The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-10-15
How scanlon Fell Into . Trap
Laid for Him by F. J.
Murray.
Another Witness Tells OF q Cep-
ture Made at . Hay
Stack.
Judge Hunt Becoming Tired Of Ions
Arguments by tho Lawyers in the
Coal Cases.

OeCect1v0 =. d. murray WAS ON tuo WAV
ness stand in the district court nearly all
day yesterday in the trial of William Scan
lon on the charge Of stealing coal from the
Northern Pacific Railroad COMPANY. He
testified to meeting Scanlon at Racine,
Wis, and at st. Paul, during August, 1883.
He represented to Scanlon that he had been
in the employ of the Northern Pacific rail-
road a. car checker at Missoula; that when
he first went there he was green, but the
other men soon put him on to the scheme,
and that he then began selling the COM
pany's coal. When he had drawn Scanlon
on the latter admitted to him that he had
worked in the same way at Helena, and had
made a. much a. $160 week selling the
company's coal. The witness then went on
to tell Of how he had advised Scanlon.
whom he subsequently met in Helena on
August 18th, 1889, to 60 to British America.
Scanlon had consented and tickets were
procured. But 6canlon did not show up at
the appointed time.
Scanlon's lawyers tried very hard to
shake Murray's evidence on cross-examina-
ton. and made numerous objections to
certain parts of the testimony being re-
ceived. But in all material points they
were overruled, and took exceptions: At
Ou0 WILLS uOk0 NlCOOuu0l1S VI GOuu60A Ava
the defense, propounded question to the
detective that required nearly ten minutes
TO read, and asked him if he remembered
such q circumstance. County Attorney
Nolan promptly objected and claimed that
the witness could not be expected to answer
'.yes'' or mo- to such a long question. The
court seemed to be Of the same opinion,
and the question was then administered in
what Judge Mcconnell called ''broken
Doses" and Lawyer Wallace referred to az
'.blocks Of one.''
Fred Holburn also proved to be strong
witness for the prosecution, and the defense
let him 20 without cross-exRminatiOn. His
evidence was to the effect that he was a
friend of Scanlon, the man on trial. Scan-
Ion had asked him to 90 with him to ASSN
aboine in August, 1889, and had told him
thst he (Scenlon) had to leave the country
because he had been connected with the
''coal stealing cases." The night they we're
to leave VIM. Scanlon, Jim Scanlon, George
Gray and witness met at the bridge of the
Montana Central railway. Gray gave Scan
Ion some money, and they boarded the
train as it was pulling out of the station.
Farther up the road they got on freight
train. scanlon had letter from Gray to
their wanderings until they reached ASSN.
aboine. Their money run out there and
they had to sleep in hay stack. As they
were coming out of this bedroom" one
morning, Scanlon was arrested. He refused
to come back to Helena without a warrant,
necessary paper was secured. Before ieav-
ing Helena, George Gray told Scanlon that
if he ever come back he (Gray) would bore
hole through him.
Another important witness was Roscoe
Hotter, who had been friend of Scanlon
when the latter was in the employ of the
railroad company. He testified to receive
ING 1880 from ScRnlOn out of the pro-