Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-29
THE VERDICT
Of THE JURY
GEREM CAME TO HIS DEATH
FROM BLOW STRUCK BY
FRANK FRELEY.
TESTIMONY OF KRESS
WAS TAKEN TODAY
Saws He Lost Consciousness After Be.
ing Stabbed-Freley Is Still
at Large.

The inquest over the remains of Frank
Gerem who was killed at Miller's saloon
in the Boulevard addition Thursday
morning. which was commenced yester-
day afternoon was concluded today.
The evidence has revealed nothing new
and it all points to the conclusion that
the missing man-Frank Freley-deliV-
cred the blow that caused death. In
his testimony yesterday afternoon Miller
stuck to the story that Gerem and F'reley
broke into the door of the dance hall and
that Gerem stabbed kress, in the abdo-
men and that as soon as the blow was
delivered he, Miller. took the knife away
and going into the sleeping apartment
threw it under the bed. When he re-
turned to the dance hall Gerem was w.
ing on the floor
This afternoon the work of taking evil
dence was resumed and the jury went
down to st. Paurs hospital to hear what
Valentine Kress. the wounded man, had
to say on the subject. Kress would give
the jury no satisfaction and said that as
soon as he was stabbed in the abdomen
he fell to the floor and lost consciousness
and did not know what took place after
wards. His story was given through an
interpreter but it was given in a manner
that led the jury to believe that kreSS
was not telling the whole truth. The state
ment that the stab in the abdomen cauS-
ed him to lose consciousness was receiv-
ed with a smile by the jury. Deputy
Prosecuting Attorney Mackel tried in all
manner of ways to get some kind of an
admission from the witness but 1t was
useless and he left the hospital in dis
gust. Kress is doing we'll and the present
outlook is that he will recover from the
injury. DR.. Schwartz who is attending
him states that he never saw man IN
such good condition, taking into consid-
Grafton the dangerous nature of the in
jury He dressed the wound before the
jury and to those present the wound did
not look like a very bad one. kress has
talked with several of his friends since
he has been in the hospital
In telling his story this afternoon
tress said that he was miner, but had
nuj been working lately. He has known
Frank Freley for Ii or IA years ana
Gerem for about seven months. Ihey
ali lived together and We're on the best
Of terms. On the night of the killing
h. saw Miller drive Gerem and Freley
out of the saloon with the aid of two
pistols and he saw Gerem take a knife
from his pocket and open it and then
return it to his pocket. This was before
Nj Her drove him and Freley out of the
place The witness had no conception
Of time, but later in the evening or
morning Gerem and Freley knocked at
the door of the dance hall and finally
lloke in the door. Gerem entered flrst
end plunged a knife into the witness.
HI made no remark when he did it.
After the knife thrust the witness
fell, but he does not know whether he
fell on a chair or on the floor. He was
Ike one asleep until the arrival of the
doctor. and did not see what took place
afterwards. kress then slightly con-
tradicted this statement by saying that
the last he saw of Freley was when
H. said that he was going to telephone
for the doctor.
After some further questioning Kress
said that Freley told him that Gerem
lad stabbed him in the leg. Freley
however, did not tell the witness what
he had done after Gerem had stabbed
him-the witness. While kresS was ly
ing on the floor he also saw Gerem on
the floor and thought he was asleep.
He was asked if he knew why Gerem
had attacked him and he answered tina t
the only reason he could aSIribe was
that Gerem was crazy drunk a the
time. Kress said that he had never seen
Cerem drunk before.
Yesterday afternoon the principal wit
ness on the stand was Miller, the pro,
prietor of the saloon. but his story was
very unsatisfactory. He told of the
trouble preceding the killing and then
said that Gerem and Freley had broken
Into the dance hall through side door
and after Gerem had stabbed kresS
Freley hit him over the arm to make
him drop the knife. He did drop the
knife. and Miller picking it up. rar
with it into the sleeping room and threw
1t under the bed. When he returned
Gerem was lying dead on the floor.
One of the important disclosures made
at the inquest yesterday, note of which
appeared in yesterdays Inter Mountain
was by William Coulter, who positivel,
Identified the picture of Freley as beint
that of the man who prior to the killing
was so quarrelsOme. Up to that tim
the impression was shat Gerem was tn
quarrelsome person. Coulter testified tina
1t was Freley who threw him on tn
floor and beat him.
The authorities as very much in tn
dark as either Freley, Miller or Kres
could have delivered the blow that end