The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-02
County Attorney Nolan's Position in
the Skin Gambling Games
Defined.
Tho Dol. Raymond Case as an IL
lustration OF Marshal Sims
Methods.
nut Two Arrests OF Confidence MOI Dur
II Ing his ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Honor's Contribution.

An attempt la being MADE by tho folloW-
era OF Mayor Klsinschmidt, headed by
Marshal Sims and Tom Graham. to place
the blame for the prevalence OF s%uro-thing
games in Helena on County Attorney No
Ian. Among those who are convershnt with
city and county affairs this ia . failure, be-
cause they know the county attorney ia to-
day ths man the confidence and skin game
men and crooks generally most dsteat, and at
the same time the one they most fear. To
those not convorsant with the facts. =
statement Of them will be of interest. In
the FIRST place, it must be remembered that
the county attorney ia not = detective and
10 not employed to do detective duty. II IL
the duty of tho city marshal and the sheriff
to get the evidence whore there are VIOLA
tions Of the law, and to leave no stone un-
TUNED 20 do so. The county attorney
makes out all necessary papers and prose
cutes the cases in court. Now. AZ TO tbs
sure-thing games. It came to County At
torney Nolan's knowledge. by common re-
port and through the newspapers, that men
were being robbed at unlawful games Of
chance; that thors wsro in the cisy motor
ious confidence men. steerors and
boosters, record Of whose work
was going abroad and furnishing the good
name Of the CITY. Neither the marshal nor
any Of the police officials came TO him for
advice, nor was there apparently any effort
being made to look up the nefarious bust
ness. The INDEPENDENT. knowing that
Marshal Sims was not doing his duty. il. q
shot paragraph asked the county attorney
publicly if he could not do something to
put a stop to the robberiea taking place 81
most daily in rear and upstairs rooms on
Main street. Believing that the city police
were shielding, instead Of raiding. ths sure
thing men, the county attorney concluded
If the business was to be broken up, and If
evidence to do it was to be gathered, it
must be done by the sheriff. Mr.. Nolan
called on that official and laid the situation
before him. He pointed out the great hurt
to Helena, and asked him to raid the places
in which they were run. He explained to
the sheriff that the latter would take no
risk in doing this; that he was justified on
the ground that he had good reason to sup
pose q felony was being committed, and II
4 raid was made and the layout proved to
be ! fair one, that hs (Nolan) would stand
behind the sheriff in case Of trouble.
Tho sheriff agreed with the county attor-
ney that the places should be raided. but
lie said all Of his deputies were known to
the steerers; that if one Of his mon waa in
etructed to watch the places, the ~steerers
would notify the men inside, n when =
from an unfair to 2 fair one. The county
attorney was thus left without the assist
nnco Of either the city police force or tho
sheriff's Office, though the latter showed by
his CONVEX sation that he was az much in
terested in Kidding the community of the
cra~La1 ~ y lars 40 VIVA thu Onrntv 1ffor-
nsy. Tbs latter then went to the county
commissioners. explained the situation to
them, and asked that they appoint, or give
to him the power to appoint, one or more
special officers to collect enough evidence
against the bunce ~steerers and brace game
propristors to either drive them out of. the
city or send them to the penitentiary.
Chairman knight and Commissioner Burns,
Mr.. Idgerton being absent, told Mr.. Nolan
that they fully agreed with him in his de
sire to rid the city of Holena OF akin games
and kim gamblers. They did not, however,
uphold them did they appropriate the peo-
plc's money to pay for speeial police ser
vice, when the city OF Helena had a large
and presumably competent police force to
look after these matters, and when the
county was also paying a sheriff and his
deputies for similar service.
Afterwards the county attorney had a
talk with Police Judge Sanders about the
matter. He suggested to tho Judge that if
the ~steerors were run out of town it might
have tho effect Of sending the principals
also. The ~steersrs could be arrested for
vagrants, and he (ths county attorney
would so far overstep the bounds Of his
office as to prosecute every case OF this
kind, though they would really be city
cases. Judge Sanders agreed that it would
be a good plan, but ne was as powerless to
carry it into effect as the county attorney.
The impartial manne in which the police
Judge, during the past year, has tried all
criminal cases brought before him, is a
sufficient guarantee that had Marshal
Sims lone his duty the careers of sure
would have been very short in this city.
This is the county attorneys record in
the sure-thing disgrace
Sims. Graham and the gang may squirm
and ~1alsify, but the fact remains that
Mayor Klsidsohmidt appointed VIM. Sims
the best element of the city; that he con-
tinued him in office after it became %notori-
Gus that he was giving the sure-thing mon
full license; that Mr.. kleinschmidt owes
his denomination to the primaries packed
by Sims and Graham, and that he depends
almost wholly upon them and their Great
u cs to elect him.
Returning to the claim that under Mayor
Kleinsohmidt'a decentralization there have
been more arrests OF sure-thing men than
under any previous one, an investigation
shows they numbered just W. One is
that of Seeley, Lane and Woods, In this
case the police were very active, not be-
causs some one had been robbed, but be-
cause Seeley, the leader, belonged to aa-
other faction of sure-thinR men than those
who had the taeit permission of the mar
shall TO ply their robbing business in Hell
ena, and because Lar and Woods had al
ways been regarded as square" gam
blets. It was an opportunity for
the confidence men, %steersrs and brace
game people to hit through former en-
ployes the Legitimate sporting mon, and it
was not allowed to slip. Thu other case
was that Of Col. Geo. w. Raymond. In
this one tho coun attorney fooled the
official friends OF the handsome colonel. |
Patrick Henry was tho victim, and when he
was ..dene OUT of $59 at Col. Raymond's
place, no made such q fuss that thu police
were compelled TO take action. They ar
rested Charley Brown, a hickman whom
Henry said had ''stesrsd' him ON to the
game. A warrant WAS issued at the same
time for the arrest Of Col. Raymond.
Though the colonel's usual haunts were
we'll known. the police alleged they were
unable to find him. In 4 few days after
"Steerer" B own had had his preliminary
examination, and had been held for court,
Col. Raymond appeared or Main street one
bright afternoon, and threw himself in the
why of an officer. By Il striking coinoi-
dence, Patrick Henry. the prosecuting wit
mesa, disappeared a few hours previous