The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-03-07
MRS. CIRCUIT ALLEGES SHOOTING
WAS JusTiFIABLE.
INQUEST BEGUN BYCORONER
Testimony Adduced Largely Hearsay
In Character-lnquiry Will BE
Resumed Today.

Thought OlnefWlSe, all VINO were heard
yesterday to express an opinion as
to the shooting of C. H. Orcut by his
wife, Louise, mention of which ap-
peared in yesterday mornings Ga
zette, were favorable to the woman
The story came out that Orcut had
made practice of abusing and mis-
previous to the fatal termination Of
i Wednesday nights trouble between
them. This with the fact that many
gave him reputation for peaceful
ness and general good behavior that
/ was not of the best caused public
! sympathy to be on the side of the
/ woman and many expressed them
selves Of the belief that she had given
| him no more than he deserved.
! Of the actual shooting so far not
very much has been learned, as there
! were no eye witnesses to the affair.
! Mrs. Orcut! as already published.
| claims that she shot in self defense
and had to kill or be killed Orcut.
| she says. was approaching her with
an AK in his hand with the expressed
intention Of killing her and as last
and awful resort she shot and killed
| him. When she fired the shots that
/, ended her husbands life she was in a
room, egress from which was possible
, only through the door in which he
apparently stood when he was killed.
! When found by those summoned
after the shooting the body of Orcut
was lying partly in the door. face
downward Near his feet lay the ak
| with which his wife says he was pre-
pairing to assault her. Across the
body Mrs. Orcut was obliged to step
when she left the room and went
downstairs to the part of the house
occupied by Mrs. Page.
All that is known as to what tran
spired in the room Immediately. prior
to the shooting is only hearsay and
based upon statements made by Mrs.
Orcut to Mrs. Page and Officer Dulin.
who arrested her. To both she ex-
pressed regret that she had killed her
husband and also declared her sorrow
at not having permitted him to kill
her. The same sorrow she has ex-
pressed since then saying she wished
she had allowed him to kill her as her
troubles would be ended and that she !
would rather be dead than in her pres
ent condition,
Last evening Coroner Chapple began |
an inquest and in the examination of j
the witnesses was assisted by County |
Attorney Hathhorn Although sew +,
eral persons were examined, their |
testimony, while having bearing on
the matter at issue. was largely in !
relation to events after the shooting |
and to some that occurred several
days before. The balance of their |
evidence was but repetitions of state !
ments said to have been made to them /
by Mrs. Orcnt.
The Inquest.
Mrs. Julia Belle Page, who resides
on the ground floor of the house in
which the tragedy occurred was the
first witness called She testified as
to her acquaintance with Mrs. Orcut
and her husband. AS well as she
could remember Orcut and his wife
were married December II, last, and
lived continuously since in the second
story. of the building occupied by her.
Last Saturday the witness noticed
that Orcut had been drinking He
came home about 8 o'clock and soon
after that began to quarrel with his
wife and kept the witness and her
family awake by the noise he made
which sounded as though he was driv-
ing his wife from one room to an
other. This had continued until
about 12 o'clock when they heard.
Mrs. Orcut scream. Witness and
roomer, named Chilcot, went upstairs
then and found Mrs. Orcut sitting on
a trunk. She said Orcut had been
choking her. Orcut became angry at
their appearance and ordered them
out of the place, threatening to throw
them downstairs unless they went
He finally promised to let the woman
alone and they withdrew
Sunday evening Orcut and his wife
Continued on Page 8.