The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-19
GE|GER OVER A BARREL
A Poor Man Before He Went to
the Legislature.
THEN He BECAME FLUSH
He Is Erecting Two Dwellings and a
Store Building in Libby-Vagua
References to His Mothers
Estate"

Special Dispatch to the Standard. s-T--'
Libby Creek. Mont, Oct 1S--The
Hanson. Frank NJ. Leonard, A. r. Glib
son and John II. Geger. state senator
from Flathead county, in the libel suit
of Fred Whiteside against W. 4.
Clark, the Butte Miner and others,
were taken here to-day before Thomas
Carroll, notary public. A r. Gibson
testified that State Senator Geiger bcr-
rowed s25 from him during the cam
paign of last fall and gave his note,
which was paid after his return from
the legislature. This was in corrob-
Grafton of other witnesses at Kalis-
pell, who testified to Geiger's poverty.
before his election.
T.. II. Clngan and Hans j. Hanson.
after refusing to answer questip I'M
less compelled to, and being ordered to-
answer by the notary, stated that they
| We're now engaged in erecting three
buildings for Geiger in the town of;
| Libby, two being dwelling houses andi
the other a store building with II
rooms on the second floor.
Frank NJ. Leonard was called in re-
iat1on to the purchase by Geiger of GER
tain real estate in Libby since he voted
! for w. a. Clark in the legislature, but
refused to divulge the business Of his
company, the Libby Townsite COM
pany, and was excused temporarily
The rest of the day was taken up in
the examination of State Senator Gel
ger, who was seated in the senate in
place of Whiteside. His examination
was long and searching. He admit
ted erecting the buildings in Libby,
claiming that they We're being erected
r n c tilE. l,rt ,,,t,,r
vulge names. His answers to
all questions along this line were: TITS
nobody's business, and l refuse to
answer He also said he received
money from his mothers estate and
from an eastern bank on his brothers
note, but refused to tell where his
mothers estate was situated how
much it was worth or what his broth
ers name was, or where he resided.
He was examined particularly about
bis legislative career, but generally
said that he could not remember when
questioned about important matters.
He could not remember whether he
had sent Under Sheriff Hoover of Kali.
ispeil $1,000 to pay for a piece of prop
erty in kalispell last April, nor could
he remember whether Hoover had re-
turned the money to him. He could
not remember whether he had told
Hoover in the sheriff's office i'll Kali
ceived a certain sum from John ,B.
Welcome to vote for w. A. Clark. He
refused to answer the point blank ques-
tion as to whether or not he had said
so. He refused to answer as to wheth-
er he had purchased property in Kali
ispell since his return from Helena.
Geiger was asked if he did not state
in a public speech in the convention
that nominated him that he had been
around legislative halls where money
was stacked up like cordwood for the
purpose of bribins members to betray
their party and he hoped il he ever
voted for any one but a republican for
United States senator his constituents
would take him out and hang him
when he came back. His answer was
that he did not know what he did say.
He evaded questions as to borrowing
money during his campaign from the
Conrad bank of Kalispell, John Clark,
Harry Keith Frank Nash and others
of Kalspell, admitting in some In
stances that he borrowed small
amounts for his campaign and for the
purpose of paying his expenses to the
republican state convention. He did
not know w. A. Clark of Butte, except
to Zee him before he was elected SEN
ator but thought he once had con-
versation with Mr.. Clark in Butte
some years ago. He refused to answer
| whether he had bought teams and
other personal property since his re-
turn from Helena, and also refused to
state whether he now had a bank ac-
count in the First National bank Of
Kalispell. He denied having received
any pecuniary consideration for his
vote for W. A. Clark. but stated that
he voted for Clark because the repub-
lcan caucus decided to vote for him.
The examination was continued until
tomorrow in order to permit the wit
nesses to sign dispositions. c. P. Con-
molly of Butte represented Whiteside
and Walter NJ. 3ickford of Missoula
appeared for the defS ndants.
One of the witnesses named Bergman
disappeared and Representative Carr
failed to appear, it being rumored that
he left the state at the time the COM
mission to take depositons was issued.