Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-11-29
STATE WITNESSES
HARD ON DILLON
GIVE EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT
BEST SHOOTING WAS DrLIBER
ATE, NOT ACCIDENTAL.
DEFENDANT DENIED FIRING.
Saloon Keeper Identified by Wounded
Milwaukeean as Man Who Emptied
Gun Into Him.
DR.. MUNKWITZ ON THE STAND.

RACINE, Wis. Nov. 25.-I Special. /
The state marshaIlcd Il number of strong
witnesses today to prove that the shoot
ing of Jacob Best Jr.. by William Dl-
Ion was not an accident. but that the
saloon keeper had deliberately fired at
his victim.
Robert Hoffman, laundryman of the
Hotel Racine. was the first of the inn
portant witnesses to be placed on the
stand. tie said that he was passing the
Dlllon saloon at . o'clock i'll the after
noon on the day of the shooting and that
he saw man standing IN the doorway
outside the saloon and another inside.
The man on the outside was Best. the
other Dillon. He said that he saw Il shot
nfe4. At that time Best was standing
o1tSlde OF the saloon door facing north
east. Dillon WAS facing Best with his
right hand raised to about right angle
with his body. He was standing erect.
Holman was positive regarding that
fact. The questioning of the witness
both BY the state and the defense was
severe because Hoifman's testimony
tends to show the possibility or impusSl-
bIIty of shot being fired accidentally
by a person i'll the position Hoffman de
Scrlbed.
BEST Identified Saloon Man.
According to Hoffman Dillon was
identified by Best as the Milwaukccan
was lying ON the floor of the nearby hard
ware store with Hoffman supporting his
head. When Dillon was brought i'll Best
was asked if he knew him, to which Best
replied: That is Billy Dillon, the man
who shot me-"
The witness was cross-examincd by At
torney kearney on his testimony before
court commissioner at the preliminary
hearing a few days after the death of
Best. Many Of the statements of the
witness today differed with those made
regarding the same incidents at the pre-
hmInary examination.
Dillon Erect Upon Firing.
Another important witness was Will
liam Orth, who was in the back part of
the saloon at the time of the shooting
Orth testified that he saw Dillon
! through the glass partition, near the
cigar case and that Dillon was standing
erect when he fired the shot. After the
shooting Dillon came back to point
opposite the drawer from which he had
| procured his revolver and placed the
. gun under the bar after he had opened
the weapon to allow something, presum
ably the empty shell, to iall to the floor
He said that when Best said Il will
take it out of your hide" Dillon re
marked You will like - take it out
Of my hide After Dillon had said that
he started back for the bar at quite a
rapid walk, procured a revolver, re-
turned to the front of the partition.
Then came the shot Dillon appeared
excited and angry at the time he came
i'll to get the gun, and was pale He
said nothing after the shooting but took
Il drink with the Witness
Orth testified that after the shooting
| Charles CulbrandsOn entered the place.
CulbrandSon said, Il heard you shot
man" Dillon replied, You're crazy"
On crosS-eXaminatiOn the witness said
that he was sitting at table in the
saloon when the shot was fired and that
he could see through the glass partition
everything that occurred as far as Dill
Ion was concerned. He did not see Best,
as Best must have been some distance
from the partition, and nearer the door.
Dr.. Munkwitz on Stand.
Another witness called was DR.. Frank
Munkwitz of Milwaukee. He testified
to being called to Racine to attend Best
up to the time of his death He described
the wound and the direction the bullet
had taken. lie was asked to stand up
and illustrate his points several times.
Dr.. Munkwitz was questioned regarding
the condition of the patient just previous
to his death and he testified that Best
was conscious until one hour before death
/
fore his death Best made a statement
to T. c. Wilcox, employed by the dis
trict attorney for that purpose. The doc
tor said that Best said that he expected
to die just before making the statement.
H Raymond, the owner of the store
| into which Best went after the shooting,
said that Dillon denied he had shot Best.
Dillon Denied Shooting.
David S. GriswOld, q newspaper man,
was examined and gave an account of
what he saw i'll RaymOnd's hardware
store He had a conversation with Best
as he was lying on the floor. Best told
him that Dillon had shot him during q
dispute about bill. He said that Dill
lon kicked him as he was going out of
the saloon door and then shot him. Best
identified Dillon.
Dillon, according to Griswold denied
that he shot Best and said when ac-
cused of it: This is the worst | ever
! heard. The man was never i'll my place
and | never had a quarrel with him"
To this Best replied: You know you
kicked me and then shot me-"
Coroner Jonas Ioyle exhibited the bull
let which caused the death Of Best and
it was allowed to enter as an exhibit in
the case without objection on the part
of the defense. The bullet was examined
by all of the jurors.
Jacob Best, ST.. of Milwaukee was in
court and sat between the district at
torney ard the jurors. He paid the
strictest 9ttentiOn to every word ut
+ared nv tine witnesses