The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-11-19
TWAS FARO AND A WIDOW
General Manager Ridgway, Of the
Rocky Mountain Telegraph
Co Missing.
The Corporation Is Believed to Be
Out Several Thousand
Dollars.
MI. r.uu,., rvD.xyriter Went Away From
uis Former typewriter Went Away From
Helena About the Same Time M
He Disappeared.

Charles W. Ridgway. general manager Oh
the Rocky Mountain Telegraph company,
ia missing. The company ia now engaged
in checking up his accounts, ana ~ 10
known that The concern is several Thousand
dollars out through his transactions. MIS-
C. e. Snyder, a young widow. formerly MS
t~vpewriter and stenographer. has also lett
&he CITY with her three children. The fafh-
ished fiat she occupied on Logan street Is
now vacant. 1t is said that some OF the
movable parts of the house furnlshihes
have also gone. including light articles Oh
bedding, table utensils, silverware, etc. az
Ridpway and the woman were known TO Dc
m the most intimate terms for q long tlhe'
md as he had been stopping at her mousse
inst previous to his disappearance, 1T Is pc
Iieved they either went together. or else the
woman followed him closely, going in the
same direction. and bound for the same
point. .e.
Ridpwav was formerly Northern Pacific
agent at Garrison, but the railroad company
dismissed him on account OF ms heass
gambling Transactions. He came TO i1ei-
ena IN 1890 and for a while was local mana
GER of che Rocky Mountain Telegraph com
many. In the spring of 1891 he WAS MADE
general manager of the company, whieh mas
lines extending to Butte, Anaconda, MIS-
soula and Dunmore, Northwest Ie'rltory'
and which works in connection with the
Postal Telegraph company and the Maokey-
Bennett cables. His business heaaqnsr-
tars were in Helena, though the affairs or
the line kept him moving from one point
IN another. Th woman in the case had
been in the Helena office as typewriter.
stenoprapher and also as telegrapher. he
GENTLY she was sent to Philipsburs to take
charge of q telegraph instrument In one OF
the stores there. A valuable diamond ring
was missed by one of the employees of the
store ono day, and there was quite a com,
motion. The ring was not fouho unsll
Ridgway showed up in Philipsburg one day
with the missing Jewel on MS hngef. ihe
matter was settled up in some way. tie
GENTLY Mrs, Snyder returned to Helena ana
took the furnished apartments on Logan
atraet. Ridpway went there too, having
previously sent his wife and three children
to Denver.
The Wednesday before the recent cleo
ton was the last time anybody
having seen Ridgway about town. 1t was
,ndetstcod that he was sick, and as nobody
had any business with him, no inquiries
we're made. The morning of election Gay.
however, business required that ne must be
about the office. and a boy was sem aItet
him. He was not at the Logan street
house. Neither was Mrs. Snyder nor her
children. Though no one, so far as can be
learned, actually saw them leave, YET, from
the best information obtalnable, hlaRWay
went either the Friday or Saturday before
election, and the woman and her chliofef
followed one day later.
An inyestigat. on OF Ridgway's accounts
rs general manager of the Rocky Mountain
was now deemed advisable under the cir
cumstances. This has turned out to be
somewhat difficult task. and ID not yet com
plete. 1t is known, however, that RldpwaJ
drew from the Second National bank o.
Helena all the funds belonging to the com
pany. Since his departure cnecks nave come
into the bank for more than the COMPANY
had on deposit there. These overdratti
are said to amount to about $175, so far al
heard from. There may be more. No
BODY knows exactly how much cash OF tn
company actually on deposit with tn
bank was checked out by Ridgway. as b
kept his own accounts. 1T Is belleyed u
amount to somewhere between $500 ant
$500. As he had control of the funds OF tn
other offices besides those of Helena. it viii
be some time before it is known exactl.
how much OF the companv's money Rldg
way got away with in this manner. AS gen
eral manager he had. or claimed to have, au
thority to borrow money to meet the lmmedl
ate needs of the company. He raised $500 o
more on notes which he signed as genera
manager md had discounted at tn
First National and Second National bank
of this city, and the First National of Grea
Falls. Numerous bills against the con-
pany, which were supposed TO nave peer
paid, are reported as still unsatistled. an
1t is believed that Ridcway used the none.
that was to have been devoted to that pur
pose. But that was not all. A few week
prior to the election Ridgway received
check for $500 from Anaconda. One repol
has it that the check was sent by March,
DAILY to help meet a deficit In the expense
of the company, in which he is II larQ
owner. Another report ls that the chec
was sent Ridgway to be iudiclously apple
to securing votes for Anaconda for the caI
ital. Not long after, another check &c
the same amount came from the sam
source. The proceeds of the first check wei
lost Mt a faro table. The amount O. tn
second check, it is believed. went towarl
paving Ridgway's travelling expenses whe
he LETT Helena.
Gambling and his love affairs seem
have been the malu cause of RldgWay
trouble. He played faro bank heavily ar
lost II big lot of money Mt it. Besides til
his expenses were & eat In Keeping his lar
liz in Denver and living hore and spendll
money luvishly on himself and woInel
One of his out of town transactions toe
place in Butte. The local manager of II
Rocky Mountain there had occasion 10
away from his Office last summer. trar
Fowler, who had heen workingfor the cor
pany. MAS put III charge of the Butte otfIc
He says RidewaY came to him while be W
III charge at Butte, and got from him 1
the cash ana checks IN the safe. AS Hid
waT was general manager, Fowler saw
reason to efusa to give up the money. VIII
the Butte manager got back, Fowler W
relieved Of his charge, and went TO Ca,
fornia. While he was away Itidgwi
blamed lin with the shortage in the But
Office. Fowler came back recently, sayl
he had returned to clear himself of tn
charge. He and Rid2way must have COZ
to an understanding, as Fowler went
work for the Rocky Mountain again.
left there Nov. l, and worked for the We
ern Union for a few days afterwards, duri
the rush on election returns. He left Ht
eua sunday for Great Falls. Two chez
which were turned over to him by MI
Snyder to have eashed, were declar
TO geties, though Fowler had no doubt
their genulneness, he said, when he cash
them.
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