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

The record of crime for 1899 began in
Butte with stabbing affray which is
momentarily expected to eliminate in
a murder. AT a cock fight, which took
| 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, miner, and so seriously injur-
| ed that the attending surgeons 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 engendarad
| 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
| Tor 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 cockfghting being unlawful,
the main was arranged to take place at
| the Boulevard house to avoid interfer-
| being located outside the city limits,
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 attendance
when the fight commenced, late in the
afternoon.
Both sides had friends present, but the
supporters of the Holland birds We're in
the majority and considerable money
was bet on them. Every one drank
freely, and when it 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 o'clock when the Condell birds
had won. Murray had bet on the Con-
dell cocks and Neary was supporter Of
the Holland contingent A dispute arose
between the two factions around the pit
and Neary said something rejecting on
Murray's ancestry, or at least something
which Murray so construed, and he
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
knife into Murray's neck. Before Muir
ray could defend himself or retalate
the knife came down again and was
buried in the pit of the stomach, cut
ting frightful cash, from which the in
testlnes quickly began. ito protrude.
Murray staggered over to a table and
fell across it, while Neary ran out and
escaped to the city.
DIR. Cayley, who was summoned did
what he could for the injured man till
he could be gotten to a hospital, Which
was some time, owing to a misunder-
standing of orders for an ambulance,
and it was o'clock before Murray final
ly reached st. James hospital. The ex-
animation by the hospital surgeons re-
vealed the fact that of the two wounds
Murray had received, either was likely
to result fatally There was a deep
wound in the left shoulder close to the
neck, from which an alarming amount
of blood had been lost. The wound in
the abdomen was much the worse OF
the two, and by the time the surgeons
reached the injured man nearly his
whole intestines protruded from it. The
surgeons on making their examination.
at once stated Murray could not be ex-
pected to live ald Deputy County At
torney Stiyers was summoned to take
his ante-mortem statement, which was
to the effect that he and Neary had
words over the cock fight and he struck
Neary but he thought very little of it,
as the trouble did not amount to much
and he had dismissed the occurrence
from his mind and was taking drink
with his friend Aiken, when Neary
came up behind him and without giving
any warning plunged the knife into him
twice. Murray acknowledged to Mr.
Stivers that he had been drinking more
or less all day.
The police We're not notified of the
When they did learn of it, Detective
Murphy drove out to the Boulevard
mouse, and learning Neary had left,
suspected he would try to leave town,
and driving back to the city he wired
the authorities at other points to be on
the lookout. Detective Murphy and
other officers who visited the Boulevard |
mouse stated they had great difficulty
IN getting information. Detective Raw 4
interviewed Bartender Bishop, who ad-
united seeing the stabbing, but pro |
fessed to know nothing as to who WELD |
ed the knife or what the trouble vas |
about, and it was only from a friend |
OF Murray's that the identity of the
man who did the cutting could be
learned. It transpired, however, that
friends of Neary's got hold of him and |
advised him to give himself. up and |
while the officers were searching the |
city for him he sent word to Captain |
OF Police Dawson and gave himself into
that officers hands. When searched at 4
the city Jail he had nothing in his
pockets but $3.50 in money No weapon
was found.
To a reporter Neary made a state
nent OF his version of the cutting. He
said in effect, that he stood by Murray
at the side of the cock pit He was
talking to friends and doing his ;a,rt
OF shouting, but did not address any