Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-14
BAT Tie OF T0DDS
A FAIR FIGHT, BOTH WOUNDED
NOTHING TO SAY,
NO COMPLAINT TO BE MADE.
Gay Insurance Man Proves to Be a
Fraud-He and His Wife
Are Gone.

Livingston Feb. IS.
News of a shooting affray near the
ranch of Toston Bros, OH east Flat
head, this county reached this city yes.
terday morning. 1t seems that the affair
occurred last Thursday, but on account
of the desire of all parties concerned to
keep the matter quiet, news of the shoot
ing was slow in getting out. No COM
plant has been made to the officers rela-
tive to the shooting, and if one We're
made now it would be extremely difficult
to catch the greater offender of the two
parties to the scrap. as he is fleeing
northward on horseback, with a start of
several days
The parties to the affair are William
and Brutus Todd. They are ranchers
living some thirty miles from this city.
People in Livingston and Park county
who know them have always supposed
that they were cousins, but according to
the statement of William Todd the two
two men are related to each other in no
way. The affair is a very mysterious
one. and it will probably be some time
ere the full facts of the shooting are
made public
The Livingston correspondent of the
Inter Mountain was in Bozeman yester-
day and he went to DR.. Fosters sanitar-
ium to interview William Todd, who is
shot through the shoulder and who was
brought to that place last Friday. Mr.
Todd was confined to his bed but did
not seem to be in any danger as a result
or the wound he had received. AS soon
as the injured man discovered the fact
that his caller was a newspaper man he
TUNED his face to the wall and refused
to give away the snap. lido not care
to discuss the matter at all, 80 said he. II
don't want anything said about it,"
When Todd was reminded that his re-
ticence would undoubtedly give rise to
many incorrect stories, he intimated to
the reporter that he did not care a whoop
and hurrah wha'. people said about the
case; one thing was certain-he would
not say anything about it, The newspa-
per man left the gentleman, considering
him too hard a proposition to tackle.
The story of the shooting, as told by
ranchers from the east Flathead. runs
something like this: Brutus Todd was
driving a load of wood past the house OF
William last Thursday. when the latter
came out and told him to slap. Brutus
told William to go to Hades, and then
William proceeded with force and a
pitchfork to eject the other Mr.. Todd
from his load of wood Brutus landed on
the ground right side up with care. and
Immediately he struck his feet he began
blazing away at his assailant. One of
the bullets took effect in the shoulder Of
Todd of the pitchfork. Then William
began to do a little shooting on his own
account. He managed to dip a small
chunk out of the thumb with which Bru-
tus was holding his gun, and then the
latter fled. He mounted a horse and
struck out for the north, taking a valise
and roll of blankets with him.
There has been bad blood between the
two Todds for a long time. Both We're
bred in old Kentucky, and they fight at
the drop of the hat. The close mouthed
gentleman at Fosters sanitarium is n
fiery red haired Kentuckian, and is evil
IDENTIFY opposed to peaching when he gets
the worst of it in fair fight He denies
any relationship to the man who shot
him, however. Further than this he
would not talk.
Livingston people will remember the
sensational recovery by one Mrs. James
Martin of Winnipeg of her husband in
this city some two months ago Mrs.
Martin had mislaid her partner, and was