The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-03-17
JUG BROKEN ON His HEAD
Injured Man AIo Cut About Face
With knife-Men Are
Brother-in-LaWs.
From Mondays Daily Gazette.

weapon, still the injuries inflicted
upon his person are of such a char
acter that in the opinion Of the doctor
who attended his victim James Ryan
had a knife when he started in to "do
up" Bryan Hart last Saturday night.
The trouble between the two occur
red at the home of Hart, about three
or four miles east of the city, and as
neal as can be learned whisxey was
more or less the cause of the fracas,
eve though the fight had it's origin
in a dispute the two had over a plow
and incidentally some work they had
been doing on a ditch. Hart was in
town Saturday afternoon and when he
returned home took a flask of liquor
with him. After supper Ryan, who is
his brother-in-law and lives only a
short distance from Hart, went to the
latter's ranch and they sat down in
the kitchen and began to talk about a
ditch in which both are interested and
on which they have been working.
~ OoLSlG poooSo SNVSS tAASAA w -
tervals. Finally Ryan, SO Mrs. Hart
tells it, began to find fault with the
manner in which they had been treat
ed as regards the work given them.
He claimed that although he was a
stakeholder he had been given only a
job as shoveler, while Hart had been
employed with his team, thereby hav-
ing been enabled to carr more money.
Ryan also accused Hart of having
used his pillow and of having taken a
cIevis from it. This Hart denied,
which caused Ryan, Mrs. Hart claims,
to jump up and make a slash
at her husband with a knife with
which he had been whiting. The
fight now began in earnest and ac-
cording to her version Mrs. Hart ran
out of the room. What followed i'm
mediately afterward does not appear
to be clearly known. Hart, however,
was in such shape when ali was over
that Doctor Chapple was sent for and
upon his arrival found him to be suf-
ferlnS from the .eHectS Oh d MlScel-
laneous lot of ugly wounds.
The left arm was bruised and
scratched, as was also the right arm
and hand, on the back of which was
a cut about two inches long and very
deep. while still another was further
back and into the wrist. Although
not quite SO extensive as the other,
it was still deep and required stitch
ing. Then the nose was battered and
skinned, while the flesh at the point
of the chin had been severed until it
hung as if by a hinge. On top of the
head were four bad scalp wounds,
some of which had penetrated to the
skull. None of these was less han
two inches in length. One, Y shap-
ed. was found to be particularly bad
All had to be sutured, no less than
% stitches being required to close
them, while in addition many more
stitches had to be put into the chin
and into the cuts in the hands.
In the scalp wounds the doctor
found several small pieces of earthen
ware, which looked as though they
might have come from a jug, and
which bore out the statement of Hart
that Ryan had struck him over the
head with a jug, after he had cut him
with the knife.
1t took the doctor a number OF
hours to sew up the wounds and make
his patient comfortable, after which
he left, promising to call again today.
This morning, however, he was sum-
moned about 2 o'clock and was told
that Harris condition had become
more serious and that he was deleri-
Gus. The doctor responded and found
Hart in a bad way. He was feverish
and raving in a delerium. The doc
tor remained with him until about e
o'clock, at which time Hart seemed
to be somewhat better.
Early yesterday morning Mrs. Hart
came to town and went before Judge
Fraser, with whom she lodged a com
plant against Ryan charging assault
in the first degree. Under Sheriff
Sayles went to Ryan's ranch and ar
rested him. The prisoner was ar
raigned and gave a bond in the sum
of $500 for his appearance, with L.. n.
Fenske and jeff Brewer as sureties.
Ryan's Story.
The story told by the defendant is
altogether different from that related
by Mrs. Hart. He declares that Hart
was the aggressor and that he was
forced to fight. He says that as soon