The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-12
BUTTE Is IN THE SWIM
The Silver City Now Has a Genuine
LeXOW Committee.
SOME GRAVE CHARGES MADE
Aldermen Want to Know II Ru-
mored Charges Are True and
They Propose to Find
Out.

BUTTE, Jan. 11.-Butte is putting OF
metropolitan airs with remarkable rapid
| ity of late. 1t has had the genuine living
pictures in all of their beauty and scanty
clothing. 1t will have a real live United
States senator in a few days and it has
now a Lexow committee. 4 special meet
ing of the council was held tonight tc
take action on charges of dishonesty in
connection with the police court receipts
which have recently been mysteriously
whispered around and which were made
public in an indirect way to-day by a
Butte morning paper. The meeting was
called by Mayor Dugan this fore
noon and was attended by all
of the aldermen except Godn.
The mayor referred to the article in
reference to the matter which appeared
In the morning paper and stated that no
had called a special meeting as he be-
lieved that the charges should be investi-
gated at once. the clerk read the article
referred to in which II was stated among
other things that two or three weeks ago
City Attorney Cottcr had filed "A report
asking that n committee be appointed to
investigate the disposition of money
collected in fines from tho police court
and that the report had not been pre-
sented to the council.
Cook asked when the report was filed.
ut was filed about three weeks ago" re-
piled the city attorney. "My attention
was called to certain things and went 10
the jailer's office and found several com
mltments for which the jailer said he had
received no prisoners. There was one
case in particular which attracted my at
tention. man named Cronin was sent
to jail for disturbance, and the next day
saw him out on the street. He was rear
rested and convicted on second charge
and was sent TO Jail to serve out both sem
fences. lie was again released the next
day and | then started in to investigate
matters. My report was hurriedly drawn
up, however, and, as / found that / had
unduly reflected upon some people,
Withdrew 1t. ! don't remember that |
said anything in it about the disposition
of moneys"
Cook stated that the public would not
be satisfied without a full and complete
Investigation, and he thought the COM
mittee having it in charge should consist
OF at least seven members. A motion to
that effect was car RED. pascoe insisted
that the finance committee should be in
cluded in the committee on account of its
familiarity with the police records. The
mayor appointed as the LeXow committee
Aldermen SchatzIein, Pascoe, Bowman,
Hayes, Byrne, Cook and Sherman, the
last three constituting the finance COM
mittee. The committee got together after
the council adjourned and concluded to
hold their first session in the council
chamber at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning.
They promise that the investigation will
be thorough in every detail.
Whether the investigation will reveal
any crooked work or not is an open ques-
ton, but there can he no possible doubt
1t will result IN some badly needed change
in the present method of handling the
police court receipts. As il Is now, the
money passes through several different
hands and as there is no way to keep a
check on it, il is very easy to make mis-
takes and for money to disappear even
with n close watch. Tho system has
always caused a great deal of annoyance
under all administ rations and experience
has shown that it is exceedingly faulty.
One absurd feature of the system is that
the city marshal has absolute control over
[ he city iail