The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-26
An INFLUX or HOBOES
An Unusually Large Number in
the City.
KEEPS THE POLICE BUSY
The Shsrpest Vigilance Is Being Exer
cised by the Authorities-The Gang
This Year Made Up of
Tough Glass.

The usual spring influx OF hoboes and
every manner of tough characters. has
set In, and the authorities are having
their hands full to keep track OF the
unusually large number that have al
ready arrived. To prevent d~epredations
or possibly a repetition Of the Kroeger
murder. the police and sherif's office
are exercising the closest vigilance and
nearly so Of the toughest citizens hat
ever infested the city have been arrest
ed and lodged in the county jail within
two weeks. The gang this year are or
a worse type than ever before, and IL
holdups, and perhaps worse crimes. are
not reported IL will be because OF the
watchfulness of the officers.
The presence in the city of SO many
undesirable characters is explained by
the officers this way. When winter ap-
~proaches they max their way TO he
Pacific. coast and to the south and
work those sections through the winter.
When spring comes they are i'm need OF
new fields. and return to the Northern
section and to Butte as offering an
especially good field. Last year, after
the Kroeger murder. a gang that filed
a box car were taken TO Silver Bow
and driven out, and IL is the intention
of the authorities to do the same thing
this year IL 1t is possible to get them
corralled. To do this a systematic
roundup was commenced about two
weeks ago, but the object of the officers
has been frustrated by the ease with
which those arrested have slipped
through with the committing magis-
trates before whom they have been
taken. They are very generally
smooth ongue n never want for an
| excuse for being arrested for vagrancy,
and have thus far succeeded i'm con
ming the justices into letting them go
or giving them light sentences. out or
the half hundred who have been ar
rested. very few have been sentenced to
more than 10 days and from that down
to one or two. and those who have got
ten more than ten days have been. as a
rule. the least offensive. Among those
run in and who are now at the county
Jail for a few days. are 16 e~X-convicts of
the worst possible character. who are
ready to commit almost any crime to
get out of working.
Under Sheriff Jerry Murphy is not
especially pleased at the way the ef-
forts Of the officers have been frustrat-
ed by the justices allowing themselves
to be buncoed into turning the hoboes
loose. or practically so, and yesterday
spoke his mind very freely on the SUB
ject. The sheriff's Office wants 70
serve notice on the public" said he
that il holdups. robberies and murders
occur neither the sherif's office nol
police can be held to blame. The city
is simply overrun by the worst charac-
tiers we have ever had. the most oil
them ~ex-convicts. and unless We car
find some way TO get rid of them, citi
zens are going to suffer for II. for the.
are ready to do anything. | don't eN'
aggerate when tell you that to answer
every call that has come over the tele
Phone and otherwise in the last week
requesting us to investigate jobs an'
attempted ones. it would require Z
force of 100 deputies. i am satisfies
the outrage on Conductor Mcbride a
the cable power house a week ago wa
committed by some of this gang. TIL
police and sherin's Office have beei
trying to round these people up am
get rid OF them, but we cam DO II !
they are going to he turned loose ny IN
Justices or only sentenced for a day q
two" -.
II is the intention of the officers l
make a general raid and gather in a
many OF the toughs as possible and shil
them out in a bunch.