The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-01-20
ON TRIAL FOR FORGERY.
Charles Rice Charged With Getting
Money on Mythical Mans
Checks
One OF Them Was Passed. but
Another Ono Did Not
Go Through.
The Defense wss That There Was such
Person a. Ralph Butter aad the
Checks Were nIa

Charles Rice. q man Of between 30 and 81
years Of age. wAs tried IN Judge Hunts
department, OF the district court yesterday
on the charge Of forgery. County Attorney
Nolan oondaotsd the prosecution. and @.
". WILEY defended the seoussd. Tue iary
selected before whom 10 try the case we're
Robert Brown, oolored. Angus Mcdonald.
7. X. Gam. d. Il. sgerry Frank W. SHARP.
Joseph Psioe. w. b. Ma tin. Chris Mockel.
Z. :. Walker. I. q. Peabody. Jerry Weller
and James Swan. The specific charge was
that Rice passed . check for S2250 on Jesse
A. Doughty, second hand goods deslsr
nssr the depot from whom he had bought
some things. The check was drawn on the
Merchants National bank. in favor Of Chas.
Rice. aud purpofted 20 have been signed bv
Ralph @. Butler. Another check for &97. 80
on the Same bank. and in all other res Gets
like che hrst, was rendered Floyd Heavener.
another second hand goods man. but he
would no, give any money on IL until be
found out II 10 was good. He found out
from the bank that u was NOT good.
Doughty and However testified 10 these
facts as stated. The latter also said that
Rice had told him that Butler was a wood
or tie contractor a. Elliston. Rice ordered
some goods on ButleI's sceount and offered
the check In payment. HoAvsnsr started
TO ind Qua from the Northern Pacific pso-
pie II there was such contractor at Ellis-
ton as Butler. and when be came back to
his place Of business Rice had left. Wit
meas said he rsooeniz d the prisoner a. tbs
man who rendered the check. though Rice
had since shaved OF the whisksrs he wore
At the time. Policeman LyLch tes-
tihed 10 ar estinR Rios the lat
ter part OF December and ind
ing a number Of blank checks on him. and
| four that had been filled out In Kice's favor
for various amounts and signed Ralph But
Ter. Thomas y. Bowman, assistant cashier
of the Merchants National bsnk, testified
that no such man as Butler kept an account
at that institution. Edward Byrne, for
seven years postmaster at Elliston. said he
had never known any such man as Butler
there.
| Rice took the stand In his own defense.
/ He said no knew Butler, having met him in
a saloon here. Butler. who was Il stranger
to him, came mp TO Rice, who was sitting in
q chair and asked him II he was broke.
Rice replied that he was nearly so. Butler
then introduced himtelf ana, after set ting
/ mp the drinks, vent away. In half an hour
he rstu ned and offered Rice job at Ellis
ton. Butler said he wanted a stove. boiler
and other articles. aud sole Rice TO buy
]
Taytior them and telling Rics 20 bring back
the change. Rice said he bought the
things from Doughty aud took the change
70 Butler, who gave him dollar for his
trouble. Two or three DAYS later be met
Butler again. Butler said he needed some
furniture and gave Rice the $27.50 check 10
get II With. Butler also said he Was going
cat and was liaSle 20 get full, and asked
Rice TO take the other checks. which be did.
They were the ones found on him when
arrested. Rice said he had come from
| the Okanogan country about four
days before he met Butler. County
Attorney Nolan showed Rice a letter al
legged 10 have been written BY the accused
while in the county jail 1t was addressed
10 the Hebrew society and asked for aid in
his trouble. Rice denied all knowledge Of
| the letter.
Tailor Cuakelly was called in rebuttal.
de identified the envelope as the one he
bad received from the accused to be mailed
from the county jail.
"Its = lie. sir" cried Rics from his seat.
The court took no notice of the Interrupt
tion.
4. ii. Kleinschnidt cashier Of the First
National bank, compared the handwriting
on the letter aud that on the ohsoks. and
declared them the same persons.
The case will be a-Rusd and submitted to
the jury this morning.