The Anaconda standard., 1898-03-15
CHANGE OF VENUE ASKED
Riley Must Be Taken to Some
Other District.
MANY AFFIDAVITS FILED
County Attorney Stapleton Says it Will
Be Impossible to Secure Jury in
Silver Bow County for the
Trial OF the Case

County Attorney Stapleton has deter
mined to ask Judge Clancy to send
Thomas j. Riley to some other district
to be tried for the murder of Patrick
A. Largey and a notice of his intention
to apply for change of Venue. and a
petition in support of it, were filed in
court yesterday. The matter will prob
ably be heard next Saturday, by which
time about a hundred affidayits will
also be presented, signed by as many
different citizens of Butte, supporting
the move for change of place for trial.
The petition, signed by Mr.. Stapleton
and filed yesterday, after reciting the
fact that Riley has been informed
against on the charge of murder in the
first degree, shows to the court:
THAT it is impossible to obtain
jury on the trial of said cause in said
county Of Silver Bow, wherein said
crime is alleged to have been commit
ted, that has not formed an opinion as
to the guilt or innocence of the defend
ant such as would disqualify them as
jurors in the trial of said cause.
And your petitioner further states to
this honorable court that upon the 18th
day of January. 1898, the day upon
been committed the rumors and public
and private discussions of said alleged
murder caused intense excitement in
the city of Butte and the county of Sill
yer Bow; that said crime was the topic
of conversation generally among the
people residing and being in said city
and county; that public feeling ran
high on said 18th day of January, 1885,
after the commission of said murder
and that this feeling was so strong that
the public officials took notice of said
public excitement and removed this de-
fendant, Thomas j. Riley. from the
county Jail of Silver Bow county, where
he was then incarcerated, to the state
penitentiary a. Deer Lodge, in order to
prevent any clash of authority or any
open rupture of public feeling in the
community: that the sheriff of Silver
Bow county, through his deputies, re-
moved the said Thomas j. Riley secret
ly and unknown to any persons by an
unfrequented route and an unusual
method of travel, in that to avoid said
public excitement and danger of public
violence the said sheriff, by his depu-
ties, took the said prisoner to Silver
Bow station in a private conveyance.
there taking the train for the town Of
Deer Lodge.
THAT the Daily Inter Mountain,
newspaper of general circulation in said
city and county, and the daily Butte
Miner newspaper of general crcu-
lation in said city and county, each pre-
pared and issued an extra edition of its
paper Immediately after the death of
Patrick A. Largey, which said papers
and extras contained what purported to
be the facts of the case, many of which
said alleged facts will be proven as
facts on the trial of said cause and
which said papers and extras We're
widely circulated and read by the peo-
pie of Silver Bow county. That later
on the said 18th day of January, 1898,
the said Daily Inter-Mountain, in addi-
tion to its extra issue, published on said
day, also published its regular edition
on the evening of the said 18th day of
January. 1898, containing what pur-
ported to be the facts of said case as
published in the extra edition, and also
additional facts, or alleged facts
CLEANED after its extra issue, and also
in said last mentioned issue published
what purported to be an interview with
the defendant, Thomas j. Riley in
which the defendant, Thomas j. Riley.
was alleged TO have made statement
acknowledging the killing of the said
Patrick A. Largey by himself. substan-
TALLY as alleged in the information on
file in this cause, and made part of
this petition.
THAT it is impossible to obtain a
jury on the trial of said cause in said
county of Silver Bow, wherein said
crime is alleged to have been commit
ted, that has not formed an opinion as
to the guilt or innocence of the defend
ant such as would disqualify them as
jurors in the trial of said cause.
And your petitioner further states To
this honorable court that upon the 18th
day of January, 1885, the day upon
which said crime is alleged to have
been committed. the rumors and public
and private discussions of said alleged
murder caused intense excitement in
the city of Butte and the county of
Silver Bow: that said crime was the
topic of conversation generally among
the people residing and being in said
city and county: that public feeling ran
high on said 18th day of January 1898
after the commission of said murder
and that this feeling was so strong that
the public officials took notice of said
public excitement and removed this de-
fendant.
THAT on the following morning, to-
wit, the 18th day of January, 1898, the
said daily Butte Miner also published
it's regular edition, in which full and
extensive account of the said tragedy
was printed under conspicuous head
lines, calling public attention to the
said tragedy in manner which was
A