Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1901-08-09
a Riotous Red Lodge Fir1lander and =. Des
perate Wyoming Horse Thief Defy Constituted
Authority and Die With Their Boots Or.
While Coroners Jury Is Exoneratng Sheriff Gebo
for One Killing Sheriff Potter Shoots and Slays 4 Fa;ve

Tragedies of the kind that find u
counterpart on Carbon county's page
OF history were this week written il
blood by the omnipotent hand of fat
and in their finale two human heart
ceased to throb and two souls wen
forth from their earthly tabernacles 4
everlasting life or eternal death. On
OF these tragedies came as the sad seque
to riotous Finnish charivari in TIL
city and the other as the violent termi
nation of horse stealing escapade. Ii
the terrible double drama the tina
scenes fell on the sheritf's office TO
tragic Interpretation. 10 Under Sherit
William Gebo came the hour which
made it necessary for him to kill fel
low being in the lawful discharge of his
duties as sworn officer Of the law. ane
for Sheriff NJ. w. Potter an occasion u
even greater necessity thrust itself ii
his official pathway.
The first homicide took place Just
after dark Wednesday night in the sec
tion Of the city inhabited by the Finland
coal miners, the victim being Alex Matt
son, Finn miner, who, accompanied b,
his brother, arrived from Carbonate
WASH, Just week previous. The kill
ing was the direct outgrowth Of fire.
quently repeated riotous disturbance in
the nature Of charivari indulged in by
crowd Of more than hundred Finn
miners, who sought to compel one Of
their countrymen, just married, to give
up $50 with which the boys could in
dulge in little celebration. The chari
vari was conducted in boistrous, h1lar-
ious, riotous manner and was kept up
for four successive nights. After the
second seance complaint was made to
Mayor Larkin and the city police by
both the bridegroom and the proprietor
of the Finn boarding house where the
young married couple were enjoying
their honeymoon. Acting on the in
struction Of the mayor Night Policeman
j. ii. McAllister proceeded to the place
where the second nights charivari was
being held and ordered the crowd to
cease their noisy racket and to disperse.
The orders were sullenly obeyed, but the
crowd gathered again, in greater vol
ume, the next night. This time City
Marshal Paddy Fleming accompanied
Policeman McAllister to the scene Of the
disturbance and arrested three of the
ringleaders and put them in the city
jail. The crowd followed the officers to
the city hall and defantly demanded
the immediate release of the prisoners,
accompanying the demand with threats
OF tearing down the Jail if the men were
not turned loose. After long and
noisy parley the crowd finally dispersed,
without attempting to put their threats
into execution, and little later the
three prisoners were given their free
dom.
The following day, Wednesday, the
Finlanders caused word to be passed
around to the effect that they would re-
peat the charivari that night in spite Of
and in open defiance Of the officers Of |
the law. They posted notices around
the city notifying all the unmarried I
Firms to be on hand to assist in the per-
formance. In observance of the request
a much larger crowd than ever collected
Wednesday evening and the racket be-
gan. The officers, consisting of Under
Sheriff Gebo, Policeman McAllister,
Marshal Fleming and Mayor Larkin,
deputized several of the tiremen at the
fire hall, and proceeded to the scene.
The officers, both permanent and special,
pushed in among the big crowd Of Fin
landers and siezed men right and left,
securing six of the Firms and putting
them in the city Jail. While engaged in
making the arrests Under Sheriff Gebo
was knocked down and was rescued by
Marshal Fleming just in time to save
him from being kicked into unconscious
ness. Gebo got up and the marshal
started for the jail with his prisoners.
while the under sheriff grabbed another
nan who later proved to be Andrew
Mattson. The fellow showed fight and
iebo pulled his gun and fired shot
INTO the ground. Mattson suddenly be-
came passive, but as suddenly turned ,
and dealt Gebo staggering blow. As
The under sheriff fell, Mattson, 50 it is
'elated, topped him and attempted to
nit Gebo in the face with his fist, but
vas prevented from landing the blow.
iebo then reached for his gun and says
he fellow got him by the throat. The