The Washington herald., 1915-12-12


walk, jostling her over the curb. As she
slipped she turned backward and the
tallest man met her look. For q moment
the light from the arc lamp over their
heads beat upon aim; 1t was as though
he stood In a spot light. She remembered
his face and a long time afterward de-
scribed it-thin, sharp-cut, large nostrils
and light hair hanging over gray eyes
There was a scar at the side Of his neck,
partially covered by bandana twisted
round his collar. Particularly she noticed
the scar.
A few minutes later J. G. Morrison
peered round his coffee mill to see who
was coming to buy groceries SO late at
night. He looked down the barrel OF
revolver, toward the shadowy figures of
two men, masked and muhled. Amazed
speak. The gun barked twice; Morrison
slid to the floor, crumpling like a wall
whose foundations are torn out. Instant
ly another shot tipped across the store,
shattering the front window. 1t sent one
Of the men-the taller one-reeling.
Pungent smoke rushed together and
lifted, showing Arling Morrison. white
faced, at the back of the store. revolver
in his shaking hand. The men sinking
toward the door paused and one of them
fired once, twice, and again, as though
and the door banged as they rushed out.
The boy fell forward heavily, the gun
Gathering out of his hand. His little
brother, who had covered behind cases,
ran. sobbing, toward his fathers still
form.
People were opening windows round
the grocery store. hatless, coatless man
was beating at the door when a pair of
shadows crawled through the deeper
l.l 10, xho 80 hxv, 4
ley. A voice spoke from the shade. 'Oh,
Bob, I'm shot, Then silence as the
shadows drifted away. There was blood
on the snow; blood slithering along the
floor of the grocery store. Morrison was
dead; Arling Morrison died In the night.
Long after midnight a physician In a
corner of the city opposite the Morrison
store was awakened by the ringing Of
his night bell. A man whose voice ratified
in his throat asked to have q wound
dressed. In the doctors operating room
the man sank to coma; bullet had torn
through his chest and the wound had
been bleeding for hours.
When his patient became conscious he
begged The doctor to take him away. He
had friends at Murray he said. five miles
from the city. So the doctor ordered
his automobile brought round. As he
held his patients coat revolver dropped
to the moor.
"Pve had a quarrel with someone
quarrel over a woman" the man told
him. 81 was as much to blame as the
other man: that's how happened to get
shot. l want 1t kept quiet"
On the way to Murray he threw away
his gun. Finally. as they neared an
isolated houSe, he asked. the doctor to
lower his lights. Two shrill whistles
opened the door to him. The doctor
drove away.
Only one unusual incident marked the
case of the people against Joseph Hill
strom, charged with the murder of ]. G.
Morrison and Airing Morrison on the
night of January 10, 1914. When the
state was about half through its case.
the defendant. without warning arose be-
fore the court and jury. and emphatical-
" demanded that his counsel be dis
charged and that he be permitted to con-
duct his defense In person. The trial was
suspended to allow q general consulta-
ton. As a result Hillstrom agreed to
permit his counsel to 60 on acting for
him at the instigation Of the court. with
additional counsel secured by himself.
and with the understanding that he was
to be permitted to examine witnesses.
The woman who had been 1ostled from
the sidewalk testified that Hillstrom was
the man she had seen that night; his
features were the same; the ssme soar
marked his neck. The youngest Morri-
son boy said that he looked like the man