The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-04-19
THE BACHELOR TRIAL.
Continuation of the Testimony on Behalf
of the Prosecution.

OF The S~tockgroweTs National bank of
Miles City, Assistant Prosecuting At
torney Wallace yesterday put several
very important witnesses on the stand.
+. W. Knight, Jr., was called and testi-
fed as to his appointment. first as exam
liner, then as receiver Of the bank. He
testified concerning the talk he had with
defendant a few days after he reached
Miles City concerning what security he
could give for his indebtedness to the
bank, and the defendant told him he
could not secure it. but that he would
turn over his house and the electric light
stock, which vas his property. The
electric light stock was afterward offer.
ed and received subject to approval by
the comptroller Of the currency. and al.
forwards returned to Bachelor. who
subsequently turned over a half interest
In his house. Defendant also offered
to turn over the electric light shares
standing in his fathers name. and stated
at the time that he had turned them
over to his father in the hope that it
@uh Aih a COlllO1ldDIt llNlDg.
In a later conversation about the Bill
ings estate stock he told the witness that
1t was an outright purchase by him. At
the witness request defendant wrote
him a letter concerning the Selway note
transaction, which letter was rcad In
evidence. Witness also gave in detail
the statement Of the liabilities and as.
sets Of the bank at the time OF suspen.
sion. showing how they were divided
into three classlfications-good. bad and
doubtful, and specified the liabilities
under zach class.
George Newman was called and test.
fed as TO the transaction Of Nov. 3. 1891, |
whereby j. w. Bachelors note for
G,'JO was put in the bank. and the pro-
ceeds used TO a k up the Newman and
Beasley Indebtedness. and to place money
credits to the account Of each by show.
ing that he on that day sold out a half
interest in his sheep business for $3.50
having all the transactions with the de.
PENDANT, and the defendant telling him
him he was bqying il for his father: and
that later. in July 1893. at the request of
the defendant and his father, he pur-
chased the interest in the sheep bust
nass, assuming the note which j. W.
Bachelor had originally given. which
was then unpaid.
r. i. Wilson, bank examiner for Mon.
tana, testified to having examined the
abstract Of defendants Indebtedness.
that in his own name as well as that in
the name Of his father. confirming the
testimony Of Harmon as to these mat
tiers. He also showed the liabialities Of
the defendant, the water company, the
directors, Newman and Harmon and
Merrill, the latter two e~x-directors.
amounted to $1,000 at the time of the
banks suspension. He further testified
that the increase Of defendants debt
from Sept IA. 1sy2, 20 the suspension Of
the bank. was over $4,000. and from
March l6, 1881, to the suspension OF the
bank, was over $4,000. He took up the
Logan and Burleigh note transactions
and explained them. and explained the
nature OF the entries. He testified that
they were false in certain particulars
and showed how they were calculated to
deceive. He alec testified to a converse
ton had with the defendant at the Hotel
Helena in November, 1898. in which up
on witness telling defendant that he had
by means Of his own and his fathers
paper borrowed all that there was in
sight in the bank, defendant replied
with the affirmative. but stated that he
ought not to be punished as he had
nothing left. The witness also showed
by figures and comparison that the de-
PENDANT upon his own paper and that OF
his father in the bank, had since Janu-
airy, 1891, failed to charge his paper with
interest, amounting to over $1,000. a I'd
that upon the three large pieces of his
fathers indebtedness this discrepancy
amounted to about $500; and also
showed that in most instances interest
would be computed at bat six per cent
or for half the time required.
The cross examination developed that
witness hal beer an accountant for
over twenty years; that Of a total in
debtedness Of $4,000, accruing since
January l, 1891, to the suspension of the
bank. $4,000 was represented by defend
ants paper, and $4,000 was represented
by the paper Of j. W. Bachelor. He al
Q enumerated some thirty odd notes
upon which this interest discrepancy
had occurred during that period. and
said that he had examined other notes
in the bank and he found them correct
. to interest, though he could not recall
by name the other notes he had exam
ined.
The cross examination Of the witness
waa mot concluded af fhe TINA