Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-15
.AUkCORN DID
THE SHOOTING
CORONER'S JURY EXPRESSES BE-
LIEF THAT HE KILLED
JOHN GRAHAM.
FRANK MAYS TESTIMONY
WAS VERY DAMAGING.
on the Stand Pretended TO
Remember Nothing and Weak
ened His Case.

In the opinion of the coroner's jury
Thomas KEYS, alias Alfred Aukcorn is the
man who fired the shot which ended the
life of John Graham in the Free Colnase
lodging house a week ago this afternoon.
The inquest was held last night at
| Sherman's undertaking rooms ana the
testimony of the witnesses left blu little
| doubt but that .Aukcorn is the man VINO
killed Graham. Aukcorn was present IN
! the custody of a deputy sheriff. eNamln-
ed witness for himself. went on the stand.
tied himself up in a knot and weakened
his case materially by pretending 10 re-
I member nothing that occurred on the al
! ternoon of the shooting.
James w. Snyder told of the four cor
nered fight which occurred near the Free
Coinage lodging house on the afternoon
of the shooting. WitneS identlfled AUX
corn and VIM. Hunter as tWo or the men
! who were in the fight. In the course OF
the fight Aukcorn put his hand to MS mp
pocket and told Graham to "mosey
crabam Immediately got out of the way.
Witness thought he saw the butt OF a gun
in the hip pocket of Aukcorn.
Frank May testified that a few MN
utes after the fight between Graham ana
Aukcorn he saw Graham go into the
lodging house. A few minutes after
wards Aukcorn followed him into the DIG
sleeping room. A short time later AUX
/ corn came out; he was excited; witness
followed him to the street corner ana
! asked him to return a razor ne had DOT
rowed earlier in the day: Aukcorn replleu
that he did not nave the razor and add
! ed. keep away from me; nave Just snot
a man" The witness was positive IN ms
identification of the prisoner.
David Eirson. clerk in Roses pawn
shop told Of Aukcorn pledging a revolver
on the evening of the murder, the gun
contained two loaded and one empty
shell.
William Hunter. one of the men who is
supposed to have been mixed up IN the
fight which brought on the killing, mao d
very defective memory Apparently ne
had forgotten all he ever knew. He said
he was so full of alcohol that he had no
recollection of the fight; witness met
Aukcorn in Boulder four days before the
murder and accompanied him TO Butte.
The testimony of James Murphy. VINO is
also supposed to nave been one of the
fighters, was very similar to that OF
Hunter.
James Morrell testified to seeing AUX
corn. Hunter and Williams lighting era
ham: the crowd pulled Hunter and Will
liains off and Graham and Aukcorn had
if ont and Graham had the best of the en-
counter.
ID William Irwin denied that he had made
the statement in the city Jail to the eff
feet that he knew who committed the
murder.
H. c. Ainsley was the e witness. He
said on the afternoon of the murder ne
was playing a game of checkers in the
Free Coinage lodging house. He saw the
fgh between Aukcorn and Graham. A
short time after the fight he heard the
muffled report of a gun in the big sleep
ing room. Immediately afterwards a
man came out of the room: he had his
hands in his coat pockets: witness asked
him what had happened but received nc
reply: the man left the house: witness
thought someone had committed suicide
and went back into the sleeping room
he saw a man at a Washstand; lying on
the floor he found the body of Graham
he asked the man at the washstand if he
saw the shooting: the man replied that
} he had not: witness could not positively
} identify Aukcorn as the man he had seer
. leave the place Immediately after the shoI
J was fired. but in reply to a question from
Aukcorn told him he thought he was the
j. man.
KEYS then took the stand: he admit.
ted that he was known by several names
he said he was not acquainted with Ora
| ham. but had drank alcohol with him: he
could remember nothing abou the fight;
! he was shown the gun and admitted thai
| it was his property.
| Did you pawn it after the ShOOting?'
asked the coroner.
Witness said he did not know when thu
| shooting occurred.
what time did you pawn it?"
about 6 o'clock"
You can remember pawning the CUR
at 6 but cannot remember the tight at So
Here the witness fell down.
1T did not take place at that time
said he.
The coroner reminded him that he ha
previously testified that he knew moth.
ing of the fight. Witness was confused
i but finally that he had learn