Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-18
HOW THE WELL KNOWN MINING
PROMOTER WAS PLACED UN-
DER ARREST.
BORROWED MONEY FROM
A SAN FRANCISCO MAN
Attorney Shelton of Butte Appeared for
Him After the Colonel Had
Refused to Be Present.

in Butte. Montana. and in this city
around the corridors of the Occidental
and Palace hotels, was engaged yester-
day in more serious business than the
dispensation of hot air. His anxiety was
to obviate the necessity of making his
bed in the county jail instead of in the
usual place under the roof of Major
Hoopers hosiery.
His companion in the search for the
money which should keep the Jail doors
locked with him on the outside was
deputy sheriff, and the immediate cause
of the hunt was warrant of attachment
issued by Judge Thomas F. Graham.
Some time ago Louis Sissenvine, the
proprietor of the cigar store in the grill
room of the Palace, obtained through
his attorney. George D. Collins, judg-
ment for $500, interest and costs, on
promissory note signed by E. d. Bar
rister. AS the latter did not make any
visible effort to pay, he was invited to
appear before Judge Graham on an order
or examination as to his financial
standing, returnable yesterday morning.
The colonel, who is burly, middle
aged and debonnair, did not appear in
court, but sent Attorney Shelton Of Mon
tana to plead for him. The lawyer stat
ed that, acting under his advice, his
client had not appeared; that he did not
consider the order of examination of
any validity and questioned the right
of the court to examine a judgment
debtor as to his property after execution
had been levied. he claimed further
more that the order should have speci-
fled as to what property the Delinquent
cy was to be examined.
Mr.. Shelton was informed that under
he 1ox, r,f is +o%o
to satisfy a judgment may be brought
up on an order of examination and
obliged to disclose the sources of his
income, his cost of living, the nature and
locality of his assets. AS Mr.. Shelton
still declined to produce his client, Judge
Graham Informed him that it might be
necessary to issue warrant of attach
ment. To this Mr.. Shelton made the re-
ply: In that way we will add to the
gayety Of the proceedings
Just what he meant by the statement
court and counsel are still considering.
Meanwhile, however, there has been lit
tie gayety in the proceedings for the
colonel promoter. Just as he slipped
into the Occidental hotel by the side
door Deputy Sheriff Coulter accosted
him and requested his attendance at the
sheriff's office without delay. Up to
was still absent from his hotel, though
his name had not yet been entered on
the register of the Broadway retreat.
Louis Sissenvine admits that he was
the cause of Colonel Bannisters trouble
but had he not first lost money and then
faith in the man of mighty mining VEN
lures he would not have been obliged
to have the law on his whilom friend.
Nor is Louis Sissenvine the only man
who regrets his acquaintance with the
colonel. However, here is what Louis
said yesterday:
"Mr. Bannister came to the Palace
about two and half years ago. He
came from Montana and talked as if
half million dollars was nothing to
him. He was fine talker, good
dresser and money was nothing to him.
He always said Marcus Daily and Joe
Letter and a lot of other big men We're
his chums. and he used to lean over the
counter after While and chat with me
about mining ventures I thought he
was the real thing. He told me he was
a friend of Grover Cleveland, that he
put him in nomination in 1896 and was
Indian commissioner.
HE showed me some letters from Mr.
Letter, not that they amounted to any
thing, but they bore the wheat mans
name, and he told me that he and Mr..
Letter We're interested in very valuable
mines in Mexico. Perhaps he was,
don't know.
WELL sometimes he would make lit
tie borrow and pay back, and then again
he would make a borrow and he would
not pay back. Once he told me he had
just put aside 100000 for his grand
daughter, and so did not have any ready
money Another time the 200 inter-
est on his bonds had not arrived.
well, at last he got up a mining
scheme and was going to make fortune
for me. l was to have one third inter-
est and it was not to cost me cent.
only I was to find some good man to nut
in about $4,000. After that, of course, I
could not refuse him $780, and he got it."
Mr. Sissenvine told how he and Jake
Eppinger, the wheat man-one of TIN.
local big four-were school boys in Sac,
ranento together and old friends ever
since. So he preached the mining pro-
Ject to Mr.. Epp!nger Apparently the
California street business man was
favorably impressed at first, but the
colonel apparently rushed things a little
too fast.
Mr. Eppinger had about made up his
mind to put $1,000 into the scheme" con-
tlnued Mr.. Sissenvine, land the papers
We're drawn up for him to sign when he
suddenly called it Off 1 suppose Jake
had nosed round little, and you know
he is not the kind of man to say Very
much, so l do not know what he found
out However, the colonel was all right
with a reason. He said, I am afraid w.
had better not take Mr.. Eppinger H.
You see he's a sick man, and if he should
die just when We We're about ready t,
float this it would lead to complications
SO you had better look around for some
one else
well, believed in the man STILL and
told him l thought my brot her in law,
Abraham Wolfe, would go in. Nov.
Abe's store is in Chinatown, and at that
time. because of the quarantine, 1 could
not get in to see him about the PROPOSE
tion. Well, you'll hardly believe me- blu,