The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1908-10-16
S|A|BBAIRIhARRED BY
MURDER | IN Piedmont. ] D'|M|
MILLS RAPACHE SLEW A FELL
I low AUSTRIAN AFTER A
QUARREL.
MURDERER ARRESTED AND rs
BOUND OVER TO GRAND
JURY.

morning in the Austrian section Ia
borers' camp at Piedmont as re-
suit of Ill feeling and bad blood that
had existed in the gang for some
time. The laborers were taken to
Piedmont from. the Rapid City, Bren-
nan and Spring Creek sections the
latter part of last week and it Is said
that several serious fights took place
In the cars while on the way.
The trouble. continued after their
arrival at Piedmont and eliminated
Sunday morning, when, after a fistic
encounter on the ground, one of the
combatants ran to one of the board
ing cars and climbed in, secured a
revolver and shot his assailant just
as he was in the act of climbing into
s the car. The first shot struck the
man in the, forehead, between the
eyes, while a seco..d shot, hit him in
the top of the head and a third in
the shoulder. The wounded . man
turned, walked few steps and fell
dead. !.
The man who did the shooting es-
capped from his companions and made
his way into the hills west of Pied
mont, where he remained during the
day Sheriff Stewart, of Meade coun-
ty, was notified and came to Pied
mont in his automobile but finding
that it was necessary to go. into the
Hills he telephoned Sheriff Bangs, Of
this city, to bring up some saddle
horses. Mr. Bangs did not arrive at
Piedmont until towards evening and
just about the time that the posse
was ready to startson the hunt, the
man returned to the town, being
afraid to stay alone in the woods. he
was at once arrested and was brought
to this city on the evening ,passen-
ger train and confined In the county
jail that night. On Monday the 'mur-
derer was taken to Sturgis by Sher-
III Stewart to await the, action of the
coroner's jury.
Mills Rapache, the Austrian, who
on Sunday morning last at Piedmont
shot and killed a fellow laborer. had
an examination at Sturgis yesterday
before Justice Hunt. The prosecution
was represented by States Attorney
Millek and the defendant was with
out an attorney:
1t was with dtfacnlty that the
state, even with the assistance of
an interpreter, was able to get any
thing like connected story Of the
killing from the defendant, but from
what could be gathered. it was evil
dent that Rapache intended to insist
that the shooting was done in self
defense. He maintained thai. he was
afraid Of the man. whom he slew and
that he had beer attacked, by-hims on
q previous occasion with . danger
Gus weapon. He also stated that his
victim had had trouble with other
Austrians in the crew and that on
the trip to Piedmont, shortly after
the car containing the laborers had
pulled out Of Rapid City. the dead
man rad attacked another Austrian
and threatened to stab him with a
knife. Rapache claimed that he
thought the other still had the knife
when the trouble started between the
two, while he was stand .ng in the car
and his victim was on the ground.
He believed that he was about to be
attacked with the deadly weapon and
shot to save his own life.i s=s
None of the Witnesses the shoot
Ing were examined and Rapache was
bound over to the circuit court with
out bail. Pioneer Times.