Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1897-12-08
STATE NEWS.
Items Of Special Interest Clipped from Our
Exchanges.

Judge Smith of the Eleventh dis
trict, which includes Flathead and
Teton counties, rendered q decision
last week, in the case of j. +. VANS
ley, deceased VS.. the board of county
commissioners of Tetoncounty. The
decision settled, so far as the district
court Is concerned, the right of
county officers to appoint deputies
to assist them without the consent
OF the commissioners or In spite of
the boards action. Judge Smith
holds that the number of deputies
rsquired must be determined by the
needs of public business and not set
tied arbitrarily by county officers.
River Press: Reports from the
Milk river range state that the re-
cent storms have caused large num-
beers of cattle to drift to the Missouri
river bottoms. 1t is also learned
that cattle on the Marias range are
getting badly scattered.
Helena Herald: The Helena land
office has received a department de-
cision of considerable Importance as
1t is a new Interpretation OF the min
ing laws as to taking up placer
ground. A few years ago in the cele-
brated Horseshoe case, involving
valuable land near Anaconda, the
secretary of the interior held that it
was necessary in taking up placer
ground to prove the presence of
mineral on every 20 acres. Now Sec
rotary Bliss has decided that but one
discovery is required in 20 acres, or
in I60 where the latter is taken up by
an association.
Great Falls correspondent of the
Standard: Word reaches here today
that Alvin Mortimer, u range rider
In Teton county, was found yester-
day afternoon lying on the prairie
frozen about the hands and feet,
near Sweet Grass. About two miles
from where he was found, about 8
O'Clock in the forenoon, he was
thrown from his horse and his knee
was unable to walk, but fearing
that he would freeze to death at
tempted to crawl to shelter. In five
hours he made two miles and was
putting forth tremendous efforts
when succOr arrived. His horse ar
rived at a house just before noon and
fearing something had happened
two friends started out to find him.
They tracked the horse in the snow
and then Mortimer's trail to where he
was found. The thermometer was
below zero all day long.
MILES CITY, Dec. Little Whirl-
wind, another OF the Hoover muir
derers, who was found guilty, was
sentenced to life Imprisonment.
Whirlwind, or Stanley, who turned
states evidence, will be tried next
term. The attorneys who defended
Spotted Hawk, sentenced to hang
on the 18th. and Little Whirlwind,
just sentenced, will go to the supreme
court.
The report of the state board of
equalization includes the folio wing
relating to cattle: Custer county
leads in stock cattle with 133, PIC
head, worth S2,26I ,672; Choteau is
second with 72,436 head, worth
$1,231,4l2. The average value OF
stock cattle i'm the state was fixed at
$17 pee head. There are 562, l52stock
cattle in the state, "a, III beef cattle
and q. 1853 cows. Custer county also
leads in beef cattle with 35,574 head
worth SS73,S30; Choteau county is
second with 7,132 beef cattle, worth
$17S, 800. The average value Of beef
cattle is S25.05. Gallatin county has
more cows than any other in the
state. 1t is taxed with 3,07S cows.
worth S56,374; Ravalli, second on
the list, has 2,S00cows, worth $50, 900.
The average value of cows in Mon
tana is S23.S3.