The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1891-12-11
Mann Post-O:lice Robbery.

The trial of Mrs. Baynum for the rob
berry of the Mann postofflce, came off at
Helena last week. The case occupied
four days and the result and Il sketch Of
i was given in Sundays Independent,
from which we copy the following:
"tftcr being Out twenty-one hours.
the Jury in the Barnum case were dis
charged Yesterday afternoon at Q O'Clock
because they could not agree. Judge
Knowles q~uc3tioncd the inrymon, asking
them them if they felt convinced that
they could not reach q verdict. They
answered that ii was impossible for
then, to arree. The court then said he
would relieve the jury Of any further
consideration OF the case, as it would be
"a hardship to keep them any longer un-
der the circumstances. While Mrs.
Barnum's attorneys would rather have
this result than a verdict of guilty, still
they feel that their client, should have
been acquitted. Nj. Newman, one OF
her counsel. feels so confident of her
innocence that he says he would pcIend
her at any time without compensation
should it become necessary. The United
States attorney has not si@niticl when
Mrs. Barnum will be tried again, but it
;s understood that it will not he during
the present term Of court. This case is
one Of the most interesting ever brought
into a court in Montana and has attracted
great attention from the time Mrs. Bar
mum and her family were arrested last
August by Postoilicc Inspector Sackett
and a deputy marshal at Mann, Cascade
county. Not a breath Of suspicion had
ever reached the good name Of the fam
liz. When 1t became known that Mrs.
Barnuin was accused of stealing 50 from
a registered package which went through
her Office the community was astounded,
Next came the alleged confession Of
TWO Itiltllllitii. YAH dii'i JpIiilSoii, iatN
before the United States commissioner at
Great Falls. Their story was told at the
preliminary examination of Mrs. Bar
NUNS son Ed, who is now in the Lewis
& Clarke county Jail awaiting trail for
robbin% the mails. Confined with him
is his father and a younger brother, who
are also to be tried for mail robbery.
The only members OF the family not
charged with Il similar crime are the
two daughters, one sixteen and the other
II years old.
On the trial Of Mrs. Barnum the two
ranchmen stuck to the story told at
Great Falls. This was to the effect that
they had entered into az agreement with
Ed Barnum to 90 ont some distance
from the Barnum place and watch aman
rife a mail pouch. They were to sa!
that they had seen q stranger do this
According to their story the stranger
was to be impcgsonatcd by Ed Barnum
Carr and Johnson first appeared in thu
history Of the case at kibbv. where the.
told Postmaster Lee that they had seel
a man robbing y mail sack. The justice
went to the place. with the men and tool
the letter to his Office. This version o
the affair remains until the ranchmel
come to young Barnum's examination &
Great Falls and then is told what the,
call the true story, to the effect tina
Barnum was the stranger and they wer'
to get $50 apiece for their share in tn
transaction.
The government in MIS-. Barnum's tria
made several attempts to connect he
with the alleged robbery by her son
None Of the prosecuting witnesses coul'
swear of their own knowledge that sin
knew anything of it. The theory of TIKI
prosecution is, admitting the contessio,
of the ranchmen to be true, that young
Barnum rifled the mail sack TO divert
attention from his mother.
The jary that disagreed were: James
Walker, Thomas Golf, j. G. Richards, E,
+. Hahn, w. +. Cummings, c. c. Stubs,
W. 7. Boardman, Jacob Switzer, J. II.
Sanford, Con Becker, Fred Lehman, W.
s. Paynter. 1t is understood that they
stood nine for conviction and three for
aegaittai.