The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-14
IT LOOKS CROOKED
District Court Funds in MiSSoula Said
to Be Badly Wrong.
THE GRAND JURY TO MEET
1t Is Charged That Frank w. Nc
Connelrs Affairs Show fraudu-
lent Warrants and Failure to
Account for Public Money.


z AAlS~Ouids Il co To-. iatlf ir no ibl[FT
any doubt that the purpose FOR which
g and jury has been called by judge
I VI oody is the investigation of the affairs
/ OF the office OF tho clerk Of the district
court. That the accounts OF this office
are in bad shape has been street ,alh for
several days. and recent developments
| confirm what was at first considered TO
I be- mere rumor. The amount OF the short
ace IN Frank W. McConnclrs accounts
/ was at first stated To be- S2.euJ and suisse
( Quent investigation has shown that the
/ deficit will be about s.. zoe. This shortage
I exists in the accounts of the office, II is
( said, in several departments. There is a
/ large deficit reported in the receipts from
/ the sale of lots in the Thompson Falls
and Horse Plains townsites. which were
/ sold by the district court under the pro-
visions of the law. There Is also "A CON
siderable sum that had been paid into
court upon judgment.
But the most serious part of the whole
affair Is a little bundle Of warrants, is
sued ostensiby for witness fees in the
Clark murder trial. but made payable to
fictitious persons or TO persons who, if in
existence, were not present AT the Clark
trial as witnesses or otherwise. There
were lS OF these warrants issued by tho
district clerk and sold at the usual dis
count for county paper. II was these war
rants that started the inquiry which has
resulted in the call for a grand jury
which is now exciting so much comment.
When the purchaser of these warrants
sid j. Coffee, became suspicious as TO
their genuineness he employed George b.
Wilds to investigate the matter. 1T did
not take Mr.. Wilds very long 10 satisfy
himself that there was something wrong
in the affair.
Under the rules OF the district court at
torneys in criminal cases. either for the
state or for the defense, are required
when asking that additional Witnesses be
subpoenaed, TO make affidavit that these
Witnesses are necessary and that they
win present material evidence In the
Clark case the county attorney had two
additional witnesses called and the de-
fonse had none. That the records Of the
court might correspond with the bogus
warrants which were issued II was ncces-
saiy TO fill I'm above the signatures OF the
Judge the county attorney and the sheriff
the names which appeared on these war
rants. This was done. but when the in
vestigation of the case began important
documents were missing from the papers
on file in the Clark case.
At first IL was claimed that these pa
pers had been lost by an attorney who
had had the papers out Of the Office hut
he subsequently proved that he returned
all the documents for which he had given
his receipt. The documents which are
missing are the affidavit for additional
witnesses ana the subpoenaS returned 10y
the sheriff in the case
There were Is of these false warrants
issued, as nearly as can be learned. and
their values aggregated a little over SGCa
They were all purchased by SID j. Coffee
who does considerable business in county
securities. II was about Jan. 30 when Mr
Wilds. as attorney for Mr.. Coffee. began
10 inquire into this matter on Sunday.
Feb. >. Judge n. w. Mcconnell father
OF Clerk Mcconnell came over from Hell
ena and the next day Mr.. Wiids dropped
his investigation. The warrants haa beon
taken up. When Mr.. Wilds first began
his inquiry he was offered good price
Tor one or two Of the warrants. but he
would not sell even one at any figure
Judge Mcconnell returned to Helena
and there was lull I'm the affair until
IL became known that the county attor-
ney had taken up the Investigation and
that further shortages had been di~cov-
cred. Then there was another stir and
on Saturday last Judge Mcconnell re-
turned to Missoula and has been here
ever since.
II Is expected that tho friends n Mr.
Mcconnell viii make good the deficIt I'm
his accounts In the hope that tho luvrsfi-
cation by the grand jury may bo stopped.
Already strenuous efforts have beon made
TO have the inquiry called of. but they
have availed nothing.
Last Sunday prominent friends Of Mr.
Mcconnell, including several members rr
the bar, held a meeting and afte-warI
called upon Judge Woody 10 attanpt ts
induce him 10 refrain from calling Il
grand jury. Just what transpireI al the
interview with Judge Woody nob.a,
knows except those who were present .
hut it is known that the Judge stated ,rn-
phatically that h. would D. violating bis
oath OF office IF he granted .h. r.aueat
ami this he would not DO. This proceed
ing on the part OF members rf tho bar
whatever their motive. ls REGARDED as
most unusual and most 81. anre. What
reason a member Of the har could have
Tor desiring 10 prevent Justice does not .
appear.
Since Sunday threats have been made .
more or less openly. TINT n tho Grand
jury was allowed 20 carry en- this insesl- F
cation there would he Tefoiiafary dt-eIo- .
sures made that would sfartIa the com .
J. unity, but these threats sem % have
failed IN their purpose for tH. grand .
jury VIII report for duty rsvr N.a.a-
morning and Will boz charged as io n.
business which Will come Ers.r. II.
The amount OF the shortages IN tho
clerks Office Is. as stated aH1ve about
=. 90. This is distributed as follows. the
figures IN each instance being approx .
mate:
Thompson Falls townslfs sales. Fea0
Horse Plains townSire. S-fo. ONCE re-
c"ipts. $50. bogus warrants t6oa. iudC-
ment favor John Mccormack. yfl1. or
these amounts that of the b0-us war
rants has already been made good and
the warrants are now I'm possession or .
ar McConnell's friends. n is not pr1ha-
bic that there viii ba any loss 10 the
county. as Judge Mcconnell and his
friends are making every effort % raise
money 10 square the other accounts It /
is not believed. however, that -sis sill
stop the grand jury iuyas. cation. esps-
cially In the matter Of the is- siug OF The
fraudulent warrants
Beside their efforts % head II the
grand jury session. some of Er. Neon
nells friends have been using their iu-
tuence 20 induce some men who Will hc
important Witrs--es 20 leave town ha-
zero they are called 20 testify. The couu-