Seward daily gateway., 1924-11-08
REPUTY RELATES FACTS IN KILLING OF JAMES HILL AS RELATED BY WITNESSES

Special Officer Claude Shea arriv- ed in Seward yesterday from Seldo- via, where with Deputy Reed and District Attorney Waller he went to investigate the murder of Deputy Marshal James Hill, who was killed last week by Wm. Brooks, a home steader. MT. Shea, in an interview the following facts in connection with the. murder and suicide:
 Arriving at Seldovia, he went to the scene of the shooting and went over the ground thoroughly, but found nothing that the local officers had not already discovered with the ex- ception of a copper collar, part of still, which was found in Brooks barn. In conversation with witness es, Mir. Shea found that Hill had met his death as he was running from a tent which he had been searching for evidence connecting the men with the still Testimony showed that Deputy Marshal Hill found a hydro meter. used for testing mash, three empty barrels, or partially empty, a gallon jug, and pint bottle with some liquor in it, siphon hose with the odor of liquor clinging to it and 1 Ia3 burt had arrested the occupants of the tent, namely Walter and Lewis Revire, and Jos. Gangnon, and the men had been taken to Seldovia to be placed in jail leaving Hill and a young man named Jacobson in the tent. The tent being on Brooks land and in close proximity to the house, MT Hill naturally questioned MT. Brooks about his connection with the affair. Brooks, became very an gry and tried to start quarrel with Hill, who left him and went back to the tent, after warning Brooks that he had better not be found working with the three men arrested
 While looking about the tent, Hill ] took cup off a table and started to take up cup of water, when a dog belonging to Brooks bit him in the hand. Hill is said to have shot at the dog several times. and the animal ran yelping down the trail to the house. Brooks, who is said to have been of a very excitable nature, grabbed his gun and started up to the tent remarking that Hill had got his dog and he was going to kill him for it. Brooks remarked to his wife before leaving that if The (HilD kill ed that dog he would kill him." Mrs. Brooks tried to prevent his leaving the house, warning him he would get into trouble if he did Brooks broke away from his wife and when he ar rived within short distance from the tent must have fired a shot up in the air, as no bullet hole was found in the tent, and testimony of Jacobson showed that a shot was fired while he and Hill were in the tent, and an automatic shell was found in the trail about a hundred feet below the tent.
 At this point we will give the af- fidavit of Robert Jacobson, the only witness of the shooting:
 When we arrived at Brooks place we found Brooks and another man unloading wood. We then went up and crossed the bridge at Milo Hurl- burt's place and took a trail leading there to Brooks place. When we came to the creek Jim (4ilD ran and jumped the creek, with Milo and myself right behind. He went in to | the tent and started to search it. There were two men outside of the tent and one man in the tent. Jim brought out a bottle containing li- Quor and a jug with canvas cover or it, cOrkS in bag and tester, and a few pieces of hose used for siphoning. Brooks came up to the tent and said hello to me, and some one called him in the tent Jim went in ahead of him. They all came out side but Brooks was fixing the stove, dumping water out of the pots, etc. Jim said to Milo to take the prison CTS to jail and send John back to get Bob and I. So they all started to walk away. Milo and prisoners took the trail leading to Milo's ranch and Brooks the trail to his house and went off. Jim then told me we would take a walk and see if we could find the still and mash. He said. You follow the creek up on both sides, and he went down the creek I was gone about half an hour and return ed to the tent and Jim was in there. He says to me, did you find any, thing and I said, no, there was heavy brush and no trail. He said, ! we found barrel then showed 1t to me. Then Jim reached for drink of water with cup in his hand, and 8 little black dog bit him on the hand. Jim chased the dog outside