The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-05-11
TOPICS OF The TOWN
Odd Bits Of Gossip About Everyday
Life In Butte.
Something About Fire Statistics
Features OF a Police Station that
Are Dead Wrong Floating
Figures About Real Estate.

Butte, May lO.-A very noticeable lack
in the annual reports submitted by the
city's officers last Monday was in regard
to ar. statistics. There was really no re-
port as TO what had been accomplished in
the direction OF fire. Probably there is
not a man in Butte to-day who can tell
how many fires there AVE been in the
city the past year, how much the loss has
been, how much Of the loss was covered
by insurance, what were the
causes of the fires and how
many fires were incendiary. II is hoped
that complete statistics on these points
will he furnished in the future and that
complete details OF fires will be kept. Ii
is understood that Fire Marshal O'Brien
has since January | OF the present year
been keeping n record Of the fires, and il
this record is complete his reports will be
interesting. Now, that the city is paying
for n salaried department., has put in a
fire alarm system and has been adding
extensively To its apparatus, IL is certainly
entitled to complete statistics.
Two officers were discharged from the
police force last winter after charges had
been made and a thorough examination
held. A half dozen officers were dis
charged from the police force the past
week against whom no charges had been
made, concerning whom there had been
no investigation and not a breath of sus-
picion. No police officers in Butte ever
gave better satisfaction, ever attended to
business more faithfully than had officers
Jordan, Rodda, Byrne and the rest. The
only charge that has been or can be made
against the bounced policemen is that
they had been deficient in political pull.
The men who have taken their places
have a better pull in politics. They can
not prove better policemen; they may
prove as good, after they have had n
years experience.
II costs Silver Bow county a pretty sum
to have people killed within its limits.
Murder trials are SO costly, and on the
whole SO unsatisfactory, that the old days
of vigilante justice are preferable, at
least in point of expense, and probably
they hit Justice as nearly as havc the in
terminable murder trials of the past win
ter. On November 70, last, there was a
~coroner's inquest i'm the case of Mrs.
Barriere. There were Is witnesses, and
the cost Of the inquest was $40. A few
wee ks later there was a preliminary
hearing, when there were about thirty wit
nesses and a cost of nearly $1,000. For III
days during the past two weeks there has
been a trial in district court on the same
case. No exact footing of the expense
has vet been made, Dnt tDunty lreastiref
kessler estimates the cost at nearly five
thousand dollars. This time there were
GO witnesses. Altogether tina little af-
fair between Mr.. and Mrs. Barriere has
cost the county W 5000 and 5000.
Worse thar that, there is just as much
Of Barriere now as there ever was.
The jury pronounced him not guilty,
simply because the evidence was not suf-
flcient to convict. rnder the circum-
stances IA verdict of guilty would have
been Just as unsatisfactory. The fact is
there was SO much perjury on n side or
| the other, or on both sides, that the truth
was impossible to Ind Ii is something
of a reflection on the moral status of
Butte that such ready perjurcrs could have
been found i'm such large umbers
Some people about town nave been fig
uring on the bargain of Evan Morgan, in
leasing 40 feet front on Main street he.
tween Park and Broadway at $500 a
month for 10 years. The total amount
paid in the 10 years will be $1,000. But
this is for the mere ground rent. MIR.
Morgan will himself erect one of h most
palatial brick blocks in the city and at
the expiration of the lease this brick block
will become the property OF the owner
of the ground. II would seem that Mr..
Morgan would have 10 sell quite n good
many schooners of beer To get eve on
this proposition. But he figured the thing
down fine before he signed the lease. The
plans are draw up, and from ther rents
already offered for the various parts of
the building above the ground hoor, Mr..
Morgan will obtain a rental equivalent TO
the 500 paid for the lease. to the interest
at I per cent per month on the money
paid TO erect the building, the taxes and
insurance. This will leave him his sa-
loon on the ground floor rent free; or he
can rent the saloon for $500 n month, and
have nothing to do with the business
at all.
BY the way, property seems to have adj
vanced about 80 per cent in Main street
since last January. At hat time much
interest was excited over the fact tina
property had sold In the business center of
Main street at $1,000 per. front foot. The
lowest PURCHASE price Mr.. Morgan could
obtain for the 40 foot ron he has leased
was 10000. That is equivalent TO Sl,5OO
per foot.
A front Of IA feet 8 inches on Main
street is renting at sl25 per month.
There has been n good deal Of comment
during the engagement of the Bostonians
on the removal of their hats by many OF