The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-11-21
GUILTY.,
But Not as Charged in the lndict.
nent.

Communicated
About the 18th of January 1901,
j. ]. Kennedy, who had been elected
to succeed me as public administra-
tor, came to see me. He said if the
commissioners would appoint me he
would resign in my favor. l told
him | believed they would, but he
had better go and see them, and he
did. He came back and told me that
they had agreed to appoint me. He
then went home, but after few days
he came back. Was very much wor-
ried over the matter, said some of
his friends insisted on him qualify
ing and taking charge of the Office.
He asked me if he did so, would l
do the work for MIN. l told him |
would if / could do so legally. He
then filed his bond; it was approved
and accepted. | made a statement of
estates and cash on hand, took his
receipt and turned all over to him,
and he is still under bond as public
administrator Of Flathead county
and was recognized as such on the
22nd day of October, last On that
day | came into my office and found
Judge Pomeroy, Coroner Willoughby,
James K. Lang and one or two other
gentlemen present. The judge in
the hospital and had between nine
or ten hundred dollars in time
checks, certificates of deposit, ETC.,
on him; that Mrs. Weber did not
think she ought to trust me with so
much money and had given it to aim.
He said he would make out a re-
ceipt for Mr.. Kennedy to sign for
the money, etc., and return same to
me. He advised me to file a petit
ton for letters, and as soon as let
tiers were granted he would turn
over the money, etc, on my presenting
the receipt received the receipt
in a few days, the letters were
granted in due time, and when Judge
Pomeroy returned from Gateway, he
came to the office and asked me for
the receipt, saying he had the checks,
etc. He gave them to me and gave
him the receipt. I placed 76S of the
amount to Mr.. Kennedy's credit in
bank, gave him a receipt for the bal
ance which l retained to pay ex-
pense of funeral, DOCTOR hospital
etc, which are to be paid out of the
first money that comes into the adj
illustrators hands. l had bought a
lot in the cemetery, casket, and
gave the deceased respectable
burial.
If | have committed a criminal act
it has been done Internationally on
my part. In any estate that | have
administered on, where I did not
take out letters in my own name
and give my personal bond, I have
sent the deeds to J. J. Kennedy and
he signed them as public administra-
tor, and none of those deeds were
over 5000.
Now as to acting officials, we had
an acting governor in the state of
Pennsylvania, and his acts cost the
county lived in two and half mil
lions of dollars. The courts sustained
his acts Several months ago I read
of an acting state treasurer in one
of the eastern states. A public ad-
ministrator of Missoula county told
me he never done any of the work
of his office, except sign deeds and
reports when they were brought to
him. And now, Mr.. Bee, if I was not
acting legally, why did not some of
the many attorneys in this county
ask the court before this late day to
declare the office vacant The com
missioners would have appointed me
any time in the last two years, and
it would have suited me much better
than living a life of strenuosity as
an usurper all this time
And now let me say to you multi
tude of real estate purchasers (there
is two of you) who hold titles with
Johnny Kennedy's signature to them
come right here to Kalispell, there
is seventeen lawyers here who will
receive you with open arms and
yearning hearts, they are both anx
ious and willing to save you from the
wiles of the "usurper''
H. SWANEY.