The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-27
TUESDAY. DECEMBER p, Isss.
TWELVE PAGES.
Two Arrests-what Next?

a run OF unusually good luck.
1Cl tn authorities in Butte have their
grin on a brace OF devils who
have been engaged in the hold-up bust
ness and who were caught at IL red
handed. The fortunate feature in these
cases is that there is not a shadow Of
doubt as to the guilt of the men who
are in Jail. That murder was not one
Of the incidents In these hold-ups is
merely a bit Of good fortune. For that
relief the prisoners are not 10 blame.
They would have killed fast enough Or
they could have got their work In. In
one OF the cases reported In the Stand
ard yesterday morning. the escape OF a
police officer from assassination was.
under the circumstances little short of
n miracle.
Of course. the feeling OF satisfaction
in Butte over this fortunate holiday ex-
plot on the part OF the police is as good
as universal. Yet this feeling Is tenn
pered with the reflection that, under the
methods that prevail In Butte. the APP
pretended criminals are a long way
from punishment. Strange az this an
nouncement may sound TO a person not
familiar with processes at law In Butte,
IL nevertheless accords with the facts;
and the reflection we have pentioned Is
made by recent experience the most nat
urai thing In the world. Yesterday,
after the community had learned of the
arrests OF men who had been
caught in the hold-up act, the first
query everywhere heard was, We'll, do
you suppose these fellows will be pun
sshed. or will they get away as the bulk
OF them do?"
IL would puzzle the man who keeps
himself thoroughly in the current Of
criminal affairs in Butte TO say how
many known hold-ups have occurred
in that city within two or three years
last past; the list Of them is so long.
But. outside of the circle of newspaper
reporters, there are scores and scores of
people who can tell how many OF the
murderous highwaymen have been pun
,shed: the list is extremely brief. Why.
they have i'm Butte now a pair OF thugs
who were caught at the hold-up busi
ness as long ago as the time of last sea
sons race meeting in that city. By al
that is Just and decent these men shonlc
have been dealt with long ago-but the.
haven't been. They were bound over
and there the matter miserably rests.
Indeed, II you will recall Butte's ad
ventures with the two men just referred
20 whose arrest dates from race-meet
ing days. or to the operations OF Mood!
and Fralney. or 10 the exploits Of tn
members of the Clancy gang, or TO othe
notorious crimes in Butte. you will no
wonder that there should be wide-pre
yailing doubt as 10 what the outcom
will be In the case OF the men who hav
just been arrested. They are simply
new factor in h may appropriated
be called Butte's moral-smoke problem
their arrest naturally prompts the In
quiry whether there is to be anothe
rase of burlesque.
IL is. as we have said, a fortunat
factor In the case that the two VIII
have just been arrested cannot set up
plea OF possible innocence; that doesn
signify that they viii be punished. how
ever-not according TO the Butte precs
dents. Those presidents make high
waymen the holder and positively N
crease the risk OF robbery and assass
nation TO which every citizen OF silvs
Bow county Is exposed. The long al
the short of IL is that these Butte prece
dent in local courts have not serve