The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-07-21

STATEMENT IS MADE BY
GEORGE CONWAY

+ George. Conway, the wound
+ ed man, was seen by a Free
i Press reporter at st. Joseph's
+ hospital this forenoon, and,
+ after having hypodermic adj
+ ministered to him, was able to
I. make a statement as to the
I. shooting. He said that his
+ name is George Conway and
+ that his home is in Glasgow
+ Scotland, that he is a single
+ man, thirty years old, has no
+ trade, and that he has been
+ in this country seven or eight
+ years, and has been wandering
+ about and following the life of
+ a tramp for long time.
+ Not Bad Looking.
+ Washed up and shaved up,
+ Conway is not bad looking
+ man. He is of good size, and
+ we'll knit, and has an intelli-
+ gent face. He refused to state
+ who his relatives are, and said
+ that he did not want to bother
+ them with his present trouble.
+ They live in Glasgow. He adj
+ mitted that there was truth in
+ the statement of his pal that
+ there was money coming to
+ him after a while, but did not
+ care to pursue that subject
T. further.
+ Asked as to the shooting,
+ Conway said that he never
+ saw his assailant before he
+ entered the box car at Lake
+ Crystal yesterday to get some
+ kindling wood to build fire
T. to cook dinner. He said that
+ while he was pulling off pieces
+ of board from the sides and
+ ends of the car he pulled off
+ one near the man, who was
+ lying on the car floor, and the
+ latter got ugly about it.
+ "WouId Beat Me Up"
+ "He told me that he would
+ get up and beat me up," said
+ Conway, in a weak voice, be-
+ tween his gasps and groans. 81
+ went and got my friend be-
+ cause there were three others
+ in the car with him. and then
4 hon Il fA hn
+ ed him if he was as good a
+ man as he said he was to get
+ up and try it, but he would
+ not get up. so i went in and
+ slapped him. I did not put
+ my foot on him. After 1
+ slapped him, stood back, and
+ he then pulled the gun and
+ fired at me as l was facing
+ him, but that shot did not
+ seem to hit me. I tried to get
+ away and he shot me in the
+ back. l don't think my friend
+ saw the actual shooting, as
+ he was not in the car / left
I. the car and that is all there
+ was to it,
+ Just Slapped Him.
4 Conway was asked by the
+ reporter whether there was
+ anything done by him to
+ justify the shooting, and he
+ said that there was not, ex-
+ cept that he had slapped the
+ man who had been anxious a
+ short time before to fight
+ him. He said that he was not
+ intending to strike the man
+ again, had stepped back from
+ him, and had not make any
f. threats, and that there was no
+ occasion for the man to shoot.
+ He did not know the mans
+ name.
+ Conway said that he was
+ travelling with two friends, but
+ that he did not know their
+ names. He had been with
+ them some little time. ~.
+ Suffers Much Pain.
+ Yesterday afternoon Con-
T. ways wound was dressed by
I. Drs. Cullen, Roy Andrews, A.
+ o. Bjelland and A. F. Kemp.
+ 1t took some time to get the
+ patient in shape. This fore
= noon one of the nurses dress
+ ed the wound. The patient
+ showed some fever and ad- =
+ vanced pulse today. He suffer
+ ed intense pain and had to
+ have opiates administered at
+ regular intervals.
+ County Attorney Schmitt did
+ not deem it necessary to get
+ statement from Conway,
+ but he has secured the written
+ and signed statements of the
+ three witnesses who are being
+ held. He expects to have these
+ witnesses held unless it should
+ become practically certain that
+ the man who did the shooting
+ cannot be found.
+ + + + + + + + J. + + + + + +
the police station and left Conwa,
two pals there with Officer ST
monds and took the other three
Oscar Olson's to get dinner, and tn
took them back to the police static
In the meantime the two that we
there had left las the officer did r
think that he had a right to he
them, and was told that they we
not under arrest. Chief Donahue W
undecided whether he could hold