Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-04-20

Pretending that Joe Butt, a Jap
anese, was wanted by the Japanese
consul at Portland on murder
charge, B. Sato, also Japanese, pre-
vailed upon Constable Beach of
Woodburn, to go to the Wolfe hop
yard and arrest him, and then after
directing the officer to release him
on the pretended ground that he was
the wrong man, fired three shots at
him, one of the bullets entering the
abdomen, passing through one lung
and out through the back.
Butt is now lying in the William
cite Sanatorium in a serious condi-
tion and the attending physicians
were unable to say whether he
wuld live or die. Sato is confined
in the county jail and in the justice
court Of Judge Webster complaint
charging him with assault with a
dangerous weapon has been filed
against him, but he will not be al
lowed to plead to it until 1t is ascer-
tained whether Butt will live or die.
Should he die the charge will be
changed to one of murder.
Just what caused Sato to attempt
to take the life of Butti is not known.
Last summer the two men worked in
the hop yards together and so far as
Manager Evans could see were on
friendly terms. Sato, 1t seems, some
time ago severed his connections
with the hop yard but Butt and his
wife have continued to work there.
A theory is advanced that Sato and
Butti we're rivals for the hand Of
Butts wife when she was a girl, but
had this been so it is pointed out
that Sato would have tried to take
Butts life last summer as Butti and
his present wife were then married
The real cause will probably not be
disclosed until the time of the trial as
Butt is now in too serious condi-
tion to talk and Sato will not discuss
the subject.
Japanese Witness Exhibited.
In the attempted murder there is
to be found all of the willy Witness
for which the Japanese are noted
Sato week ago visited the farm for
the ostensible purpose of securing
work for some Japanese in Oregon
City, but as the officers believe to
look over the. ground.
Yesterday he went to Constable
Beach at Woodburn and told him
that he represented the Japanese
consul at Portland and that Butt
was wanted for murder. After lis
tenlng to the story the constable
agreed to accompany him to the hop
yard and arrest Joe Butt of whom he
had been furnished description and
also the name.
When about mile and a half from
the hop yard Sato got out of the
buggy and said he would wait for
the return of the constable and
Butt. Butt had no trouble in ar
resting his man, and upon his wife
pleading to accompany him, he took
them both to where Sato was sta
toned, After looking Butt over,
Sato said he was the wrong man and
directed the officer to release him and
return to Woodburn, which he did.
The Struggle In the Field.
Now that he had his victim within
his clutches and unarmed, Sato set
about to deliberately murder him,
Butti and his wife were vending
their way across a field back to the
hop yard. Sato crossed the field and
overlook them and then he opened
fire. The first shot went wide of his
mark and so did the second but the
third took effect, entering the abdo-
men and passing through one of the
lungs,
Seeing Buttl wounded Sato closed
in upon him and then began a hand
to hand conflict between the two and
in which the wife participated. In
the scufIle Butt succeeded in taking
from Sato his revolver but in the
scuffIe the chambers and trigger had
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