The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1900-03-24

Il
eight or ten msn In thsIoom II tBs time,
but he could mot remember the names
Of any one there. saying: II cant 70.
member, that Il, By names; I cant
mention no names 1.-THE present time"
Said there were three colored soldiers,
two white men and himself IN the fight
lie did not know how the row started.
WIN. 0WsIey swore that be saw the
fight and took part. One soldier wanted
10 row In the back room. The three
soldiers followed him from the back
room and one called him foul name
and hit him with q pistol. He was
knocked down with chair and called
for help, when Charles Stark came 70
his assistance and one Of the soldiers
turned on Stark. As he went out the
front doer he heard the shots fired. He.
saw man come out Of the saloon and
run toward the railroad track: thought
be had q gun In his hand. He did not
see q pistol In StaEk's hand.
Charles Stark, the defendant, testified
that he was in the back room playing
cards when the three Negro soldiers
came In. two Of them went into the
game and the other one soon began to
quarrel with OwsIey. who got up and
quit the game and the soldiers followed
him into the bar room. He heard
call for help and when he ran out saw
the soldiers fighting OwsIey with chains.
One Of the soldiers turned on him,
when they clinched, aud he heard the
report Of gun-it sounded like one
shot. The Negro then broke and ran,
leaving him in the room alone with
Phifer. He ask Phifer il he shot and
Phifer said that he did not. He and
Phifer then sat down and played cards
until daylight. He did not learn that
the soldiers were wounded until a
o'clock. He had no revolver aud never
carried one.
The testimony of the wounded sol.
diers was taken at the hospital. West
Hays. who has what Is considered the
most dangerous wound, swore that they
entered Phifer's saloon and engaged in
game Of poker in the back room with
some white men. After playing awhile
they cashed in their chips and big
fellow in the game got mad. He quar-
relied with the fellow who was not play
ing. He went into the bar when the
crowd began TO say what they would do
with him. One Of the crowd tramped
on his foot and be ask him to get of,
when the fellow said he did Tot care for
id Niger, and hit him. Two other
white men joined in the fight and Phi
Vate Hayden assisted him. While fight
ing he heard a gun 60 of, but did not
know that he was hit until he put his
hand OF his shirt and found blood. lie
heard tao shots and saw the person
fire them but did not know his name.
He could not describe the clothing
worn by the man who did the shooting.
but could identify him by his face.
Stark was taken to the hospital with
the other men under arrest, and identi-
fed By Hays rs the. man who fired the
shots.
Private Hayden also identified Stark
a. the man who Cred the second shot.
lie said the defendant was in the front
part Of tie room when he shot. He
recognized Stark by his face, but was
unable to give any other description.
These are the facts in the case as
shown by the testimony. and there has
undoubtedly been an effort among Ger
classes t3 shield the guilty parties, but
the statement in Spokesman Review
that the people Of Cenr d'Alepe are
against the Negroes is incorrect.