The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-02
CONSPIRACY IS CHARGED.
What the Defense Claims Is Behind
the Prosecution Of the
Barnums.
Mann's Former Postmistress on
Trial Before tho United
States Court.

A Sensational Case Which Promises Man
Interesting Developments Is Now
In Full Swing.
Mrs. Amelia D. Barnun1, until recent,
postmistress at Mann. in Cascade county
was placed on trial in the United State
circuit court yesterday on the charge o.
rifing the mails passing through her office
Mrs. Barnum is an attractive looking
woman who, her counsel stated, was some
thing over 40 years old. She does not lool
it, however. Attired in a modest and be
coming suit of black she occupied a seat in
side the rail near her counsel, Peter Nj
Baum, of Great Falls, and James A. Walsl
and G. G. Newman, of Helena, with who n
she consulted continually and to whom sh'
rendered what may be valuable assistance
in the conduct of her defense. Before thu
opening argument her two daughters also
had seats inside the railing. One is a hand
some girl of 16 years, but large for her age
The other is a pretty miss of IA. The
husband and two sons OF the accused
were not in court. Their cases are not be-
ing tried with that against Mrs. Barnum,
so they remained in jail. Among the spec
tators in court were several ladies' who had
travelled all the way from the former home
of the Barnums in Minnesota to testify to
the good character of the accused woman.
District Attorney Weed conducted the case
for the government, and Assistant District
Attorney Mcdonald was associated with
him.
The jury to try the case was selected
without any delay or difficulty after one OF
the talesnen, E. A. Sommertield, had been
excused on account of not being a full citi-
zen of the United States. The jurymen are
James Walker, Thomas Goff. J., G. Rich
ards, Z. F. Hahn, w. F. Cummings, G. c.
Stubbs, W.. Il. Boardman, Jacob Switzer,
j. r. Sanford, Con Becker, Fred Lehman
and w. S. Paynter. They all declared that
they had formed no opinion about the case
and would not be influenced by the fact
that the accused was n woman. After all
the witnesses had been excluded from the
room the opening arguments were made:
District Attorney Weed read the indict-
ment, which charged Amelia d. Barnum
with opening a registered package addressed
to w. w. Davis at Monarch and signed
Henry Gum, and taking from it a two
dollar bill. The government will under
take to prove" he said, shat prior to
Aug. 26 last there were frequent complaints
of loss of mail matter in Cascade county, on
the line of the Mann Office. United States
Postofice Inspector Charles e.. Sackett
went to Arlington, whore he mailed a
decoy registered letter for Monarch. Mann
and Kibbey were the only two Offices be-
tween Arlington and Monarch. The letter
was carried by the coach, but
the money never reao .aS NIB
the Mann office it contained the letter. but
not the So bill. Inspector Sackett and a
deputy marshal went to Mann, where they
found the 81 bill under the mattress of Mrs.
Barram's bed. Having established these
factS, we shall ask the Jury to do what is
PROPER to protect the nails
fs'Ihe defendants in this case,"' began
Lawyer Baum in reply, was born in North
Carolina something over forty years ago.
Her early girlhood was passed in New York
state. During her early womanhood she
lived in Tennessee with her parents. There,
ut the close Of the late civil war, she met
her husband. who had been IN officer in the
service, and they were married. They
went to Minnesota and established q home.
We will show that for nineteen or twenty
years they lived in one neighborhood in
Minnesota, and that during that whole
they maintained a reputation for hon
esty and integrity and responsibility second
to none. Tvs years ago they concluded to
establish a home in Montana, and came to
Cascade county. Their reputation there is
second to none in the county or the state.
expect that the testimony in this case
will indicate to you that a conspiracy was
less than a year ago having for its
purpose to ruin this woman, Il that the
conspiracy then conceived resulted in this
indictment. Ihe district attorney
to Aug. 26 the mails had been
systematically robbed on this route. He
spoke the truth, and we will show by his
own witnesses shat ever since there was a
postofice in this neighborhood or at Mann,
the mails havs been systematically robbed.
Less than Il year ago the handling of the
mails at Mann was taken from the people
who had been doing the work. We are not
to show that tho Manns aver
The postoftice while in charge of it,
but that the mails had been robbed at this
point long before Mrs. Barnum became
postmistress. Because of these prior rob
berries Mrs. Barnun was selected by her
.%eighbors, out of all in that locality, to
charge of the mails at Mann. She was
about a year ago. The robberies
continued. The people became exercised.
were frequent. The govern
ment sent one Sackett last summer to find
out where the trouble was. He stopped
at Mrs. Barnum's house several times and
consulted her about the Irregularities, and
invited her to assist him in locating the
1t isn't true that the 81 bill Was
found under the mattrass. When Mrs.
Barnum was confronted by the officers she
them a box in which she kept the
p%ostotics fluids, her OWE money, and that
Of the express and stage companies. We
prove that the 81 bill was in that box.
We will show that the conspiracy was to
fasten this offense on Mrs. Barnum and her
In connection with the postof1ice
Mrs. Barnum kept a ranch house. The
night of the robbery q man came there and
in d room twelve feet from the loose
mail, and convenient to the back door of
The house. The man had never been seen
the neighborhood before. About II
o'clock that night Mrs. Barnum and her
husband heard a wagon pass up the road
stop. After a while it came back. We
Expect to show that in that wagon was the
former postmaster at Mann. When the
stranger got up next morning and paid his
bill hs did 80 with the s. bill offered in evil
fence. We will show this by Others rs we'll
rs by the family. and it is the only e%xplana-
lion we have TO offer of the So bill being IN
Mrs. Barnum's possession"
Inspector Sackett was then placed on the
and detailed the writing and mailing
of the decoy letter spoken of by the district
attorney. The registry envelope, the letter
inside. and. the 81 bill, which he had
marked, were placed iii evidence, n the
Inspector recognized the money as the
same he had mailed at Arlington in the
registered package, and which he had
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