The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-17
UNITED j! STARTS court Oh
Indictments Found Against
Hershf1eld and Harmon.
FOUR OTHERS RETURNED
The Work of the Grand Jury Com
pleted - Seventeen Indictments
We're nd-Schrickengost
Arraigned.

The United States grand jury found
indictments yesterday against Aaron
Hershfield and Leo c. Harmon, for
merly president and cashier of the
State National bank of Miles City,
charging them with fraudulently con-
Quoting the affairs of the bank. Both
of the defendants were arrested and are
now under bonds for their appearance.
Four other indictments We're returned,
but were not made public. The work
of the jury being completed. after the
report was fled the members We're
thanked by Judge Knowles and dis
charged. In ALL the jury found II in
dictments. The only other business be-
fore the court was the arraignment of
Counterfeiter Gus Schrickengost. In
the afternoon court adjourned until
Monday.
The Indictment against Banker
Hershfield recites six counts. three of
which are based on one transaction
and the other three allege separate
fraudulent acts. In the first count 1t
is alleged that Hershfield, as president
of the State National bank of Miles
City, took a note out of the bank, which
he had previously given, for $4,000
| and surrendered it to himself, putting
in the bank, as assets in lieu of the
note, two other notes, each for $780,
which purported to have been signed
by Henry Metcalf and William Thomp
son, who are alleged to be fictitious
persons. and that therefore the notes
We're of no value. Counts two and
three allege false entries of these notes
in the bank books.
Count four recites that on July A.
1896, the defendant made a false rvort
to the comptroller of the currency in
which he stated that he was indebted
to his bank $S,932.S7, whereas he owed
| the bank s37,611.22. Count five charges
| that on Nov. q, 1896, the defendant
| owed the National Bank of the Re
| public of Chicago $4,5O1.5O on a per-
sonal note and without the authori-
| cation of the directors he directed the
National Bank of the Republic to debit
the amount of the note to his own
bank. Count six charges that on Dec.
2 1896, the defendant owed the First
National bank of Minneapolis S., 900 on
personal note, which he also had
| charged up to his bank without the
| consent or knowledge of the directors
The indictment against Leo c. Har-
| mon, cashier of the State National
| bank of Miles City. recites five counts.
| the first of which charges that on
| May IL, 1896, Harmon made a false re-
| port to the comptroller of the currency.
stating that a balance was due the
State National bank of Miles City from
| the National Bank of the Republic of
| Chicago of $64, 1SS. IA. whereas the Ma
| tional Bank of the Republic only owed
the Miles City bank s141SS.14. Count
two recites that on Feb 80 1897, the de-
| PENDANT reported falsely to the comp
troller of the currency that President
Hershtield was only indebted to his
| bank to the amount of $6,23S.40, while
| in fact the presidents Indebtedness to
| the bank was $35,S42.41. Count three
charges that on March 8, 1897, the de-
| PENDANT made similar false report
| to the comptroller stating President
| Hershtield's Indebtedness to his bank
| was S9,S3S.40, whereas it was $31. SOC. 03.
Count four alleges another false re-
port of the same kind, the presidents
Indebtedness being placed at $9,s3s.4o,
whereas it should have been $37.496.O 3.
| Count five charges a false report to
| the comptroller, setting forth that the
| First National bank of Minneapolis
| owed the State National bank of Miles
| City $41,S1162. whereas the balance in
favor of the Miles City institution was
| really s26,504.12.
The Irregularities in the manage
ment of the affairs of the State Ma
tional by President Hershfield and
Cashier Harmon We're discovered by
Bank Examiner Eugene f. Wilson in
the fall of 1896 when, in examining the
assets of the bank, he found the two
fictitious notes and discovered them to
be worthless. Revelation of the other
Irregularities soon followed. and at the
April term of court at Helena. last
year, indictments were returned against
both Hershtield and Harmon, but were
set aside by the court on the techni-
cality that the district attorney In go
ing before the grand jury presented
as evidence memorandums taken from
the bank books instead of the books
themselves.
President Hershfield and Cashier
Harmon We're both in the city yester-
day and when the indictments were
returned were taken before Judge
Knowles and their bonds fixed at $4,000
each, which they furnished Harmon
was arraigned and pleaded not guilty
His trial was set for March 81 The
arraignment of President Hershfield
was set for next Monday.
Gus Schrickengost, the counterfeiter
captured by the police a week ago, was
taken before Judge Knowles for ar
raignment during the forenoon. He en-
tered plea of not guilty and his trial
was set for week from to-day
Yesterday United States District At
torney Rodgers received from the
United States district attorney of
Idaho a certified copy of an indict-
ment which had been found against
Schrickengost by federal grand jury,
charging him with breaking into the
postoffice at Montpelier, Idaho, with in
tent to commit larceny. The copy of
the indictment was forwarded for the
purpose of holding Schrickengost for
return to Idaho, in the event he should