said he "
bruised about the body. He said
10 a $45 in money when he was knock