Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-07-30

] tJl y = 70 NAIOlIK N MIN -
fhe people of Elmore count ~.
their kind interest in his liberty
In the fall of 1901, Coroner I. MI
May resigned his office and movaa
to Salt Lake City, where he estah
Hshed an extensive drug hnsinass
Or. B. B. Swan of Mountain uo@
was appointed to tfill the vacancy
In January, 1902, County Commits.
sioner l., N. FRANKIE r resigned his Of
flee on account of leaving for Thin
der Mountain to accept a position 90
mine superintendent, aad G w IA
lott Of Atlanta was appointed nv
Governor Hunt to serve during the
unexplred term.
In February of the same wear oc-
Cured the murder of Joe Monte ,a
at Mountain Home by Frank Ga,,ae
ner, the details of which were rather
sensational.
Montague and his wife had resided
in Mountain Home since the summer
of 1898, Montague following the oc-
cupation of bartender and a gambler
his wife keeping a private boardino
house. In his sober senses Montag pic
was quiet, good natured and colrte.
Gus, but when drunk, which was fire.
Quent, he was ugly, quarrelsome and
insanely jealous.
Gardner came a tramp to Noun
tain Home In the fall of 1900. and
through Montague secured emplov-
ment and went to live with the Mon
tagues. In the summer prior to the
murder, Montague came home one
evening, the worse for liquor, and be-
gan quarreling with his wife. when
Gardner ~interfered in behalf of the
woman; w~hereupon Montague
threatened Gardner's life. Next dav
Gardner had Montague arrested for
making this threat, but before the
case came up for hearing he and
Montague patched up their differ
enecs and the suit was dismissed.
Later on, the peace between them
was again broken, and Montague or
dered Gardner out of his house, tell
ing him to stay away and never re-
turn.
In the ensuing February Mon
tague learned that Gardner was a
frequent visitor to his house during
his absence, and said that he would
soon stop it.
The night of the tragedy, Mon
tague left his house somewhat in
toxicated, and walked up and into
the Turner House, where he remain
ed a few minutes, and then went into
A. ROsenheim's place, remaining
there a few moments, when he left
and proceeded up the main street
as far as w. D. Reynolds jewelry
store, close to the Lone Star lodg-
ing house, and went into the store.
In the course of about ten minutes he
left and started h0meward, and as he
was turning down Bruneau avenue
at the Fletcher corner, he encoun-
tered Gardner, who was standing in
the doorway of the store. He asked
Gardner If he was waiting for a
chance to shoot him in the back.
Some words passed between the two
men, when Montague was heard to
tell Gardner not to go to his house
at any time In the hereafter. Dur
ing the discussion, Gardner drew his
gun and Montague ran around the
corner as If to get out of the way,
but was pursued by Gardner, gun in
hand.
Immediately two shots were fired
by Gardner, followed by three more,
after a short pause, and Montague
fell en- the plank walk with three
mortal wounds, one bullet entering
at the back of the right lung, com
ing out owe the right nipple; one
entering the back on the lift side,
coming out through the left breast,
and n entering the back OF the
skull, coming out at the top. Mon
tague lived for only a few moments.
Gardner walked TO the jail and de-
ivered himself up to Deputy Sheriff
Nicholson.
Coroner Swan held an inquest, the
jury rende ring a verdict charging
Gardner with wilful murder.
At the trial in May following, be-
fore Judge Perky, Attorney General
Martin, County Attorney Sinnott and
l.. B. Green appeared for the prose-
cutiOn, and Hon. j. H. Hawley and
b. NJ. Wolfe for the defense. The
evidence showed that 20 minutes be-
fore the homicide Gardner had been
to Montague's house, and learned
that Joe had not taken his gun with
him; that he followed Montague
from place to place until the latter
went into Reynolds jawelry store,
when Gardner went on to the FLEET
cher corner and waited there tof
Montague's arrival, when the trag-
edy occurred.
Gardner was found guilty OF vol
untary manslaughter, the trial last
ing a week, and he was sentenced 70
ten years Imprisonment in the penl-
tertiary.
CHAPTER XXXV
The year 1902 opened up with
good industrial prospects for Elmore
county, particularly the mining IN
t%erests. In Atlanta work resumed IN
the Petit group, the Baltimore, Dig
Lode, and the Atlanta Consolidated
groups. Under the management OF
Conroy and Kirby, operations were
pushed with vigor in the Buffalo ana
Monarch properties. ..
The Bear Creek properties az
Rocky Bar, under the direction OF ou-
perintendent D. B. Horton now
known as the Gluick group were
worked vigorously by quite a large
force of miners. -
Work resumed on the Dixie mines
under the superintendent OF Dan