The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-05-08
JOHN BLOOR'S TRIAL
The Senate Secretary Charged With
Secreiing tn, Salary Bill.
SOME DAMAGING EVIDENCE
One Member OF the Legislature
Testifies That he saw tho Ao-
oused Wink One Eye In a Very
Significant Manner.

Special Dispatch to the standard.
Helena, May The trial % John
Bloor. secretary OF the senate. who was
Indicted by the Lewis and Clarke
county grand jury ON the charge OF
having secreted the substitute for hous.
bill No. 1856. commonly known as the
salary bill. was begun in Department I.
OF the district court this morning. The
whole OF the forenoon was taken up In
securing a jury. n number of the regu-
lar panel being excused by the state
and defense. The court room this morn
Ing looked like a session OF the Third
house All the officers OF the senate
and house OF the Fifth legislative as
sembly were present. together with a
number OF members who were wit
nesses. In the afternoon. when the trial
was resumed. all witnesses were ex-
cluded from the court room. County
Attorney Purcell read the indictment
and briefly outlined what he expected
10 prove.
S. A. u. Hahn, clerk in the secretary
OF states office. was the first witness.
He identified the records Of the senate
and house and the bill which. II Was
alleged. had been secreted by Bloor.
j. NJ. Kennedy. speaker of the housc,
was the next witness. While he would
not swear positively that he had not
received the bill from the senate. he
felt sure. In his own mind. that Il had
not been returned to him. He said the
bill had been passed In the house on the
last day Of the session and ordered sent
To the senate. He told In detail how
bills and other messages from the house
were received and was positive that no
had not signed the bill after Il had been
sent to the senate.
| Lieutenant Governor A. r.. SpriRgs
| enumerated the officers Of tho senate,
among them being Bloor. who. he said,
was secretary. He was excused for the
time being and David Marks. chief
clerk Of the house. was next put on the
stand. lie related how the bill had
passed and been given by him to his as
sistant. A. e. Logan. with directions TO
transmit Il to the senate.
Mr.. Logan was the next witness. He
said he had delivered the bill TO Ser
geant Arms Hall with orders TO take
| II To the senate. Mr.. Hall swore that
he had no means OF knowing what bill
he took TO the senate. He told how
he delivered all messages intrusted ta
him.
Lieutenant Governor Spriggs was re-
called. He had a very indistlnct recol-
lection OF the salary bill. He said II
had been passed IN the senate and or
dered returned To the house. That was
on the night OF March 4. the last day
of the session. but he could not fix the
1 time definitely. He believed II was the
secretary's duty 10 take charge OF pa
pers and transmit them when so or
dered. Immediately before and Just
after the passage OF the bill he saw IL
on Bloors desk. He denied telling
County Attorney Purcell that he hand
ed Bloor the bill just after its passage
and that that WAS the last time he had
seen II. The county attorney accused
Lieutenant Governor Spr.ggs Of being
an unwilling witness and asked him II
he was not interested In Bloors aeqult-
| tai. "A question the court told the witt
ness that he need not answer. Court
then adjourned until 1880 o'clock y. m.
Al that hour II. =. Corbly OF Boze-
man, assistant secretary OF the senate.
took the stand. He said that he read
the salary bill. and after Its passage
handed u TO Bloor. That was the last
he saw Of II. The next afternoon Bloor
told him that he had found the bill In
his tBloor'S desk. where IL had been
overlooked the night before. That was
the FIRST knowledge witness had that
the bill had been lost.
W. &. Buskett, sergeant at arms of
! the senate. was the next witness. His
| testimony was not material nor was
that OF Daniel Mckay. his assistant.
The principal witness of the night
| session was William A. Clark. repre-
sentative from Madison, who said that
he had observed Bloor ON the night Of
March 4 in company with Mr.. Hinds
Of Butte. who lobbied against the bill.
They had an earnest conversation over
the bill. which Mr.. Bloor produced.
When Kinds had read the bill he hand
ed II back tn Bloor. who did not put Il
| In the same place he got IL from. Bioor
he said. wlnked at Kinds In "A sugges-
tive way. and the latter went OF laugh
ing. He remarked the incident because
he had heard Kinds. In the Helena ho-
| tel. say that the salary bill must he
downed some way. IL did not matter
how. as 1t affected salaries In silver
Bow county.
Charles d. Greenfield. representative
from Lewis and Clarke. told how he
searched through the desk OF the clerk
OF the house on March for the bill. hut
was unable to find II. He interviewed
Bioor about II and Bloor said that IL
wss surely over In the house. as II had
been sent there the night before. Bloor
told the witness he could find II and he
went into the house and presently dis-
covered the bill.
The state alleges that Bloor carried
the bill into the house and pretended TO
md u in Clerk Marks desk. II was
after 10 o'clock when court adjourned.