The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-17

Staff Correspondence of the Standard.
Helena, Nov. 16.--The defense in the
Welcome disbarment matter rested its
case at 2:30 o'clock this afternoon. The
close came as a surprise to the plant
ifs side, for it had expected that surely
John B. Welcome, the accused, would
be put on the stand to deny the charges
which have been made. But neither
Welcome, nor w. M. Bickford, nor
Charley Clark, nor Carr, nor Geiger,
nor Warner went on the stand, although
direct charges of offering or receiving
bribes have been made against all of
| them
All the witnesses of the day were
character witnesses, with one exception.
Some of the character witnesses swore
| to the good character of John b. Well
| come for integrity, truth and veracity
in the community in which he lives.
Most of these witnesses We're residents
of Helena, and most of them qualified
! their evidence by saying that their
| judgment was formed by eliminating
the question Of the guilt or innocence
| of the accused on the charges of bribery
| last winter. The other character w.t.
nesses testified that the character of
VIII Clark Of Madison county for truth
and veracity is bad in the community
| in which he lives. The cross-exanina-
| tion developed the fact that most of
| the witnesses had been engaged in liti-
cation in which Clark was an attorney
on the opposing side. Outside of the
| character witnesses the only witness
of the day for the defendant was Frank
| E. Corbett, who testified to an alleged
| conversation had with Marcus Daily In
New York, in which he claims DAILY told
1 him that everything was fixed in regard
to Ciark's candidacy. Mr.. Corbett is
personal attorney for W. A. Clark, was
a law partner Of John B. Welcome
until recently and is one of the attor-
neys for the defendant in the present
| hearing.
The reproof given yesterday by the
chief justice to the comments of some
of the newspapers had it's effect. The
Helena Independent was as silent as
| clam this morning.
Scheme That Failed.
Those who have paid close attention
| to the hearing the past 10 days have
noted that the greatest disappointment
to the defense was when Will Clark Of
Madison county showed up. After his
| safe arrival Ben ]. Fine scurried
| through Madison county to find wit
nesses who would swear to Clark's bad
character 1t seems that about two
| weeks before the hearing began, a Pat
| kearney of Twin Bridges went to Clark
and asked him if he was to be present
| at the hearing. Clark replied that he
would not be present unless eubpoe
naea. Kearney then said he had some
work in the East he wanted Clark to
! do. He said there We're some title to
be looked up, and he knew Clark was
| particularly good at that kind of work.
He wanted him to go to the southern
part Of Missouri to look up the title to
some lands down there which We're
thought to be valuable for zinc pur-
poses. He stipulated a certain fat fee
| and expenses, and the expenses We're
paid in advance. He told Clark the trip
would take about a week, and if the
titles Weres all right he might want
Clark to go with him to Boston, where
he was figuring on floating a mining
deal. On Saturday, nine days before
the hearing began, the details were ar.
ranged. Kearney gave Clark the men,
oranda of the property, the titles of
which were to be examined, and Clark
agreed to start the following Tuesday.
Clark made the trip and found he was
sent into the southwestern part of Mis-
souri, and the county seat he had to
visit was IA miles from a railroad.
Clark finished up all the business in
proper style, according to contract, and
got to Helena on the third day of the
trial in ample time to testify. Kearney
had been very particular that Clark
should tell no one where he was going.
It was a zinc deal and secrecy should
be observed. On the morning that
Clark left Virginia City Ben Fine made
the boast openly that Clark had been
fixed and that he wouldn't be back to
testify. After. Clark returned Fine said
that he told w. A. Clark, the senator
elect, that he knew Kearney would ball
the thing up. And if he had handled
it Clark would never have returned to
Montana. This morning Fine told Hen
ry Filling in this city that Clark had
been fixed, that he had been paid to
get out of the country but that he had
failed them again and came back.
The taking of evidence in rebuttal
| VIII begin in the morning and will
| probably consume the day.
Corbett's Tale.