The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-10
THEY COULD NOT AGREE
Verdict Returned by the Jury in
the splsn Case.
1T WILL BE TRIED AGAIN
The Case Has Atrescy Cost b County
oo2o and Thsrs II Apparently
No Chance OF Securing
Conviction.

Great Falls. Dec. s.-The jury in the
cas- Of the State against william Splan
came in this morning after a night
spent on b case. and stated that they
could not agree. IND asked to be dis
charged. The cour granted the re-
quest. 1t Is said tina the jury stood
FOUL to eight for acquittal. This case
was tried in the June term OF court
and resulted In precisely the same end.
1t cost The county an even $500 in wit
ness fees alone. while the cost of the
jury was s1A. At this term OF court
the case has occupied five days at a
cost Of $685. 40 for witnesses and $50 for
a jury. Thus without any ccou of
the sherin's fees in the matter. and
these are very considerable. or the cost
In the justice court. the county has been
put t an expense Of ss29.40 to try a
case which seems to be utterly hope
less, so far as the securing Of a con-
viction Is concerned. The case must,
with all incidental expenses, have cost
Cascade county about s.. 900. and so far
no good has been attained, and IL Is
stated that IL will come up a third time
in the district court, at the January
term.
The ease reminds one very strongly
Of the cases against the English boys.
along in 81 or '92. They were also cat
tie cases and they cost the county
thousands Of dollars Inc likewise re-
suited in no conviction. The remand
err Is made the stronger by the fact
that one of the attorneys for the de-
Tense in the present case was then
county attorney. and through some pc
culiar stubbornness. persisted In trying
the cases at an enormous expense TO
the county. The disagreement OF the
jury in the Splan case was predicted In
these columns back In the summer.
No one believes that a conviction can
be secured and taxpayers devoutly pray
that this useless expenditure of their
money for the prosecution OF a pretu-
dice. IL not a personal spite, be stopped
at once before another case heaps up
costs to equal or exceed those in the
English cases.
william Randolph, the colored man
who broke into the jewelry shop Of
Louis Solomon this fall. went on trial
this afternoon. The following jury was
empanelled to try the case: w. ID.
Burch. ]. II. Copeland. II. Afflerbach.
NJ. L. Strong. c. II. Austin. w. J.. Mar
tin. A. r. Calvert. Samuel V. Getz. r.
NJ. bldnkenDdk tT, n. w. Jouhsoh, ID ~
Kelly n o. II. Perry.
The prisoner was defended by Gus
tave Il. Aldrich, the colored attorney
Of this city, and put up a very good de-
Tense, but the, evidence was over
whelmingly against him n IN jury
took but very few minutes to agree on
a verdict of guilty. No punishment Vas
fixed and the prisoner will be sentenced
by the court on Monday morning. The
charge is burglary In the first degree.
The case of the state against Charles
Mason, charged with burglarizing
sleeping room In this city, was set for
January 4.
Harry Lee Taylor was e tried on
the charge of burglary in the second
degree. He Is the young man who was
accused Of having been the ringleader
of the gan of youthful bandits. vho
pilfered warehouses and exposed
shacks, hardware stores and the like
i'm this city for a considerable period OF
time. The afternoon session closed
with this ease still before the court and
it will be continued tomorrow morn
ing