The Anaconda standard., 1895-04-21
VALUABLE STATISTICS
Clerk Of the Court Mcdonnell Com.
pleted an Arduous Task
SHORT ON FIXING ESTATES
In Many Instances Good Records
Are Shown. While In Others a
Lack of Interest Is
Manifest

MIssoULA, April 20.-Clerk Of the Court
Mcconnell to-day completed the record OF
the district court for 1894, to bc sent to the
bureau of agriculture, labor and industry.
The complete statistics are as follows:
Civil cases begun during the year, l32 I;
civil cases disposed of, 157; civil cases
pending, 305; criminal cases begun by fil.
ing information, Il; criminal cases begun
by filing indictment, q; criminal cases
pending at the end of the year, 3; convic-
tions for felony, 8; convictions for misde-
meanor. 3; administrations pending at
the beginning of the year, 19l; letters OF
administration granted during the year,
Is; estates settled, b; guardianships pend
ing at the beginning of the year, 81 {;
guardianships disposed of, none execu-
tions issued. 80; DEGREES of foreclosure,
IL: marriage licenses issued, 81.
The number of civil cases pending, 305,
is surprisingly large, but the fact Is ex-
planned by investigation, which shows that
of this number, 2l2 are old cases that date
from the organization of the court in the
cos to 1890, and most of them are cases
in which no service has ever been OBJ
tanned upon defendant and which never
have been prosecuted. 1t will be work of
but few hours to dispose of this num-
Der, so that really but SO live cases are on
the docket; so that the calendar is up to
date and litigan nts can have their cases
disposed of without unnecessary delay.
The record Of criminal cases is a splen-
did showing for ex-County Attorney
Denny. Out of 10 cases that have come
before the court were ~ convictions aud
three cases are still pending. The most
serious state of affairs exists in probate
matters. Out of 257 guardianships and
administrations, only five estates were
settled during the year. Judge Woody
has been busy for three days in going
over the list of these cases. which date
back as far as 1873. Since 1883 there are
about 125 cases that have never been
closed up. In many OF these no proceed
ings have ever been taken or anything
done since the letters of administration
were granted, in some instances the LETT
/. ters not having even been filed. In others
inventories have been filed and nothing
else done, while in still others there have
been no proceedings since the first an
nuai statement was filed. These estates
range in value from $50 TO $4,000.
and as soon as court convenes for the
May session. citations will be issued for
administrators to appear and either file a
statement of estates or show cause why
they should not be removed. To each
citation will be attached a copy of the law
of 1898, governing this matter, which
makes a failure to make the required
statements punishable by fine of not
more than 500 and commitment to Jail
till payment is made and letters of ad-
ministration revoked.
All these delinquent cases are of date
prior to 1892, and failure to close up the
estates is due to the carelessness of pro.
bate judges and the Indifference or ignor-
ance Of administrators. There will be a
rafting of dry bones when the citations
are issued, as the list of administrators
includes many prominent business men,
who have probably forgotten that they
were ever connected with the estates in
question. Before the May term of court
adjourns, there will be general cleaning
up of these unsettled cases, and the rec
ord then will be clean one.