The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-13
THIS Is A PRETTY MESS
Bltte'S LsXOW Committee Struck the
LEAD Early.
RECORDS THAT DON'T GO
Scores of Cases Showing There's
Something Wrong Somewhere
and the Future Promises
Sensational Crist of News.

AhNCStbotS AuO hlSpOSitlOn Vi Abo POAiSO
court receipts and other matters pertain
ing to the police department met in the
council chamber promptly at 8 o'clock this
morning and proceeded with the business
in hand. All of tho members were pres
ent and Alderman Schatzlein was elected
chairman. 1t was decided to first GO
through all of the books and records con-
nected with the police department and
the cash book which shows the daily re-
ceipts, the amount of each paid fine and
the number of the case; the police court
docket, showing in detail the dispositio II
of every case; the jaIler's record, in which
the names of all prisoners are entered, to-
gether with the date of commitment and
expiration of the sentences; the police
magistrates daily reports and the commit
ments were brought up from the clerk s
office and jailer's office.
The books and reports were then di-
vided up among the members of the COM
mittee so that a check could be kept on
every case and the investigation was pro-
ceeded with, commencing with May 1,
1894, the first of the fiscal year. For the
benefit of people who are not familiar
with the workings of the police court it
may be we'll to explain that every after
noon Judge Naughten makes out report
of all city cases that have come before
him during the day, showing the disposi-
ton of each case, with the defendants
name and number, the amount of the fine
If the prisoner was found guilty, and
whether it was paid or not. All moneys
are turned over with the report to the city
clerk, who then enters the cases in the
docket and makes out commitments for
those who have not paid their fines. The
commitments are turned over to the jailor
who enters the cases in his Jail record in
numerical order.
Before the investigation was fairly COM
menced City Attorney Cotter appeared be-
fore the committee with a copy of the re-
port which he filed in the clerks office
about three weeks ago and afterwards de-
stroyed. As this report has occasioned a
great deal of comment, Mr.. Cotter had il
reproduced from the stenographic notes
and handed it to the committee. That
part of 1t which relates to the police de-
partment is as follows:
To The Honorable Mayor and city Council of
the CftU Of Butte:
Gentlemen--There is another matter that |
desire to call the attention of your honorable
body to, and that is custom prevailing. or that
seems TO have prevailed. of releasing prisoners
from custody after fines have been imposed in
the police court without any authority and
without any security.
A number of such cases appears in the records
OF the court during the past three years. but as
/ am interested in this matter to a certain en-
tent have always felt hesitancy about ca ling
the matter TO your attention. OF course, after
these cases are tried and fines are imposed |
am entitled to certain fees in them, unless the
sentence Is served out, and have therefore
concluded to call the attention Of the city council
TO the matter in order that you may understand
that consider the city indebted TO me on ac-
count thereof. During the month of September
or October party by the name of CrOnin was
convicted of two charges ll the police court
and released without any bond or without serv-
u ia az fer I,xrf na
lice magistrate. In addition to tlis | desire to
call your attention to a few other cases. viz,
numbers lSS2, 1888, l42s, 1850 1884, 1918, 20Ss,
2ll9, 22s and 2l66 on the docket of the police
court, and also case against one Patterson,
convicted on Nov. 3, 1894. for which no returns
have ever been made and no time served In sat
isIacton or the me or cost, as l am Informed
by the jailer.
AS the city is interested to greater extent
than am in this matter, the fines imposed in
these cases ranging all the way from S. to $50, |
will respectfully ask that this matter be investi-
gated and that all amounts due me be paid.
Respectfully, JOHN w. CoTTER,
City Attorney.
The report was accompanied by the
com mitments in the cases referred to, all
of them bearing the jaIler's endorsement
that as there we're no returns he did not
know what conditions the parties had
been released on. The city attorneys re-
port and the commitments were carefully
laid aside and the investigation of the
records was proceeded with.
1t did not take the committee long TO
discover that there were numerous appa-
rently unpaid cases on the judges re-
ports and the clerks docket-which tall
lied almost exactly in every case-for
which no commitments could be found
and which were not entered on the jail
book, from which it would appear that
the parties had never been in Jail at all.
These discrepancies furnished evidence
of great carelessness somewhere. to say
the least. A record was kept of each of
these cases, and they will be carefully
gone into when the investigation of the
books is completed. The following is a
list of the cases of which "a record was
kept for future investigation:
May 2. 1S9i-Crede, fined $40 aud costs and
only served live days instead CT eight.
May 2-John Grumm, fined $40 and costs and
marked on docket committed" but no com
mitment could be found nor any entry on iail
record Record showed fine paid in full on
Dec. 30.
May .5-R r. White, fined So and costs and
given until June 70 pay, but no record OF hav- |
ing paid.
and entered on the docket as committed No |
found and no entry in jail record. -
MaylS-Jobn Doe, fined $50 and costs and en- |
tered on docket as committed for % days. En- |
try in jail record shows that he paid SIC and |
served balance of time.
May 2l-Pearl Wilson, fined $40 and costs and |
given week TO pay, but did not do so, The |
clerk stated that he had made out a hill for this
flne few days ago and given it to the chief to |
collect. Inc chlef told him that the woman had /
served her time in jail but no record Of it could /
be found.
Nay 2l-Ne.lie Bly,, fined 500 and costs; So |
paid May 81 and given time 10 pay balance
which was paid in December.
May 22-Miss Norton. fined S. and costs and /
committed. JAN book shows releasing order Of /
!. j. Hallahan.
NAY 2s-Mrs. Page, fined $40 and costs and /
entered on docket as committed. No commit
ment and no entry In jail book.
May 29-Bob Friend, fined = and costs and /
marked committed. NO commitment or entry /
IN iai book.
May 8l-Johnny Dag. fined $40 and costs.
Same IS above.
May 3l-Creede Bailey, fined SO and costs.
Same Is above.
May 3i--Grifiith and William Munroe. fined S
au4 eos 5 each. same a above.
June Joe Tracy. Mrs LuNton and Harrins- |
ton. Hned - and costs each and +. H. Flood s. |
and costs. same a above.
june .--Hoberts and stella Friend. fined = |
and costs each. same aS abOy'.
June li-IOnh Doe. fined SO and costs. Judges |
report showed line paid N fuil. Clerks docket |