The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-12-14

OF CarDOu ana was not SonC TO Billings
by any county authority. He reached
Billings from Butte and went to
Bridger, returning to Billings Of his
own volition the same day, where he
entered the Yellowstone pesthouse.
The commissioners of that county San
not compel Carbon county to pay for
the care of their sick and afflicted and
they might as we'll have presented
their bill to Old Man Kruger as to
loom Paul. Of the Carbon county
board.-Red Lodge Picket.
The above might sound all right to
the ears of those not acquainted with
the circumstances Of the case. The
Yellowstone county commissioners
in session last week allowed and paid
bills on the above case to the amount
of 1851. 20 and now they look to Car
bon county to reimburse this county
for the amount, and base their opinion
for believing that Carbon county will
do SO upon the following affidavit by
August Norton, the smallpox patient:
STATE OF MONTANA,
County of Yellowstone. ,"
August Norton, being first duly
sworn, upon oath deposes and says:
THAT upon the 23rd day of October,
1900, he was taken sick at the coal
mine at Bridger, in Carbon county,
state of Montana, and that a clerk in
the Office Of the coal company, upon
the same day, met him at the railroad
station nearest to the town of Bridger,
and there handed to him a ticket
emitting him to transportation from
the said station to the said city of
Billings; that upon his arrival at Bill
ings, upon the said day, he Immediate
ly went to the st. Vincent's hospital,
in the said city Of Billings, and was
by the sisters in charge of the said
hospital, sent to the Office Of DR.. H.
E. Armstrong, the county physician,
for the said county Of Yello wstone,
where he was detained until the ar
rival at the said Office Of DR.. E. P.
Townsend, the city physician for the
said city Of Billings, by whom he was
removed to the pest house, situated
in the suburbs of the said city Of Bill
ings, where he remained i'll the care
Of said city physician and under
charge of a competent nurse until the
22nd day of November, A. D., 1900,
when he was discharged from the
said pest house.
That he came from the town of
Bridger, in Carbon county, Montana,
to the said hospital in the city of
Billings, in Yellowstone county, Mon
tana, in accordance with instructions
or1 nrIorc Gu RI DR. nfxyon hin, Of
Bridger, Montana, by II DR.. John
son, physician and surgeon for the
Bridger Mining corporation at Bridg-
er, Montana, in whose employ he was
at that time.
That he intends to leave the city of
Billings as soon as possible, and go to
the town Boone, in the county of
Boone, state of Iowa, where his father,
John Norton, now resides.
August Norton.
Subscribed and sworn to before me
this 22nd day of November, A. D.,
1900. T. A. Williams,
Clerk of the Seventh Judicial District
Court of the State of Montana, in
and for the County of Yellowstone.
BY the foregoing it will be seen that
Norton was sent to Billings, being
given transportation, and did not come
here of his own volition, although the
Picket would have one believe the
contrary. The Picket also states that
Norton came to Billings from Butte
and then went to Bridger. This also
is wrong, as the man transferred at
Laurel and did not see Billings until
he came here i'll with smallpox. Nor
ton also says he was given instruc-
tions and orders to come to Billings
by DR.. johnson of Bridger. The
question now naturally arises "Why
did DR.. Johnson send him to this city,
when he surely knew that the man
was ill with smallpox? ~ Was it be-
cause Billings had a pesthouse? If
so, then Carbon county should bear
the expense. But it is hardly neces-
sary to dwell any further on the status
of the case. The Yellowstone coun-
ty commissioners believe that the &C
count against Carbon county is a just
one and unless the commissioners of
the latter county reimburse this coun-
ty, suit will be brought against them
to recover the amount. Owing to the
conditions existing the suit will be
brought in the courts of Sweetgrass
county where a jury might be secured
that would not be biased or prejudiced
either way.