The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-07-05

\ >Sergeant Robert T. Hannah OF the po-
| lice force killed and Sheriff George w.
Hubbard shot through the hand were
the casualties following the robbery
! Of the Owl saloon between IL and 1
O'clock Saturday morning.
! AS near as those who were in the
place can tell it was quarter to /
when two masked men entered the
saloon through the rear door from the
alley. One was armed with a repeat
ing shotgun and remained in the back
room, where a roulette wheel and sew
eral other gambling games are con
Quoted, and compelled the occupants
to hold up their hands, while at the
same time ordering them to face the
wall. The other continued through to
the barroom, and pointing revolver
at the bartender, Fred Morris, or
dered him to throw up
AS Told by Witness.
Seated at a table in the southeast
corner of the barroom was Paul
Beique, VINO plays the piano in the
saloon. He had one elbow resting on
the table and his head resting on his
hand. While he observed the man
enter he paid little attention to him
until he heard him swear at Norris
and command him to hold up his
hands.
Without making any noise Beique
raised his head and saw a revolver in
the hands of the holdup, which he
was pointing at the bartender, then
looking into the back room saw the
man with the shotgun and the row OF
men faced toward the wall Morris
was rolling cigarette at the time
near the east end of the bar and ap-
parently in no haste to comply with
the order of the man in front of him.
Instead, he stopped, as if to reach for
something behind the counter. When
he made this move Beique saw the
holdup put one foot onto the railing
in front of the bar and throw a leg
on top of the counter, which position
brought him Immediately above the
bartender, whom he once more order.
led to hold up his hands.
Morris was still slow to comply and
continued to talk to the fellow, but
raised his hands SO that they were
about on a level with his face and
walked toward the center of the coun-
ter, where revolver was lying on the
shelf underneath. With curse the
robber ordered him to walk out from
behind the counter and into the back
room, which the bartender at last
did.
First Alarm Given.
While this was going on Beique
arose from his chair and started for
the front door, taking another look
into the back room as he was doing
SO. He saw the man with the shotgun
move his weapon in a lateral direc-
tion, so as to keep the row of men
in front of him covered, and then saw
him lower the weapon little, while
with the other hand, which he had
now freed, he began to pick up the
money piled on top of the roulette
wheel.
Without waiting to see more, Beique
ran out onto the street to give the
alarm. Being a stranger in the city,
he did not know where the police
station was, so ran north in Twenty
seventh street to the Grand hotel,
which he entered and asked that a
telephone message be sent to the
police station, as the Owl saloon was
being robbed.
Another Gets Out.
In one OF the several small private
rooms back of the main gambling
room were Walter Clifton and some
others. Clifton saw the men enter
and heard what was going on. AL
though it was a dangerous thing to
do, he ran out Of the room and through