Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-03-09
TWO KILLED
IN BILLINGS
sheephender Runs Amuck and Before
He Is Captured Succeeds in Kill
ing a Man and His Wife.
HE CLAIMS SELF DEFENSE
Said Schwink and His Wife Mere
Trying to Kill him-WiIl be
Held for Murder.

Billings, March 3.-Willlam Sch
wink, a young man who came here
from Butte last fall. and claims that
he had been a solicitor on the Inter
Mountain. was shot and instantly kill
ed in the hallway of a rOoming house
over Gates & Kerr's saloon at 1880
O'Clock today. and the woman whom
he claimed as his wife. Marie Sch
wink. was shot at the head of the
stairway in the same hallway, the
bullet entering her body under the
left arm. She died at the hospital at
$3.50 o'clock this evening.
The shooting was done by John
White. a sheepherder, whom the Off
GERS believe to be crazy. So far as
can be ascertained White was a
stranger to the man and woman.
There is no definite clew to a motive
for the act.
Ed. Kelly. who rooms over the sa'
loon, was standing on the sidewalk
when he heard a shot upstairs. He
ran up and found the woman lying un'
conscious on the top step. When he
got to a point where he could see
down the hallway he states that he
saw White standing at the back door
shooting at Schwink, who as lying on
the floor. He called to White to STOP
shooting and the latter pointed the
pistol at him and said:
I'll take shot at you. too, YOU
are all murderers up here"
He pulled the trigger, but, happily
for Kelly, the loads were exhausted
White then walked down to the
street and standing on the sidewalk
reloaded his pistol and held II In his
hand. Several parties told him tt
put the gun in his pocket but he told
them he knew what he was doing and
threatened to do them injury. Pres
emily he started north. toward the
Northern Pacific depot. Midway ol
the street crossing he was met by
Officer Salisbury, who arrested hin
and took the pistol from him with
very little resistance. He was taken
to the city jail where another loaded
revolver was found in his pocket.
Dr. Clark was the first physician
to arrive and a short time later Drs
Rinehart and Lindsey were summon
ed. Sheriff Hubbard and County At
torney Harris and members of the po
lice force soon arrived. The physi
clans turned their attention to the
woman and endeavored to get an an
ti-mortem statement from her but sh,
was conscious only at intervals.
Schwink's body was taken tC
Smiths undertaking rooms after be
ing viewed by the coroner's jury.
The proprietors of the roominl
house state that White has beer
rooming there for the past six weeks
and a friend of Whites stated tha
he had been working on a sheer
ranch in Pease bottom. People abou
the saloon say that he was at al
times very moody anu rarely spok,
to anyone. On the way to the jai
he told Officer Salisbury that the peo
pie "over there" had been trying t
kill him.
Schwink came here last fall ant
worked for about two weeks as a so
licitor and collector for the Times
He claimed to have come original!
from Texas. where he married thu
woman who was with him today. II,
also claimed to have been auitt
wealthy at inc time, but the death o.
his first wife unsettled him and h,
spent all of his money travelling. Tn,
proprietor of the place states tha
Schwink and wife had occupied tn,
rooms only one night An inques
will be held on the body OF Schwinl
tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock.
Whites parents are said to liv,
at Emmett, Mo. Since the death o.
the woman 1t has been ascertainet
that her true name was Marie Burns
and that she was the daughter o.
Michael Burns, who died at Helena I
short time ago.