The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-11
THE BANK STOCK CASE
j. r. Boycs Was on the Witness
Stand ALI Day.
STOOD THE TEST NOBLY
He Said He Had Besn . Benefactor
to Darnold Until He was Finally
Convinced That He Was
Dishonest Man.

To q man who might have been sit
Of the awful smoke. yesterday. it would
have appeared that William c. Darnold
was being tried In the United States
court on a charge of perfidious con-
duct instead of being a hearing to de-
termine the ownership of the stock in
the First National bank held by A. J.
Davis. jr.. and sought to be obtained
by Erwin Davis.
J. r. Boyce, jr, vas in the witness
chair all day and bore up under the
test nobly. He answered questions by
the thousands. and when night came
he vas a little groggy. but could ave
stood an hour or more of II. Mr.. Boyce
substantially testified that he had al
ways hoped hat public justice would
be satisfied in these Davis cases, and
that he had no further interest in them
aside from a desire to see right pre-
vail. He had evidently done a good
deal for the INSCRIPTIONS witness OAR
mold and had been his benefactor. He
was loath to believe that he was a dis
honest man n did not so believe until
he became possessed of proof most con-
NlnClnk tndt DdTHOlu was a pciHulOuS
individual.
In the afternoon Mr.. Boyce continued
in the witness chair and submitted to
the questioning of Judge HARDWOOD,
who asked him II the fact that he was
attached by the bank didn't create i'm
his mind a feeling of deep animosity
towards A. j. Davis, tr., and James A.
Talbot. All questions bearing on this
subject were objected to by Attorney
Clark. Mr.. Boyce, in answer to a ques-
tion. said that the matter of the judg-
ment Of the bank against his firm had
not driven him to distraction and to
the verge OF insanity. He replied, how
ever. that the successful action of the
bank against the firm of j. II. Boyce.
jr., & Co. had undoubtedly impaired
his standing in the commercial world.
Then Judge HARDWOOD went into the
matter Of the letter Darnold wrote to
A. j. Davis and the affidavit, and ques-
toned the witness as to the part he
took in the wording of them. etc. Mr..
Boyce was not sure whether he first
saw the letter in his house or on the
street. He said that when he first saw
the letter 1t was in typewriter form
and didn't know who put IL in that
form, but Darnold had told him that a
lady had don IL.
Mr.. Boyce, in answer. said that he
vas not cooperating with Corbett &
Welcome when he put into that law
HTH ; ndIlu a tODy u II bdfIlOlu VII
davit. The firm Would not act as wit
ness attorney for the reason that IL
was prosecuting claims of the creditors
of the Boyce
Didn't you say that o wouldn't
take 500 for the affidavit?"
IT would not part with II for a con-
sideration."
you held IL as a protection against
the prosecution of Darnold, did you
not?"
The witness answered this by relat-
ing all hat happened in. the Office of a
LAWYER in Helena. Darnold was afraid
of the consequences n wanted to be
assured that he would not go to the
pen before he signed any paper pur-
porting to be a contradiction of his tes-
timony.
Judge Harwood asked that when
Boyce gave Darnold SIS IL he looked at
the matter as a case of suicide or get
money.
IT loaned him the money and took his
note for IL. You can't always tell what
a man may do"
"Darnold was something OF a josher,
wasn't he?"
mo, he was a very serious man."
Mr.. Chase insisted that IL the word
'josher' went into the testimony an
explanation of II go also. as he suggest
ed that II was more han probable that
the judge doesn't know the meaning
of the new word.
Witness said that Darnold seemed
iginal ease was of vast Importance;
that he told Messrs. Boyce and Curtis
that he was going to demand of A. j.