The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-10
DEFECTIVE In SPOTS
ALI of This Property Has Not Escaped
the Assessors Eye.
SO THE LIST WAS RETURNED
The County Commissioners Re-
fuse to Approve the Report Of
Messrs. Armstrong and Mark -
ley-Witnesses' Mileage.


Iey-Witnesses' Mileage.
About four months ago the commits
sioners entered into a contract with
X. AIarkley and w. III. Armstrong by
which the latter agreed TO ferret out
| all real estate in the county that had
] escaped assessment and taxation and
were to receive so per cent. of the tax
that would be collected ON such prop
erty. The gentlemen, with several as
sistants. have been at work on the rec
ords for several months and yesterday
made a partial report to the commits
sioners. the report containing several
hundred pages of listed property, COW
ering period of several years. and i'm
Guiding lode claims. placer claims.
farming hand and residence lots which,
IT was alleged, had escaped taxation.
The list Is almost as long as the as
SCISSORS regular list. but the commits
sioners, after a very brief examination.
were convinced that 1t was incorrect,
and refused TO approve the report. They
found that I'm nearly all cases investi-
gated by them the property reported
had been regularly assessed and taxes
paid ON IT. For instance, the report in
cluded the noted Hesperus lode, which,
1T rs alleged, no taxes had been paid
upon, but the whole lode claim Is in
cluded in Kings addition TO the city,
and as such has been annually assessed
and properly taxed. Another case was
that of the Colusa lode claim, which
was reported as having escaped the ca
gle eye OF the assessor, and yet the
commissioners found, on examination,
that the property was properly assess
ed and included in the list of mines
aah bxrit a.
ting company. upon which taxes have
been regularly paid. A number of 9TH
er equally well known properties are
included IN the list reported by Mr..
Marley. and the commissioners went
only far enough in their examination to
satisfy themselves that they could not
accept the report as a guide by which
to determine what property, If any, had
escaped taxati IN.
There is no l.ubt that there is lot
of property i'm the county that has not
been assessed because the owne's have
not put IT On record, that being espe-
cially true of some agricultural land,
but 1t Is not at all probable that the
assessors have for years Overt Joked
any property that is on record. The
commissioners do not feel that 1t is any
part of their duty. under their con-
tract with Mr.. Marxley, to compare
every item of his report with the tax
roll to determine what property on 1t
has really escaped taxation, and the re-
port was therefore ordered returned TO
him.
Another important matter that came
before the commissioners yesterday
was the question of mileage paid witt
nesses in criminal cases and inquests
who came from points outside the
county. The question first came up
about a month ago, when a number of
witnesses from jefferson county put in
lat H..
yesterday, when a bill was presented
by some trainmen who demanded mile
age from Lima for attending a coro-
ner's inquest. The witnesses live in
Lima, but were subpoenaed in Butte.
The matter was referred 10 County At
torney Wines, who informed the com
m6ssioners that claims for mileage by
witnesses from outside the county
should not be paid unless endorsed
and recommended by the court or the
county attorney. Section 2463 of the
penal code says: when a person at
tends before a magistrate, grand jury
or court, as witness I'm a criminal
case, upon a subpoena or in pursuance
of am undertaking, and 1T appears that
he has come from a place outside OF
the county, or that he Is poor and I'M
able to pay the expenses of such at
tendance, the court at dts discretion, II
Iuhe attendance of the witness be upon
a trial, by am order upon ITS minutes,
or I'm any other case. the judge, at his
by a written order, may d. |
rect the clerk OF the court 10 draw his |
warrant upon the county treasurer in |
favor of such witness Tor a reasonable |
sum, to be specified in the order, for |
the necessary expenses of t1he Witness" |
Section 2464 says: mo person Is |
obliged ito attend as a. witness before O /
court or magistrate out of the county /
where the witness resides, or IS served /
with the subpoena, unless the judge of |
the court in which the offense is tri- |
able. or a justice of the supreme court. |
or a judge of the district court, upon |
an affidavit of the county attorney or /
or of the defendant, or his /
stating that he believes the /
evidence of THE witness is material, and |
his attendance at the examination, or
trial, necessary, shall Endorse ON the
subpoena an order for the attendance
Of the witness"
Upon the opinion of the county at
torney, the commissioners allowed the |
witnesses in question mileage only to
the county line at Melrose, and made
an order that hereafter no bills for |
mileage would be allowed unless en-
dorsed by the county attorney.
The fee bihs of Marshal Tebo and Po-
lice Magistrate Turner were disallowed
FOR the reason that they were not prop
pr claims against the county.
The monthly reports OF the coroner
were received and approved, and the
remainder of the session was devoted /
10 an examination of bills against the
county.
Dry Cleanfnr