The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-24
ON AN UGLY CHARGE
John Smith Arrested and Bound Over
to the District Court.
FOR ASSISTING CRIMINALS
He Is Accused of Aiding Fugitives
From Justice to Elude Cap
ture by the Valley
County Officials.

Great Falls. Feb. 23.-John Smith,
well known and highly respected resi-
dent of Glasgow. was arrested Friday
and bound over to the district court in
the sum of 81, 900 on the charge of aid
ing criminals to elude arrest. Last
summer there was a Jail delivery at
Glasgow, wherein three criminals NAM
ed Nelson, Seppich and Trotter escaped.
Trotter was subsequently captured in
Chicago brought back to Valley coun-
ty, tried in the district court and sem
fenced to the penitentiary. where he is
now doing time. Sheriff Willis is con-
fdent that the prisoners had friend
on the outside when they escaped and
that this friend has since been in cor
respondence with Nelson and Seppich,
keeping them fully advised as to any
movement made by Valley county OFF,
GERS towards securing their arrest. The
arrest of Smith as his friend created
a profound sensation in Glasgow.
Referring to the subject, the Gazette
says: smith, it seems. has always
been a staunch friend and admirer of
Nelson and Seppich, two of the GRIM
inals implicated in the jail delivery here
last summer, the righteousness of
which electrified the country for miles
around, and needs no refreshment In
the minds of our citizens at this time.
The sheriff has made repeated efforts
to capture Seppich and Nelson, but
each time was unsuccessful, owing to
the large number of influential friends
possessed by the latter, who were al
ways on the alert and kept them posted
as to the movements of the Valley
county officials. Patience ceased to be
a virtue with the sheriff and, knowing
that their apprehension could not be
affected until their friends desisted
from this unlawful practice of harbor-
ing criminals, he determined to pro-
crastinate no more. Furthermore, he
knew that Smith had been and was
still the recipient of correspondence
from Nelson, and upon this and other
facts CLEANED in the case, swore out a
warrant for his arrest. Three letters
were found-two on Smiths person,
and a third one in a valise. One of these
was a letter from a friend and did not
attach much significance to the case.
In the same envelope accompanying II
was a letter written by Nelson to Smith
which contains, among other things,
the request of a small loan. He also
inquiries for particulars in regard to
the finding of the body OF Frank Smith
on Willow creek, supposed to have been
the fourth of the party of the four i'm
plicated in the delivery. He says Trot-
ter is a harmless fellow and severely
censures him for his visit to Chicago
and subsequent capture and imprison-
ment. He cites the instance of Sheriff
Willis visit to the rendezvous in the
Bad Lands, but, unfortunately, they
were not at home, but so miles away
and returned too late to accommodate
him. The correspondence on the part
of Nelson was carried on under the as
sumed name of S. o. Hart, Nesson, N.
d. Should the substance of this letter
be correct, it is not likely that they had
anything to do with the murder of
1lxy
posed.
THE last of these letters is one writ
ten by 'Hoke' to Nelson, which had not,
as yet, been deposited in the mails for
transportation. 1t is a lengthy missile
of some four pages of closely-written
manuscript and contains more or less
matter tending to incriminate Mr..
Smith. In this letter he vents his love
for our gallant sheriff in strong terms.
THE preliminary hearing came up
before Justice Kent, who bound the
prisoner over in $1,000 bail, which was
furnished in the persons of Messrs.
Coleman, Deegan, Enos and Truscott.
1t is an unfortunate occurrence for Mr..
Smith, who has always maintained an
unblemished reputation in the county,
and is the possessor of many friends
who are 10th to believe that his inten-
lions were not all right, and who will
hail with delight his release from the
unpleasantness- of the situation into
which he has been placed. But facts are
% hard to obliterate, and, Furthermore,
Smith knew that these men were Grim
inals and refugees from justice; that by
afliating with them IL was sure to be
productive of bad results. 1t is not our
desire to censure any one, but II we
wish to maintain our place in the uni
verse, il is time to convince the outer
world that law, as practiced in Valley
county, is not a farce as outsiders
are wont to term IL. In his attempts to
rid the country of such men as Seppich
and Nelson, Mr.. Willis will meet with
the hearty appreciation and support of
all right-minded and conservative per-
sons. 1t is the least they can be-
queath."