The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-11-01
THE BACHELOR EXAMINATION.
The Opening Of q Causus Celebre Before
the 4. s. Commissioner.


Yesterday afternoon at 2 o'clock was
the hour set for the examination Of
Harry F. Bachelor. president OF the
Stock Growers bank Of this city before
U. S. Commissioner Kreidler on charges
heretofore recited preferred by f. w.
Knight jr.. receiver Of the bank. The
commissioner sat in the city court, his
own Office being too small to accommo.
date the legal forces engaged in the pro.
t~ceedings, not to mention the spectators,
who were numerous. The U. S. district
attorney was represented by I. j. Porter
Of Miles City and Mr.. Carpenter Of
Helena. Judge Strevell and C. r. Mid
dleton appearing for Mr.. Bachelor. The
proceedings commenced with the read.
ing Of the complaint, which has hereto.
fore been given substantially in these
columns. At the conclusion Of the read.
ing Commissioner Kreidler requested
Mr.. Bachelor enter his plea Of guilty o.
not guilty, which was objected to by
Judge Strevell as being unnecessary in
an examination. MIR. Porter insisted on
the plea being entered, and the commits.
sioner ruled in his favor. being influence
ed. as he stated. by instructions from
the district attorney in former cases.
Judge Strevell then stated that by ad-
vice of his counsel, Mr.. hatcher refused
to plead. The first witness called was
f. w. Knight, jr.. who being sworn testi-
fed as follows:
My name is Z. w. Knight. jr.. age 81.
occupation since Aug. .. 1898. receiver of
the Stock Growers National bank of
Miles City. Previous to that time eX-
aminer Of the bank. and receiving teller
Of the First National bank of Helena
for seven years. Have been the bank
ing business about thirteen years. On
request produced the charter Of the
Stock Growers National bank of Miles
City. and stated what it was. 1t was in
his possession as receiver of the bank.
On request the witness produced the
record of proceedings Of the officers Of
the bank and stated what it was. The
witness then testified from this record
that H. F. Bachelor was elected presi-
dent of the said bank May u. 1880; re-
elected for one year on January l.. 1891.
collected for one year from January II,
1892. and again collected for one year
from January Ii. 1893. On request the
witness produced the general journal of
the bank. Being asked by Judge Sire
veil il he knew the book produced was
the general journal Of the bank. the wit.
ness answered. mo; l found it in the
bank" Objection being made to the
witness t~estifying to matters Of which
he had no personal knowledge, the COM
missioner ruled that the witness could
produce a book that he had found in the
bank, and which he understood to be the
general journal Of the bank. and testify
as to its contents. Objected to by the
defense as wholly incompetent on the
ground that the witness had no personal
knowledge OF the matters of which he
was asked to testify. Being asked to re-
fer to the page Of the book showing the
entry of the Burleigh note; the witness
did SO; after reading the entry, MIR. Por-
ter offered the whole page on which the
entry was made in evidence. The de-
Tense objected to the admission OF the
u-hole page. as it contained matters not
in any way connected with the point at
issue. After deliberation the commits
sioner ruled that the whole page would
be received in evidence. whereupon the
defense insisted on its being transcribed
bodily into the proceedings as a part of
Mr.. Knights testimony. AS the com
missioner was taking the testimony him
self in long hand. this imposed upon
him the labor Of copying the page Of
entries from the bank journal. and while
he accepted the situation. he took occa
sion to remark with some feeling that
while he was willing to have the test.
mOny taken as counsel wished. he OBJ
jected Ito being made a monkey Of He
then announced that he would adjourn
the examination for thirty minutes while
he copied the entries in the bank jour.
nal. After the conclusion Of this oner-
Gus task. which had occupied the full
thirty minutes or more, the examination
was resumed with Mr.. Knight still on
the stand. In answer to the questions
put to him by Mr.. Porter. and occasional
queries interjected by Judge Strevell, he
testified as follows:
l have been acquainted with the
workings of national banks for about
thirteen years. Have examined the
books Of the Stock Growers National
bank enough to know that the word
'Burleigh' mean Andrew +. Burleigh.
The words on the credit side Of the jour
nal indicate the payment Of q note No.
3731, Burleigh, S3,153.92. My experience
in national banks is sufficient for me to
understand the entries made in the gen.
eral journal or any other bank book. /
kept books in a bank at Butte, and in
the First National bank Of Helena for