The circle banner., 1919-11-14
Bullet Fired Thru Window
Causes Death / oplar Man

of an unusual shooting affair at Poplar
Art Williams is dead and Joe Bur
shia, breed, is lodged in the county
jail at Mondake on charge of first
degree assault with intent 70 kill.
Young Burshia had been at the vii
liams home on the afternoon of the
shooting. 1t is said that he had two
bottles of whiskey with him. There
was no trouble until Thomas Picket,
son of Mrs. Williams by a previous
| marriage, returned from school and
demonstrated with Burshia for bring
ing whiskey into the house.
Burshia began to tease the boy and
at the same time he made the remark
he made a motion as if to draw some
thing from his hip pocket. Seeing
this motion Williams is said to have
taken hold of Burshia and asked him
if he had a gun on him. Burshia re-
piled that he had not, that he was on
ly fooling and that what he had in
his pocket was hammer picked up
on the Williams kitchen. Williams
and Burshia are said to have had
some words over the incident. Bur-
shia apologized and made the laugh
ing remark, art, old boy. we will
die together"
Williams remained at the Williams
home until about o'clock. Mrs Will
liams says that her husband told Bur-
shia that he was always welcome at
their home if he would be peaceable.
1t was about 6:10 p. m. when Burshia
was said to have left the house.
Williams, Mrs. Williams and her
brother, Dave Buckles, we're sitting in
the living room. There were two
small children in the bedrooms. VIII
liams was sitting on sofa that was
in direct range of the door into the
bedroom and a bedroom window. A
bout $40 p. m. there was shot fred
The children screamed and ran into
the Lying room to their mother. Mrs.
Williams saw her husbands head fall
back, blood streaming down one side
of the face. The bullet entered the
right side of the head, plowed through
the brain and came out on the left
side of the head. Williams lived for
Is hours but did not regain conscious
ness.
There are several remarkable in
cidents connected with the shooting.
Witnesses say they heard only one
shot fired. The bullet which killed
Williams passed through pane of
glass, threeinch dome casing before
striking him, and afterward became
in the wall behind him.
There is also bullet hole in win
dow in the living room, not in range
of the path the fatal bullet must
have taken, and it is this second bull
let hole which no one seems able to
explain. The second pane of glass
might have been broken if the bullet
had been detected, but authorities say
it was imbedded in the wall.
Soon after the time of the shooting
of Williams, Joe Burshia is said to
have appeared at the home of Jesse
Mason, living not far from the VIII
liams place. and demanded entrance.
1t is said that he told some children
to leave the house and they we're
driven out In their bare feet. Burshia
TIM locked himself in and refused to
admit neighbor who asked him to
open the door, saying, "You don't
want to mix In this"
Sheriff P J. Macy and Marshal Jack
Hanson watched the house all night,
and the following morning Burshia
gave himself up after being advised
by his father to surrender peaceably.
He was taken before Justice of the
Peace S. C. Moore, where Sheriff Macy
swore to the assault charge. Later he
was taken to the county Jail at Mon
dak to await the result Of investiga-
lions now under way
Mrs. williams has been married
several times. A little over a year
ago Frank Mcdonald, who was her
husband at the time. was shot BY
Harry Gain of Poplar. who fired in
self defense.
1t is said that Art williams and
Burshia had been close friends up to
he time Of the shooting.