The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-10
The D. S. GRAND JURY.
Mail Robbers and Other Offenders
Who Are to Appear Be-
fore It
a Butte Postal Clerk Who Con-
fsssed His Crime When
Caught


Caught
one Murder Case From ths Crow Indiar
Reseryation-A Pair OF
Trousers.
Tho United States grand Jury. which
meets in Helena on April 10. will have some
interesting cases to Investigate. One Of the
defendants ID a self confessNd mail robbsr,
who WAS neatly cauRht at Butte on Jan. !
last by Inspector VIM. Watkins. Jr. Thu
man he succeeded in catching il Francis u.
Patterson, who Was 4 postefiico clerk II
Butte. Patterson had been in Butte fos
nearly two years, living high and dressing
we'll. and no ono knew how he managed to
do ii. He had been employed OF . mail
route between Salt Lake and Ogden, and
was made i clerk in the Butte Office about
eight months ago. Several weeks before
his arrest complaints began to come in
about letters. The complaints came In
thick TO Mr.. Watkins. at Helena, aud all
were in regard to mail which went out OF
the Butte Office. n none coming in. 20 It
was an easy matter to locate tho trouble.
Tho inspector visited the Butte office every
few day 8, and by some strange instinct his
suspicious at once rested upon Patterson,
but he could not fastan the robberias on
him until the day Of his arrest. On the
evening Of jan. n Mr.. Watkins arrived in
Butte. At nine o'clock the next morning no
went to the postofice and dropped u v
decoy letters with money and then hid him 1
self in q loft over the mailing room, ana
kent one eye on the door on the look
ont for Patterson and the other on thA
stock Of letters. He had a long time to
wait, for Patterson did not show up until
after one O'Clock il the afternoon, although
he had always been in the habit OF appear
ing about 10 o'clock in the He
vas in the Office but 4 few minutes before
he commenced sorting letters. and be did
not even sake time to remove his heavy
oyercoat Or silk tile. After sorting q dozen
OF two letters, being careful with each one
70 run his thumb across it in a search for
bills, he struck one of the decoy letters,
which had a bill and a 50-cant silver piece
in it. He took it and tore a slit about half
an inch long in the middle OF one and
z looked into tho envelope. For some reason
he did not like the looks of the bill inside,
and he passed it by n continued his
sorting until he struck q genuine letter
Lake, Utah. The letter was also torn,
and the bill inside apparently being
satisfactory, he dropped it in the inside
pocket Of his overcoRt and then continued
distributing letters for q minute or SO
longer. He then made sure that no one
was Watching him and transferred ths let-
ter from his pocket to the inside Of his
oyershoe. Patterson then remembered that
he was going away on the evenings train
for Washington and New York and was
just taking q friendly leave Of Postmaster
Evans when the inspector came down from
his hiding place and greeted ting thief WITH,
How are you. Mr. Patterson? under
stand you are going to New York;
Patterson replisd that be expected to go,
and then the inspector said he would like
to see him in the money order department
before he left. Patterson snnelled . mouse
and prolonged his conversation with the
postmaster, but finally he walked into the
room. where the inspector was waiting for
him. He was followed by Postrn aster
Evans, who, at the inspectors suggestion,
searched Patterson's left overshos and
drew forth the letter addressed to the firm,
and on the inside of it oun a $40 bill.
:. Patterson confessed that he had robbed tho
A4AAtk IN SAk0 :" - ~ -A hSsA~ A~
did not know what had prompted hin to
do it. His excuse was that he had been
taking msaieins for kidney troubles for =
long time and he believed it 'dsranRsd his
nerves. Pattsrssn was escorted to the
county Jail, and silk tile and diamonds and
all were placed behind the bars.
Patterson waived an examination before
a United States commissions and gave q
$1,000 bond for his appearance before the
grand jury. His rebbsries during tho
holiday weeks are estimated to amount to
about $1,500, the amounts taken ranging
in bills from S. to $50, and the number of
letters missing are something like $50. He
came to Butte from Salt Lake, is about 46
years old. and has an estimable wife and a
12-year-old daughter.
Frank Casey, who ia charged with having
committed a murder on the Crow ressrva-
ton last January, is also to appear before
the grand Jury. Casey voluntarily sur
rendered himself to q deputy sheriff. It ap-
pears that Casey, who was q herder for
Mile Collins, q squawman on the Crow
reservation near Saltwater. had killed Col
Inns fathsr-in-law, = Crow named Weazel.
Cssey's stery is that Wcazel came to Col
Inns ranch with the avowed purpose of kill
ing Casey and Collins and proceeded to put
his threat into execution by attacking
Casey with a knife, when Casey shot the
Indian with a revolver.
A pair of trousers is responsible for the
trouble in which Hugh Mckay fnds him
self. He is accused of attemp ting to de-
fraud the government of tho duty on tbs
pantaloons which it is said he bought al
Lethbridge, N. w. T., and brought tc
American soil last February. Mckay was
arrested at Sweet Grass, in Choteau
county.
newspaper led to the arrest of Charles
MoHugh at Butte last November. The
prosecuting witness Alex Scott said tina
McHugh stole q newspaper from a mail
box at the southeast corner of Main an(
Park streets. 1t was addressed to Mrs. w.
ID. Hardie, Toronto. Canada.
Two other men are to appear for tamper-
ing with Uncle Sans mail. George II
Funk is charged with stealing an SO none,
order, the proceeds of which belonged tt
Milan Ferguson. The prosecuting witness
claims that Funk sent the money order 70;
him from Bozenan to Tacoma and when i
oane back appropriated the money order
John w. Murray was arrested for taking
letter from the postoffics as Central Parl
addressed to w. j. Lewis, Mckinney
Texas. mailed by Abbott Lewis. The lstte
contained $50 in bills and was mailed Oct
l, 1891.
Joseph Jonas and H.. d. Burghart are ae
eused of violating the revenue laws in run
ming a retail liquor business ON Park islam,
in the Missouri river, near Great Falls
without g license.
Several cases OF selling whisky to In
dians or the Flathead reservation will b
investigated. The defendants are Bern
hard Leopold, selling a half gallon for Sc
E. II. Murray, selling one bottle; Fran