The Anaconda standard., 1898-02-13
IN THE DISTRICT COURT
The Vesey-Drinkwine Case 6
Family Disagreement.
VERDICT FOR DEFENDANTS
The Jury Thought the Old Folks Had
$500 the Best of the Case-Trial OF
John Roussey of the Wilson
Gang of Thieves.

Missoula, Feb 12.--It was so late last
night when the arguments were con-
cluded in the Vesey- Drinkwine case
that Judge Woody postponed giving
his instructions TO the jury till this
morning. 1t was about 10 o'clock when
the jury finally retired, and there was
much speculation as to what the ver-
dict would be. The Vesey side of the
case had set up a caim of Sc, 400 against
the Drinkwines, and the latter had de-
MED any indebtedness whatever, and
had claimed a balance due them of
81. 600. The whole case was a family
disagreement of the biggest kind.
There was no doubt in the minds of
most of these who had followed the
case that each claimant had furnished
the material and had rendered the SER
vices claimed, but there was no doubt.
either, that at the time the services
were rendered and the material fur
nished neither side had any intention of
charging for the same.
The relations between the Veseys
and the parents of Mrs. Vesey at the
time We're friendly, and it was not until
these relations became upset and hos
tilities were inaugurated that the
thought of making charges occurred to
any blIt VI lllG ldllllIy. w ntll tilt
charging began there was a lot of 1t.
The transactions involved had extend
ed over a period of 10 years, and had
been varied in their nature. The to-
tai of the amount of supplies that had
been furnished to the Drinkwines by
their SON -in-law reached Sc, 400 when it
was all listed. Then the Drinkwines
began to figure that their daughter,
Mrs. Vesey, had spent considerable
time at their ranch home, and it oc-
CURED to them that If there was any
charging to be done. they might as well
do some of it themselves. So they
charged for the board of their daugh-
ter and for other little services that
they had rendered. When they had
finished their figuring. they found that
the Veseys were indebted to them to
the tune of 2,600 That was the way
that the case had been presented.
There We're all sorts OF wild guesses
at the verdict, ranging from $1,000 one
way To $4,000 the other The jury was
not out more than three hours before
a verdict was reached it was the
opinion of jurors as recorded in their
verdict that the old folks had the best
of the transactions, and that 1t would
take $500 from them to square the ac-
count. So they found in that amount
for the plaintiff. and the pleasant val
ley of Plains will have a quiet time for
a while till some other sensation is
sprung down there.
At the morning session of court the
trial of John Roussey, one of the al
legged members of the Wilson gang of
thieves, was begun. A jury was Sc
cured without much trouble and the
case was given To the jury at the night
session. A. j. Niolette and G. II. Hall
defended Roussey, and their line of de-
fense was the proof of an alibi, in sup
port of which they offered considerable
testimony. The states most important
witnesses We're Wilson, the leader of
the gang, and his wife. Wilson con-
fessed to his guilt and entered n plea
of guilty to the charge of burglary.
His testimony and that of his wife
to-day implicated Roussey in the rob
berry of the Deschamps ranch and the
jury has some conflicting statements
on its hands. The trial of Parks. the
other supposed member of the gang.
will begin Monday
The jury in the Roussey case re-
turned a verdict at 80, finding him
guilty of burglary In the second degree
and fixing his punishment at six
months Imprisonment in the state pen
itentary.
Judge Woody has granted divorces
to r. II. Case from Nethellyn Case and
70 Isaac Lungrell from Hattie Lun-
grell. In neither case was there an ap-
pearance of the defendant. The
grounds in each case were desertion.