Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-03-26
Ronney Tells
His Own Stow
defendant in SNarder Case RELATES he Circumstances Lead
ing Up 10 Me Killing Of Harry Srong-Sags lie did
SNof Use His Reroter LnM Sttong Picked Up a Gas.
pdore 10 Throw al HIM.


through with him Steele demonstrated
with strong and induced him 20 leas,s
the saloon. After Strong left, defend
ant asked Steele to stay With him untl
he closed up, that DE was afraid of
Strong. Mr.. Steele did not stay with
defendant Later that evening de-
PENDANT said he saw strong ON the
walk looking through the window ut
MIN. Defendant stated hat he and his
boy did not 60 TO their room in tho
Gladstone building because Of fear for
strong, but that they slept In he base
ment OF the saloon on a blanket and
an old coat, which had been left there.
Ihat was the nrst time he had ever
slept IN the saloon over night Next
morning his boy got up frat Defend
ant slept quite late and went out the
hackdOor and went around and entered
tho front door Of the saloon.
THE DAY or THE SHOOTING.
When he entered the saloon that
morning, the day OF the shooting, his
boy, I'D Mcclellan and Strong were IN
the saloon. strong and defendant did
not speak 10 each other Defendant
went behind the bar and started 10
work cleaning up, a man named Edel-
man came IN and Romnev casted a
cheek for him. Burke then came In
and asked defendant 10 shake dice with
him They shook two games ana de-
PENDANT then quit saying he wanted 10
clean up and 20 up 20 See his mother.
He told Burke 10 shake with Strong.
Defendant then related tlle CONVERSE
zion win Strong over the dice game
and tha threats Of the la,er to stamp
him into the ground" Defendant stat
ed that Mcclellan had told him Of the
threats Strong had made the day be-
fore lie then walked 10 he drawer
aud got out his revolver and threw It
open merely 20 show Strong that be
had some protection. He then closed
the gun and placed II back IN the
drawer and thought no more Of Il.
lie tlcn told OF Strong pulling
of his coat and hat and
commencing hig abuse again ana max
ing frrtnee threats. Strong standing
on the foot rail leaned over the bar
and with an oath said that he wGnl }
fetch hiln from behind the bar De-
PENDANT backed away from strong anl
the latter made a NOV mart az ii he
were going 10 jump over the hag after
him Defendant was afraid that strong
/
went to The drawer and drew his b., OIL
YER The CUR accidentally went az. ~
| PENDANT stated that that war the ncrt
| time ne ever fired he ria and he dl1
not know how Il was DISCHARGED.
Strong then lodged down n front NJ
Che bar but defendant ga not attempt
Ia shoot again as he could easily have
done had ne desired
sTRONGs MOVEMENTS.
Defendant then illustrated the move-
mcnts Of Strong IN attempting TO throw
the cuspidoIe. When Strong raised up
and was ln the act OF throwing the.cus.
pdorc defendant said that he WIS
afraid Of his NE and 1red the second
shot Strong then dropped The cuspl-
dore and turned around facing the
north he third shot vas then fired Inn
mediately while strongs right side was
toward defendant St.ong then turned
and started FOR The rear of the saloon.
IN SELF DEFENSE,
"When ,ou tired That second shot
were You in fear Of your life?" asked
Judge King.
"Yes sir ! vas"
III YOU had not seen Strong In the
act Of hurling a cuspidore at YOU would
you have fred chat sh0t?'
"No sir | would not"
Defendant then related the occur
rencas after the shooting up to the
time he vas arrested ana was taken
away from the saloon.
CUsPGDORE IN EVIDENCE.
The attorneys for the defense produc-
ed a cuspldore and attempted 20 have
defendant Identify il as one similar TO
those IN his saloon, The identification
was not satisfactory 20 District att0r-
ney Eichnor, Who objected 10 the cus-
pidorc being admitted as evidence. un-
less Ct could DE proven that il came
from k0mneNs saloon Judge Han sus-
talnt1 the objection and ruled that IL
could not be introduced at this time.
Mr.. Romney was then turned over to
District Attorney Elchnor for cross
examination The cross examination Of
defendant had Just fairly begun when
the court took recess until o'clock.
YESTERDAY AFTERNOON.
After the News report closed yes
terday afternoon Mcclellan. the bar
tender for Romney was ON the stand
and told OF the threats strong made
against Romney the day before the
shooting Robert Slcator deputy
sheriff then Ia charge Of the Kaign
jury. testified that when ne entered the
saloon after the shooting he stumbled
over a cuspdore on the floor. e. NJ.
Judd testified as go hearing Strong
make threats against Romneys life.
Benjamin Bomney Defendants ~.
year-old son was ihe next witness.
lIc told of The difficulty between his
father and Strong iha night before the
shooting and OF the sculie they had.
Mrs Romncy. DEFENDANTS WIFE wes
then called to tho smpd and testified
that she mcndci Der husbands vest
where t had been torn in bis attempt
90 get loose from suone's clutches. Ray
Watts. "a negro hooth'lck testified that
Strong came 10 bis stand on Saturday
night and wanted 90 borrow a razor or
"a o,fu hff that hc did NOT have ono and