The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-10-19
WILL Be 4 BUSY Term.
Tie United States Court VIII Have
Lots Of Business Before Il
Next Month.
Case Against Will Hanks TO Be
Tried and the Northern Pao!no
Train Robbers
Ne, who Cemmittsd OHenses on Indian
Reservations - Big Damage suit
Asssass . Miaiag Company.

Judge Knowles will opsn ths term Of tho
Uniisd States court in Helena Nov. 6. and
the 1sIm promises 10 b . very busy ono.
There ID . large amount Of civil business
TO be attended 10. and In addition there
are some very important criminal cases to
bs tried. The oass OF viii Hanks. prssi.
dent of The suspended Merchants National
bank. Of Great Falls. will bs among the Inn
portant ones. Hanks IL charged by Re-
csivsr Phelps, of the Merchants National,
With having converted to his own uss -
ouritiss to . large amount that wsrs the
property OF the bank.
Another very important case. and one
that will attr act 4 great deal Of attention
will be that Of Charles Jones and James
6mootf who are now in the county jail.
Jones was ths leader Of the gang that held
up ths NogthSfn Pacific train In eastern
Montana In August. Smoot was with him
when one Of The posses in pursuit Of the
robbers was killed nt Big Msdicine, The
charge against them 10 murde. committed
on tho Blackfest reservation.
Another important case il that Of Mill
Wall, who IL charged with robbinR the Liv-
ineston postofios. Wall was In the en-
ploy Of the railroad company az Livingston
and his duties were to carry the mail from
the postofice to Tho depot and vice 70 "a.
Contrary to the rules in such cases he was
allowed to enter the mailing room Of the
postofhce, , place where others b en-
ployes are not supposed to go. he had a
koy TO tho room and often whsn there was
an early mail to be sent out he had oppo-
t~unities Of being there alone. The mail
pouchee. whom made up for the train, are
always locked. The keys to the looks,
however, are hung on tho rack whore the
mail is made up. In that way Wall had
complete access no MY TO the mailing
as we'll. Something. like fftv-six regis
tered letters mailed At Livingston were
reported lost. He left Livingston suddenly.
but was arrested in Seattle. He confessed.
II is supposed his stealinRs amounted TO
about 81, 200.
mails that will come mp is that Of Gao. W.
Mo. gan. He was q postal clerk. running
between Butte and aavre. he opened let
tiers and took ANYTHING of vaius no could
negotiate. He was caught by means Of a
decoy letter, arrested and confessed. He 10
supposed 10 Rave stolen several hundred
dollars.
Another case that will attract a great
deal of attention is that OF the United
States against Edmundson and Russell.
The charge against them Is grand larceny
on the Grow reserve. They found u wagon
and a camping outfit or tho reserve and ap-
propriated it. Edmundson was only par
donsd out Of the psnitentiary in April last.
Two of the most unRrateful criminals
that will appear before the court are Bren-
nan and Hewitt. il the charge against them
il proven. They are cowboys who were in
Wyoming and wanted to get to Fort Gus
ter. There is . stage line between Custer
and tho point whore they were. 10 Wyom-
ing, and the driver Of the coach. on the
day Brennan and Hewitt wanted to make
the trip. had six passengers. The cowboys
had no money. but tho stngsman nsvsrthe-
less ng eed to carry them. which he did to
Fort Custer, The next day. on the return
TRIP, It 10 charged that Brennan and Hewitt
held the driver mp and robbed him Of the
fares he had collected on the trip on which
they had been dsadbeaded.
There are two GASES against men on the
charge OF selling whisky TO Indians. One
IL against a man named Putvis, the offence
alleged to nave been committed on
Blackfeet reservation. TIT other 10
against q man named smith, charged with
selling whisky to the Crowa
I,he grand jury will be drawn the first
day court opens. and will assemble the fol-
loving weak.