Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-30
STARK TELLS
I. OF STABB|NC
TRANSCRIPT OF TESTIMONY Is A
PICTURESQUE RECITAL OF
THE FACTS.
HIGHLY EMBELLISHED BY
RAILROADER'S VERNACULAR,
Smashed His Friend With a Rock and
Finally Desisted Because He
Liked Him.

The transcript Of the testimony taken
at the preliminary hearing in the case Of
the state against Patrick Griffin, charg-
cd with assault In the second degree on
Joseph Randall Stark on July II. has been
filed in the district court, It shows that
STARK has lived in Butte seventeen years
and has known Griffin thirteen years.
Stark's testimony is to the effect that
Grimm and himself met in front of Billy
Harris hotel in South Butte about 7:45
O'Clock in the morning of July II and
Griffin remarked that was a nice way
you treated me last night" To this Stark
says he replied: Il treated you as you
deserved to be treated Then Griffin
started to fight and Stark told him to go
away as he did not want to fight. Griffin
pulled a knife and stabbed him in the
shoulder three times. when l saw he
was stabbing me and I was getting the
worst of it l started to rum says Stark.
Il saw a rock in the street and grabbed
it and went after him with it. If I had
known he had a knife there would not
have been any fight; I would lave been
around the corner. The night before the
fight he came around to the place where I
was waiting for No. 2 and said he had
just come out of the pest house and
wanted a place to sleep. I said for
Christ's sake don't stay around here, but
he would not go away. He called me
some vile names. I told him I did not
deserve to be called such names and he
said | would have to take it whether I
wanted TO or not. I gave him a bat in
the eve and knocked him down. I told
him to get up as it was a pleasure for me
to knock such a son of a gun as him
down. He got up and hollered like a kid
would and | told him to go on and leave.
When we met on the following morning
all I had was a ~switchman's key and a
half dollar. I took the knife away from
him, but he had already stabbed me five
times"
when you got the rock where was the
defendant
after me-chasing me-"
D you recognize this knife?"
THAT is the bleeder; that is the Bar
low"
On cross-examination Stark was asked
if he had smashed Griffin the night be-
fore when Griffin called him the bad
names.
Why wouldn't L." was the reply. II
would strike you, too"
Where did you strike him?'
I'm the puss.'
What do you mean by puss?"
1.-THE mouth
"Was he drunk"
He had what men generally call a
comfortable jag"
Were you drunk or sober?"
Il was sober. You can't drink and work
for the Northern Pacific"
WAS that the last time you saw him
until the next morning?"
mo. He came around and had a knife
and wanted to get after me while I was
coupling the engine of No. 2, the North
Coast Limited. I told Policeman Evarts
to watch him as he was after me. 1 did
not couple No. 2, as he was standing right
chino me-"
Are you sure he had a knife?"
tVVhan criSHn ic cnhop no SC n ~ooI Tn
dian: when drunk he is a bad Indian. l
thought he had a knife. The policeman
drove him away"
What were you doing when Griffin
and you met on the following morning."
Sitting down talking with Jack Eason
about ~railroading In Las Vegas. New
Mexico"
"What was the first thing you saw
Griffin dor
HE a his hands in his pockets and
'Shong, o are against it, Shong is my
nickname. He then said: That was a
nice way you treated me last night
pulled the knife from his pocket and be-
gan to stab me. To tell you the Gods
truth there would have been no fight if
I could ave got away"
when he stabbed you, did you strike
at him.
while running"
Then you turned and ne STABBED you
I with the knife?"
IT was up against it. Who in n
wouldn't do it. He hit me twice after
I got the rock and when I landed on him
the first time I made a home run. I hit
him on the hand and cut his fingers.
Then I had him-he was easy turkey.
When I got the knife l quit. When I
landed on him I says: I am going to
eat you up"
where did you strike him the second