The new North-west., 1884-06-27
THE CIRCUS sWINDLE.
w. w. Cole Puts Up the Amount the Swind'
iers Gobbled In Butte and Deer Lodge,


The adroit money changers with Cole
circus, who swindled the people in Dillon
Butte and Deer Lodge, appear to have con
fined their operations to these towns, ant
some Of them got cenfned In consequences
while Manager Cole is out several Thousand
dollars and out OF the good graces of Mon
tanians.
As mentioned last week, one man wss ar
rested here for swindlins James Il. Horne, o
Race Track. He gives his name as Thoms'
Gregg; says he is a jewelry peddler with tn,
circus, but found the license too high here
and was selling tickets for the day. He
caught Mr.. Horne by story that he had tt
send his money to California, and asked i
he would exchange two $40 and two S. gold
pieces for grcenbacks. Mr.. Horne assented
and when he counted up had only Sc to show
for his SO. He kicked, and Gregg wss ar
rested. He had hearing before Justice
Emerson Saturday. Barry, the alleged de
tsctive Of Coles circus, staid with Gregg and
employed two attorneys to defend him
Barry is smart. He claimed that it wsS q
very great mistake to arrest Gregg, who waF
not the man who did the changing; but the
facts of the swindle were proved, and Mrs
Horne and Ed. Magone sworc Gregg was the
identical man who did it. There had been
An error in the complaint in describing the
money changed. Judge Emerson adjourned
court till new complaint could be made,
and he was re-arrested. Then it waS dicov-
cred by the prosecuting attorney that there
was an error in the name of the prosecuting
witness. Court was again adjourned and a
new complaint drawn, and Gregg rs-arrested
and brought to trial under that. If neces-
sary new complaints would have been made
out od infnitum till Gregg was brought to
justice, but the alleged remarks of Judge
Emerson on the occasion, ss published in
the LITER -Morntdin are the fruits of fertile
imagination. Gregg was found guilty aT
charged, and sent to Jail in default of 81 900
bond. The trial occupied the day and the
court room was crowded. Gregg remained
in Jail until Wednesday, when efforts to get
the bond reduced failing, Detective" Barry
put up 81 ,OC0 in bank and the jewelry peddler
was released This will doubtless be a dona-
tion to the school fund, as Gregg has had
enough of it.
Incidental to this, while Cole and num-
Der of Coles men, arrested in Helena, were
being taken to Butte, Sheriff McMaster had
received telegram to arrest Barry and have
him at the depot to accompany them. A
warrant was sworn out and quietly put in the
Sheriff's pocket. Barry was indignant at the
penalty put on Gregg, and asserted with
some degree Of warmth that he couldn't be
arrested. McMaster thereupon pulled his
warrant and Barry yielded gracefully to the
and went to Butte with the rest.
Under Sheriff Bodley followed the outfit
from Butte to Helena, arrested W. w. Cole,
Col. Maxwell, Van Zandt, Mantler and an
other. The people who had been swindled
were requested to assemble at the court
house Monday evening, and on their state
ment of facts, Cole refunded s512 wrongfully
taken from 2S persons by the attaches of his
show. Mantler, candy peddler, YVES held
In 81 900 bond for swindlng, aud Cole also
deposited that amount; the entire outfit left
On a special for Garrison in time to catch tho
train west on the Northern Pacific.
But in the meantime, Under Sheriff Nc
Tagus, who had accompanied Under Sheriff
Bodley this far, stopped off, and Sheriff Nc
Mister went to Butte. He saw Mr.. Cole and
Mr.. Cole proposed TO refund; McTague was
elegraphed to forward the list of those who
lad been defrauded here. and on doing so, as
ully rs the list could be ascertaIned, Cole
,laced in McMaster's hands money to refund
o the following persons:
Z. d. Holland $50, Sam Scott $50, Z. Cook
$50, Sam Beaumont So, James L. Horne
30, James Cough s5, NJ. Mauley So so, Ar
bur Hagan $40, Peter Pierce S., John Madi-
on $50, Anson Richards s17, o. d. O'Bannon
AIS, Henry Hoffman SO, John H. Will
Iams So.
Mr.. Cole published card in Butte dis
laiming legal responsibility for all these
doins, " "regretting" the guilty parties had
scaped, ETC., while the guiltless had been
rrested, and saying he had remedied the
natter as much ~ possible. We thought last
ysalth, business and reputation to maintain,
ould have knowledge of these infamous
ractices; but the robbery began in Dillon,
nd continued in Butte and Deer Lodge, |
nth hundreds of people complaining, and |
Te are convinced now his detectives, and he |
trough them, at least should have known of |
!, The Cole circus is good one, but has |
,rfeited all title to patronage in this part of |
iontana. Robinson run his circus through |
his country and gave everybody a square |
cal; Coles circus has left trail Of infamy |
shind it, and it would be but lily patron
.ed again, even II everything was on the |
luare.
The elephant may go round and round
And the band begin to play;
But empty seats will encircle the ring,
And the people will be away.