The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-03-06
IT'S A LOT OF MONEY
The United States Suing Several Mon
tana Men.
BEING AN OLD, OLD STORY
Nearly Half a Million Dollars for
Cutting Timber on the Public
Lands-Very important
Legal News.

BUTTE, March 5.-Tho United States
court convened in this city this morning,
with Clerk Georgo Sproule and Marshal
McDermott in attendance. and an order
was read from Judge Knowles, who Is
still in San Francisco, to adjourn until
Tuesday of next week.
suits Tor $4,000 Damages.
Nine different suits of great magnitude
for alleged illegal timber cutting on the
public domain in Missoula county has
been brought against prominent citizens
of Butte and other parts of the state by
District Attorney Leslie in the name OF
the federal government. The suits are
brought to recover the actual value of the
timber cut, which is placed at S3i0,0)i.7O.
One suit is brought against Lavell Bros.
and II. j. Watson for $4,000, another
against Lavell Bros. and Ashley Cooper
for 3, 429 and still another against Lavell
Bros, William Winters. J. W. Potter and
James Donahue for So 900.
The Dillon Lumber q Grain company,
w. Ii. Lmead. &. Richardson and the late
Daniel Lamont arc defendants IN another
suit for a largo amount. The Montana
Lumber IL Manufacturing company, Will
lam Thompson, A. NJ. Hotter. o. j. Nc
Connell, +. A. Shaw and others are made
defendants IN two separate actions for
many thousands.
Two suits were also fled against the
Montana improvement company, Eddy,
Hammond, Boner, and Hathaway of Mis-
soula, and the ninth suit is against La
veil Bros. The claims against the latter
aggregate S16J,OO0.
While the claims in tho actions appear
very enormous, il is not believed that the
| actions themselves will amount to so very
much when they come to trial, If they
ever do. The alleged oifenses were COM
mitted between 1882 and 1880 and most of
the defendants in the present suits were
indicted under the criminal statutes, but
the indictments we're afterwards quashed,
| as it was not believed the cases could be
made to stick. Under n criminal prose-
cution judgment for three times
| the value of tho timber cut
| could be obtained in case of
conviction, IN which case n penalty of
| imprisonment for any time under Il
months is provided.
Recently Hoke Smith sent Judge Olive
| TO this state to make a special investiga-
| ton of the alleged timber cuttings, and 1t
| Is presumed that the actions were brought
| upon his recommendation or report. 1t
| is said that the investigation developed a
| condition OF things that will result in
| other suits at an early date.
| Inc regular tlnDer inspector Tor Mon
| tana is Colonel Root.
A judgment for the $4,000 sued for
would be "A NICE thing for the clerk of the
| the United States court, who gets 2 per.
| cent of all moneys recovered Oh judg-
| ments.
| Unregistered Cinnamon.
George Sproule, acting as United States
commissioner, has just rendered an opin-
| ion in tho case of an unregistered China
man, who had a hearing on the charge of
| not having registered and therefore being
| subject to deportation. The Chinaman
| pleaded that he had been out in the coun-
| try and did not know that he was required
| To register until it was n day too late.
| The man had lived in Montana
| % years, and had become so far
| Americanized that he cut off his "pIg
| tail' and he said he would be beheaded if
| no returned to China without il. As tho
! law provides that, If through eXcusable
| neglect, sickness or accident, a ChInaman
| did not register, a certificate of regIstra-
| ton may be issued, Commissioner Sproule
| decided that the man came under the pro-
vision for eXcusable neglect and he was
| therefore allowed TO remain. For the
same reason "A Chinese woman was eN-
cused on the plea that she was told that
tho registration of her husband was sufii-
cient for the family.
| An Alleged Counterfeiter.
Marshal McDermott went to Bozeman
| to-day to arrest Ed Christensen on a
| United States warrant charging him with
| countericitinC. lie will he given a hear
| ing before n United States commissioners
at Bozeman and If held TO the court, will
| be taken TO Helena.