[Calls by the crowd for James Parker.]
James Parker, (sworn)—Keene overtook me, to-day, on the summit, coming from Blackfoot. We rode together. He inquired of me whether Slater was in town, and told me of some difficulty existing between them, originating in Salt Lake City; Slater having thrust a Derringer into his mouth, and ran him out of the city.
Prisoner here got up and said. That he had told Parker, he hoped he should not see Slater, as he did not want any difficulty with him, or some such conversation.
James Geero (Hogal) called for, (sworn)—[Here the wind extinguished our candle, and being in the open air, before we could relight it, we missed all the testimony but the last words.—Reporter.] Know nothing about the shooting affair.
At this moment a voice in the crowd was heard crying: “John Keene, come here”—which caused the guards to close around the prisoner.
Mr. Phillips, (sworn)—Don’t know anything about the affair; but saw Slater fall. Don’t know who fired. Know what Jem Geero says to be true. Saw Slater sit in this position, (here Mr. P. showed the position Slater was in when shot,) saw Slater sitting in the door; did not see him have a revolver.
Prisoner asked to have some witnesses sent for; he said that the original cause of his trouble with Slater was his taking Tom Baum and Ed. Copeland’s part, in a conversation about the Vigilance Committee of last year. Slater then called him a Vigilante ——, and drove him out of town; this was in Salt Lake City. Then he went to Virginia City, and from there to Blackfoot. Slater was a dangerous man; he had killed two men in Boise. He said he had gone to work at mining in Blackfoot, and came over to Helena on that day, to see a man—Harlow. “When I first saw Slater, to-day, he smacked my face with both hands and called me a —— Irish —— and said he would make me leave town; I went and borrowed a revolver of Walsh.” He requested them to send for an Irishman called Mike, who works on the brickyard, and who heard the last conversation. He wanted Mr. Phillips to give a little more testimony.
Mr. P.—I know him to go armed and equipped; saw him draw a weapon on a former occasion; saw him make a man jump down twenty pair of stairs.
Motion of the jury to retire. Cries of “aye!” and “no! go on with the trial.” A voice—“Send for Kelly, the man who was talking to Slater at the time he was shot.” Cries of “Mr. Kelly! Mr. Kelly!” and “Dave St. John.” Neither of these men could be found.
A motion to increase the number of the guard to forty was carried.