The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-11-07

killing Of Malcolm Hunter, which oc-
Cured at the kirkland home on the
Missouri river, Is miles southeast of
Glasgow, on the 4th day of last June,
was acquitted by the jury after six
hours deliberation. The verdict was
brought in at 5:45 o'clock Wednesday
morning.
Both the defendant and the deceas-
ed were old timers in this part Of
Montana, with broad acquaintance
ship throughout this part of the state
and the case attracted more interest
than any tried in Valley county for
number of years. The defendant was
represented by Attorneys George E.
Hurd and o. A. Hallett of the law firm
of Norris, Hurd & McKellar, and the
prosecution was handled by County
Attorney Carl D. Borton and Attorney
John L. Slattery.
The case went to trial last Friday
morning, after nearly two days had
been consumed in the selecting of the
jury. Every day during the trial
the court room was crowded to it's full
seating capacity, and many attend
ants kept their seats all during the re-
cess hours in the fear of not being
able to regain them once they were
relinquished. Judge H. c. Hall, who
presided at the trial, issued an order
restricting the attendance to those
who could be seated, which eliminated
the usual congestion of the court
room attendant upon trials of the i'm
portance of this one.
The testimony in the case had all
been introduced by Tuesday noon, and
the afternoon was taken up in settling
the instructions and reading them to
the jury. At 1880 in the evening the
arguments were made by counsel,
which took until II o'clock, at which
time the jury retired to consider the
verdict.
Turpin's Testimony.
The evidence in the case, in brief
way, was as follows: The witness
Andrew Turpin, called by the state,
testified that along in the middle of
May he and his wife went to work at
the Kirkland ranch; that on Sunday
the first day of June, he and Mr.. Kirk
land rode over to the Hunter ranch
and after Mr. Kirkland had had a
short conversation with some one in
the Hunter house, they returned home
On Tuesday, the 3rd day of June, Ray
Brockway, who was working for Hunt
er, and Clifford Hunter, son of NAL
colin Hunter, came to the kirkland
ranch and stayed a couple of hours
visiting with Mr.. Kirkland; that after
they left and some time during
that afternoon Mr.. Kirkland said tc
him, "Turpin, Mac Hunter is coming
over tomorrow and l want you to stick
around; might kill him or l might
not kill him; or might shoot him OF
l might not shoot him." that on the
following day Mac Hunter did come
over to the Kirkland home some time
in the forenoon and that when Turpir
went in the house to see kirkland
about certain work to be done, he
found Kirkland and Hunter in the
northwest bedroom. Hunter was sit
ting in a rocking chair and kirkland
was lying on the bed; that about moor
he called dinner and Mac Hunter came
down in the basement of the house
which was used for kitchen, and at,
dinner with Turpin and his wife. Whil'
at the dinner table Hunter stated t.
Turpin something about Kirkland
wife and referred to an incident tina
occurred in the Shannon hotel at Glas
gov in that connection, and said tina
Bill was throwing it up to him, o
words to that effect.
Shortly thereafter Turpin said h
saw Hunter going upstairs towar'
Kirkland's room and that Hunter ha,
in his hand leather, or harness
knife, which belonged to Kirkland
that Turpin called to Hunter and h
came back down stairs and that he
Turpin, got Hunter to give him tn