The Anaconda standard., 1895-12-14
THIEVES ARE AT IT
Bozeman Is Infested by a Large Gang
Of Petty Pilferers.
A LEGISLATOR LOCKED UP
He Is the Second Victim OF a Jail
er's Oversight = Masterson
Sighted for a Time-An
Arson Case Settled.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Bozeman. Dec 12-There has been con-
siderable petty thieving in Bozeman the
past month, one man being In jail await
ing the opening OF the spring term OF
court He Is charged with innumerable
cases of promiscous borrowing, the one
which led to his arrest being the theft
of articles from the Northern Pacific no
tel. He had gone there broke and the
proprietor, out of the kindness of his
heart, gave him a room and the fellow
improved this opportunity by making
away with every article of clothing that
he could find which had no lock and
chain on 1t.
Charlie Mounts and Hank Vantyne
were ARRESTED the last of the week for
stealing a keg of wine from the cellar
under Matt Flannerys saloon. Charles
Mounts pleaded guilty at once and was
given Is days in the city jail. but Van
tyne who wanted a jury trial, Jared
much worse, getting 80 days in the coun-
ty Jail.
The Bozeman police have plenty to oc-
cupy their atteLtion. but they are alive
and wide awake to the vacillating popu-
aation which comes and goes between two
days, and comes, too, for no good to this
community. Wednesday Chief Edsall To-
Gated fellow here whom he had every
reason to believe was VIII Masterson,
George McCleary's collector. who left
Butte some time between last Saturday
night and Sunday morning. He tele-
phoned to Butte. telling the officers there
that he had a man watching Masterson,
and asked them IL they wanted him.
They did not know whether they wished
the fellow back or not, but said they
would telephone Chief Edsall later in the
day. No message was received here
however, and Masterson left town on a
oh Chfaf can
tried to keep Informed as TO Masterson's
movements even then, and managed to
keep posted as to his movements all day
Thursday, but gave up hearing from
Butte and dropped the matter.
The last legislature has been con-
demned in many ways and at times by
personal mention, but of the first of that
honorable body to be locked up was Hon.
T. ]. Lynde on Wednesday evening, when
JAN Keeper Fred e. Brewer turned the
key upon him in the Gallatin county
court house. The county jail is in that
building, but Mr.. Lynde was not the oc-
cupant of one of the cells. A case had
been up during the afternoon in the court
room, in which Mr.. Lynde was a witness
for the prosecution, and after the jury
had rendered the verdict Mr.. Lynde and
the Tomlinson Bros. of Salesville stepped
into one of the jury rooms for a few min
utes' conversation. Mr.. Brewer was on
uuly III the COuTl TOOtu, anu dILeT dll
were out he locked up and went off down
town. When he returned to the jail an
unusual Dot of pounding up stairs caused
him to investigate and he found the three
prisoners doing their level best to catch
the speakers eye" or, more properly, to
attract the attention of some one who
had a key to the court room. A few
weeks ago another prominent citizen was
an unwilling prisoner in the same court
room. having been caught in the same
manner. but he attracted the attention of
a passer-by by pounding on a window,
and so got out of his predicament. A lit
tie more care will probably be exercised
IN the future that this may not occur
again.
The case of the State vs. George Biggs
of Salesville, was up on Wednesday be-
fore Judge Stevenson. the prosecuting
witness being Hon. T.. J. Lynde, and the
prisoner charged with maliciously set
ting fire to and burning some logs near
Mr.. Lynde's sawmill at Salesville. The
case was given to the jury. and after be-
ing out some time, they rendered a ver-
dict for acquittal as the jury stood three
to three and Biggs was turned loose