Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1897-04-21

simply put them in the furnace and
destroy them I'm that way. The re-
quest was such an unusual one that
1t excited Mr.. Yaeger's suspicious at
once and he examined the skins even
more critically than he would other.
wise have done. He noticed that the
ears of each hide seemed to have been
trimmed and he remarked upon the
fact. Then Filter, WHO had pre-
viously said that the coyotes had
been killed "this side of tie Missouri =
said that he had bought the skins
posed upon. He thought he would
not trouble Mr.. Yaeger to punch
them that afternoon. Mr.. Yaeger
thought it was the county that was
stairs TO bring other officers down
to him. When the deputies came
back a minute later. Filter had dis
appeared, taking nearly all his hides
with him. He had run into the fur
mace room and crawled through an
open window and escaped.
Fitzer proved to have operated in
Jefferson and Deer Lodge counties
for Mr.. Tooker received messages
from the clerks of those counties tell
ing him to look out for the man.
1t is pretty evident that Fitzer
went from Helena to Dillon. 1t was
his plan to- get some unsuspecting
deputy to punch only the edges of
the ears or hides Ito avoid mutila-
tion," he would say. That done,
he would later trim the ears In such
a way that no trace of the punch
| was left upon them, and then collect
bounty on them a second or even a
third time.
Fitzer's methods are more fully ex-
planned by the Salt Lake Tribune of
recent date, which says:
''The indictment for perjury which
has been returned against Filter i'm
Montana is the outgrowth of a
scheme for the rapid accumulation of
wealth which would do credit to the
brain of the mythical Col. Mulberry
Sellers. AS to just how long IL would
have taken Filter to have bank
rupted the state of Montana, had
be readily arrived at by a single
mathematical calculation.
Filters scheme was nothing
more nor less than purchasing coyote
skins in Utah for a ahominal sum, and
shipping the scalps to Montana,
where under the bounty law in that
state for the determination of coy
Otes, he received a warrant for 80
for each scalp. 1t Is claimed that
Fitzer had victimized various coun-
ties in Montana in this manner, but
the only indictment against him to
date Ia In Beaverhcad county where
he is charged with perjury for testi-
flying upon oath that the sclalps
upon which he secured n bounty
there were from coyotes killed in
| that county.
1.-The credit for Fitzer's capture
and the ventilation of his scheme il
largely due to Deputy Sheriffs Burt
and Cannon and Detective Shannon
of the police department.
| Several months ago the sheriff 6
office learned that frauds were being
perpetrated upon the state of Mon
tana by the shipping in of coyote
scalps upon which a bounty of 3;
each was being collected and later
Detective Shannon gave Deputy
Sheriff Burt and Cannon a tip which
resulted in the location of Filter at
one of the parties connected with the
frauds. Mr.. Burt then wrote to the
sheriff Of Beaverhead county, anG
work also began at this end of tn,
line. From a photograph Of Filter
which was sent to Dillon, the county
seat of the county where a larg'
number of scalps had been sold, h,
was identified as the man who hat
received the bounty. An examina
tion of the warrants issued in pay
ment of the bounties also revealed
the fact that they were made ou
to John Bowman and ostensibl,
assigned by him to James Fitzer
who negotiated them at various
banks.
"In the meantime the Salt LAX
officers had discovered that Fitze
was a Wholesale purchaser of coyot
skins in this city, and also learne'
that he had bought lbs skins at on
time from j. w. Summerhayes TO
$40, which he is alleged to hav
shipped to Montana in n trunk
Fitzer's last sale at Dillon was ol
|, Jan. o, 1897, and the total bount,
warrants issued to him there aggrt
that he did not confine his opera
tions to- Dillon, but victimized var
GUS other counties in a similar man
ner. Silver Bow and Jefferson couI
ties alone are said to have paid owe
$4,000.
"As he was compelled to testif
under oath that the coyotes wer
. killed in Montana, he was indicte
at Dillon for perjury and Unde
Sheriff Smith, of Beaverhead county
arrived in the city yesterda
to identify Fitzer and take hiI
. back. He recognized him Mt once
and Immediately telegraphed for rec
uisition papers, which are expecte
to reach here today.
= Filter claims that he is crazy, bu
u his conversation I'm the main ind
Gates that his thinking apparatus
in good running order. He admit
that he purchased coyote skins her
and sold the same in Montana, bu
lcured bounty on them"
Il tnsTva nRArH.S laws