The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-19
ENSIGN WR|GHT'S TRIAL
He Is Accused of Stealing Ore
From the B. & M.
WAS CAUGHT IN A TRAP
His Wife Made Sensational Statements
to the Effect That Many Others
Were Implicated in the Steal.
She May Squeal

Great Falls. Jan. 1S.--Justice Bur-
leigh's court room was crowded this
afternoon, mostly by employees of the
4 Boston & Montana smelter. who were
anxious to hear the testimony which
might incriminate their fellow work
man. Ensign Wright. This morning
Mrs. Wright made hysterical state
ments concerning her husband She
said that he was merely a tool in the
hands of others. and that unless the
Others came forward and helped him
out of his predicament she would saueal
on them and see that they were put in
jail with her husband. She gave the
number of persons implicated as Is.
This may account for the large attend
ance in the court room In addition to
the employees of the smelter there Were
Frank Klepetko. J. J. Case and other
officials of the company.
Thomas Sheehy, a policeman. was
the first witness to be placed on the
stand. He told in detail how. shortly
after the December pay day he met
Wright on Third street, south, near the
Board of Trade saloon. and the latter
had accosted him Wright told him
that there was something going a the
smelter. but he was afraid that Shelby
was einch officer and would give the
thing away.
He said he knew officer Treviligan
we'll but could not trust him. as he got
drunk too much. Wright and Sheehy
had a cigar together and then Wright
went on with his proposition, Sheehy
intimating that he was in on anything
that had enough dough in it. Wright
showed him a silver finger ring and
asked him how he liked the looks of 1t.
He said there would be from $50 to $3.50
a month in ii for the officer and prom
ised to bring down some of the bullion
and let him see 1t. He said at that
time that he was getting the metal from
Michigan and had q pounds OF it.
Sheehy reported the matter to Chief
Guerin, and according to instructions,
waited for Wright to come to him. On
Jan. 3 he went to Wrightis house and
there he told Wright that he had man
who would dispose of the stuff for him
and asked him TO bring il down town
to him. Wright said there were four
or five others who had as much of it
as lie were loaded down with it, as
he expressed it, and some of the men
were close friends of j. ]. Case. the as
sistant superintendent Of the smelter
He then admitted that he got the metal
from the Boston & Montana smelter
and he'd melted it into the small bars
the form in which it then was. Sheehy
identified boxful of the bars produced
in court as the same which Wright had
taken out of a bureau drawer at his
home and shown him. He identified il
in particularly by the words, "Old
Flagstaff mine. Nevada" which he said
Wright had scrubbed on the lid of the
box in his presence
He also positively Identified several
Of the individual bars from their pecu-
liar form. Wright promised to bring
the stuff to Sheehy's house on a certain
date. but failed to keep it. Then the
officer went after him and tod him that
his brother was dying In Lewistown and
he would have to go out there right
away and said that he had best bring
the stuff down right away before he
left town. Wright fell into the trap
which Sheehy had laid at the order Of
Chief Guerin end gave up the stuff and
Sheehy turned it over to Guerin.
The rest OF the testimony vas cor
rGboratfge. tending to establish the
value of the bullion and also relating
to conversations had between the sheriff
and other officers and the prisoner. in
which he practically admitted his guilt
and said that he had taken the bullion
from the bed of an old furnace at the
smelter. The bullion is valued at about
$685.
The contention of the attorney for the
defense is that the bullion was taken
piece at a time and therefore only a
succession of charges of petty larceny
can be made. Judge Burleigh took the
case under advisement until tomorrow
aft