The silver state news. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1907-1909, 1908-09-19
LOSES BOTH HIS MONEY
and His LIFE GAMBLING

hear them quarreling in there. During
the beginning of the trouble | was in
the tent, but when Nichols and Mollie
went out scuffiing ! went along and did
not return. However, Patterson, the
white man, and Ira Harrison were in
there. After they had been quarreling
in the tent for few moments, Nichols
came staggering out and disappeared
down the hill. At the time / though.
nothing of his staggering, supposing it
to have been from the ef-
fects of the liquor. But the
other fellows came out, saying
that Mollie had cut Nichols, and we
all went down the hill looking for
him, and found him lying dead about
25 yeards from the tent"
Judge Robins empanelled coroner g
jury, composed of N. M. Roberts, II. L..
Davis, J. G. Westberg, Chris Diehl, Jr,
VIM. Hickman, Ernest Garties, f. M.
Williams, j. Harris and J. Borland,
who, after viewing the remains and
hearing the testimony, last night re-
turned the following verdict:
: "We, the jury, find that Jim Mich
OILS came to his death at Winnemucca,
Humboldt county, Nevada, on Sept.
Is, 1908, by knife wound inflicted by
Mollie Harrison.
he fy.rn nE h. he
refusal of Ira Harrison, husband Of
Mollie, to testify, further than to give
his name, age, residence, etc. The wit
ness, whom, it is alleged, had been
threatened with arrest as an accessory
to the crime, was naturally very relue-
tant to testify, and upon the advice of
his attorney, H. Warren, finally fatty
declined to answer the questions pro-
pounded, quoting as his justification,
the well-known principle Of the law
that man cannot be compelled to
testify against his wife. This excuse
availed him naught, however, for he
was peremptorily fined 500, or 50
days, and was removed to the county
Jail.
Mollie Harrison, it is claimed, gave
her consent for her husband to testify,
but his counsel claimed that it took two
to make bargain, and that. notwith-
standing her willingness, he could
lawfully use his own discretion in the
premises. Attorney Warren will at
once apply to the district court for a
writ of habeas corpus in an effort to
secure Harrison IS release.
Whatever may be the opinion of the
public in regard TO the punishment
that should be meted out to the
woman, all are agreed that she is more
the victim of misfortune than anything
else. DR.. Giroux, who conducted the
autopsy, said that not once in thou
sand times would knife wound in
fiicted in that region of the body pro-
duce death, and it is not probable that
when she struck the blow she did so
with the intent of killing the man.
From all accounts Mollie Harrison is
a hard-working, but ignorant and i'm
provident woman. Like "Topsy,' in
Harriet Beecher Stowe s immortal story
of ''Uncle Tom s Cabin she was not
brought up, but 'jes growed up.' IN
the process she had been accustomed to
hard knocks and had learned to fight
her own battles, which had tendency
to spoil her naturally quick-tempered
disposition. Being alone in tent
filed with drunken, swearing rowdies
of both colors, and becoming provoked,
she took matters into her own hands,
and was the unfortunate and accidental
instrument of human beings death.