The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-07-18
GRIFFITH IS
A HAT POST
Valley County Sheriff Roasted
to a Turn
WEARY ANDDISGUSTED
The Great Falls Posse Returns from a
Wild Goose Chase After the
Train Robbers.
WEARY ANDDISGUSTED

Tired, weary and disguised. the
posse which went from Great Falls,
under Sheriff Benner to chase the fCs-
tive train robber over the Little Rocky
mountains, arrived on "23" today and
scooted for the back streets on the
run, says the Great Falls Leader. AS
was generally suspected when Sheriff
Griffiths made his famous requisitiOn
for $50 fighting men," there was no
chance whatever of catching the out
laws, nor had Sheriff Grifiths the
slightest idea in the world where they
were located. The whole affair was
one of the widest of wild goose chas-
es and there never has been a time
that any resident of the section which
the sheriff alleged the robbers to be
| hidden thought for a moment that
Grifiths or his posse had any likeli-
hood of making a capture-in fact
the whole matter has been the laugh
lIS SIOCh LII ali MOAIdnd SluCC IuC
time of the sheriff's daring ride in
pursuit of the fleeing outlaws and
gradual stacking up for reinforce
| ments when he found he was coming
close to them.
When the robbers were not captur-
ed during the first 4S hours, no one
who knew the country had the slight.
est hope of their being captured.
The Leaders correspondent, who
| went out with the posse from Glas-
gov simply wires that the posse
found no trace of where any robbers
had been, nor any one who has ever
seen them; we have been on a wild
goose chase" he wires and let's it go
at that.
Sheriff Griffiths has made hat
post of himself and all of northern
Montana is laughing at the figure he
cut" says a gentleman from Chinook.
And while speaking of Sheriff Crit
fiths there is a circumstance in con-
nection with the hold-up which has
been commente d on quite freely;
| after the hOld-up of the train Sheriff
Griffiths made the statement that he
had fired twice at the train robbers
with his revolver, and to a we'll known
northern Montana cattleman he re-
marked few days ago: II have two
empty cartridges here which l will
keep as souvenirs, they are the ones
| shot at the train robbers curing the
hold-up, and as it is the first time
ever shot at man, intend keeping
them," all of which sounds all right.
except that there are three gentle.
men living in Great Falls at present
who were on the train at the time OF
the hold-up, and if Sheriff Griffiths
done any shooting they are unaware OF
it-and they were in the same cal
with him. II sat two seats behind
Griffiths during the entire holdup,'
says on of them, land If he ever NOV
ed out of his seat l did not see him
He sat there and the drops of swea
rolled down his face in a steady
stream. One man in the car insisted
on going out to shoot the robbers AMI
Griffiths begged him not to, because
he said that many innocent peopl,
might be killed in the trouble which
would follow. l think that Griffith
was wise not to do any shooting ant
acted perfectly right, and / do no
understand why he should now CLAIM
deterrent; and he certainly neve
fired a shot, that l can take oath to-"
Evidently the sheriff of Valley cour
ty was up in the air for time, and
while it is no disgrace to him to hav
;, sat still while three desperate outlaw
armed with Winchesters held tn
lives of dozens In their hands, he no,
thinks different, and If the men i
Great Falls are right, he was seem
double during the entire affair.
AS it is. the whole pursuit of tn
outlaws developed into song an
|
Griffiths nor any of his friends ca
;, add lustre to.
1.-The whole thing was rotte
farce" said one of the posse, and ha
dozen others confirmed his stat,
, ment. They did not have the robber
n corraled, and they never did hav'
What possessed Griffiths to make tn
). statements he did I cannot imagin,
/: There is no such places as the one
= described near the country where
claimed to have the robbers locate,
nor did he ever lay eyes on the on
a laws from the time he was in the ca
s which was held up. Words cannt
}. picture our disgust when we arrive
d near the country where the robber
cnnnocod IN ho ,o~~c1ol 1~,,A :. -