The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-25
GIVEN THREE YEARS
CHRIST BLOM PLEADS GUILTY
81. AND GOES TO PRISON.
COMMITTED MANY BURGLARIES
Changed His Plea Of Not Guilty to
One of Guilty-Chewed Gum While
Being Sentenced to State
Prison.

Chris BlOm, the young man who was
arrested several weeks ago on a charge
Of burglarizing several places of bust
ness in Butte, and who was the subject
of four informations charging him with
burglary, this morning withdrew his plea
OF not guilty and entered one of guilty.
He then waived time for the passing of
sentence, and Judge McClernan sen
fenced him to three years in the state
prison at hard labor.
Blom is believed to be professional
crook by the officers of this city. He is
apparently city-bred Swede, of the
variety met with in the metropolitan
burgs of the east. From his dress he
might be a tailor or clerk of some
kind He IL about "a Or So years old,
smooth faced, hard-fea tured and shifty-
eyed. His speech is the English OF the
slums. underlaid with a slight foreign
accent suggesting the Swede.
Blom Chewed Gum.
Blom came into court chewing gum
He always chewed gum. AS he sat in
a jurors chair waiting for his case to
be called he chewed calmly and indiffer-
emily. When his case came before the
court he turned sideways in his seat and
watched the judge with his hand on the
side of his face. and still he chewed, but
now with a more nervous pace.
Attorney Booth announced 10 the court
at this point that Blom had decided to
withdraw his plea of not guilty and sub
stitute the other, and also to waive time
for sentence.
stand up, Blom!' the court said.
The prisoner stood up. and still he
T.
were somewhat excited and nervous.
The court asked him if he was content
with the change of plea, and he said
yes, and went on chewing. Then Judge
McClernan passed sentence upon him,
and a deputy sheriff took him away,
chewing as steadily. relentlessly and un>
interruptedly as ever.
Thus are gum chewers served-some
times.
Blom's Crime.
Blom was accused of four store rob-
berries and suspected of several others.
With him was arrested two men named
Charles Falconer and S. S. B. Holmes
Blom was charged with the robbery of
j. NJ Froelch's fur store on Academy
street, Ras Rochester's stove store at
s. West Park street. and John Ferns
cigar store al a-u A\OIlll w SOlIlllIS SNiCCt.
Falconer confessed that he was i'm
plicated in the rObberies named. and de-
clared that they We're concocted by Blom
and executed under the guidance of his
master mind. He also stated that Blom
and Holmes, who was another pal, had
planned to rob an East Butte saloon
keeper but had been prevented by cir
cumstances.
The robbers schemed to fall upon the
saloon keeper while he was vending his
way homeward at the close of the day
towards midnight or thereabouts-and
rob him. However. on the night set for
this piece of strenuosity, the saloon
keeper, by mere chance, had the COM
pany of a band Of friends on the way
home, and the trio Of robbers were dis
appointed in their fell designs.
Blom was suspected Of robbing the
liquor house of Mrs. Campana, on West
Broadway, and of the robbery of a tailor
shop and another fur store on NORTH
Main street. The police also had info-