The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-12-05
THE O
The Trial of Mrs. Barnum t,,,
the Mail Begun in Helen. y

" Tor Ran
the Mali Begun in Helena
HELENA, Dec. 1.-The trial y,
Amelia ID. Barnum for rifing ,ba
at Mann commenced yesterday
M. Baum of Great Falls appeared ~
defense, assisted by Walsh
man of Helena. United States nv
Attorney Weed and Attorney NchsV
are conducting the prosecution,
District Attorney Weed read II.
dictment, which charged Amelia II
mum with opening a registered ,a.'
addressed to W. w. Davis at No,'
and signed Henry Gum, and ID.
from ii a 81 bill, 1.-THE governmoD.
undertake to prove" said he. "tha, ,
to Aug. 2G last there were frcquen,"
plants of loss of mail matter in Cs,.
county on the line of the Mann ID
United States Postofiice inspector r
Sackett went to Arlington, ybp,,
mailed a decoy registered letter for NJ
arch. Mann and kibbcy were the
two Offices between Arlington and Nj
| arch. The letter was carried il,
coach, but the money eve reached
hey. After the package passed thrl
the Mann Office it contained The lal
but not the s. bill. Inspector Sad
and "a deputy marshal went to Ya
where they found the 81 bill under
mattress of Mrs. Barnum's bed. Ha1
established these facts we shall ask
jury to do what is proper to protect
mails
'The defendant in the case." bAJ
Lawyer Baum in reply, twas bon
North Carolina something over b
years ago. Her early girlhood was l
ed in New York state. During her "a,
womanhood she lived in Tennessee n
her parents. There, at the close Of
late civil war, she met her husband, n
had been an officer in the service. !
they were married. They went to N
nesota and established a home. (
will show that for nineteen or tvrI
years they lived in n neighborhoOd
Minnesota, and that during that wh
time they maintained a reputation !
honesty and integrity and respectful
second to none. Two years ago N
concluded to establish a home in Nd
tana, and came to Cascade courl
Their reputation there is second to nd
in the county or in the state. We J
pect the testimony in this case will id
cate to you that a conspiracy was forn1
less than a year ago having for lis I'd
pose to ruin this woman, and that u
conspiracy then conceived resulted |
this indictment.
The district attorney told you that
some time prior to August 2G tine mad
had been Systematically robbed on ID
route. He spoke the truth, anG We SI
show by his own witnesses that ed
since there was a p~ostoffice in this negh|
borhood or at Mann, the mails hg|
been Systematically robbed. LEES An !
a year ago the handling of the nails at
Mann was taken from the peeps vhO|
had been doing the work. We are la|
attempting to show that the Mannse'e
robbed the postotlice while in charge
if, but that the mails had been robbedd
this point long before Mrs. Barnumb d
came postmistress. Because Of thj
prior robberies Mrs. Barnum was se1j
cd by her neighbors, out of all in I'd
locality, to take charge of the mails |
Mann. She was selected about a yl
ago. The rObberies continued. The pd
pile became exercised. Complaints vd
frequent. The government sent q
Sackett last sumwer to find out wbd
the trouble was. lie stopa
at Mrs. Barnum's house several Tin
and consulted her',about the irregua
ties, and invited her to assist him
locating the trouble. 1t isn't true ID
the 81 bill was found under the mattra
When Mrs. Barnum was confronted
the officers she brought them a box
which she kept the postofiice funds, b
own money and that of the express a
stage companies. We will prove th
the 50 bill was in that box. We v
show that the conspiracy was to fast
this offense on Mrs. Barnum and
family. In connection with the pc
office Mrs. Barnum kept a rau
house. The night of the r
berry a man came there a
slept in "A room twelve feet from
loose mail, and convenient to the b
door of the house. The man had ne
been seen in the ncighborhood befO
About II o'clock that night Mr.. Barn
and her husband heard a wagon pass
the road and stop. After a while it ca
back. We expect to show that in t
wagon was the former postmaster
Mann. When the stranger got up n
morning and paid his bill he did so "
the 50 bill offered in evidence. We
show this by others as we'll as by
family, and it is the only explanation
bayn tp ,fYor Of tho Gel hill haipr in \