Idaho Springs siftings., 1902-10-18

year S72 things took a turn and num-
Der of these free and easy robbers were
brought to time with sharp jerk.
The stage of action was the district
court of Georgetown, presided over at
that time by Judge J. B. Belford, now a
well known resident of Denver For
some time there had been in Clear Creek
county a gang, headed by one William
OBoyle, who were particularly venture
some in their modus operandi, and
laughed at the fear of punishment for
their misdeeds. They would go to mine
owners and buy up a lot of low grade
ore, which run at $2s ton or less, and
sell it to unwary purchasers at very large
prices.
"'When the purchasers bought the ore
they had ii ground, and, of course, the
seller had right to stand over this body
of crushed ore and check samples for
himself, while the purchaser selected his
samples, and then the price of the ore
was settled on the ASSAY value.
This was where William O'Boy1e
of silver filings, which he had whitfield
off silver dollars and silver bullion.
This bottle was concealed up his sleeve,
and he had a lever or contrivance of
some nature, by which he could uncork
the bottle and let out the filings at will.
When the ore samples were ready for
the assay he would work around the
edges of it with his arms hanging Imply
at his sides, dropping the silver filings
He could in this manner regulate the
value of the ore by the intensity of his
desire to steal. He could make it run
anywhere fromSIo to 81, 900 a ton. When
the bulk of the ore was sent to the
smelters, it, of course, did not pan out
according to the assay value, and the re-
suit was that a large number of purchas-
ers were reduced to poverty.
A party connected with one of the
crushing establishments in Georgetown
by the name of Warren, who now resides
at Dillon, was asked by O'Boyle to join
him in his game. Warren declined to do
so, and gave Boyle away. Some of the
bankers in the town, one particularly,
and number of business men, stood in
with Boyle When the district court
convened IN the fall an effort was made
to prosecute O'Boyle and his confeder-
ates, but the district attorney said there
was no specific statute on the subject of
ore sailing, which was a fact at that
time. He said he conld see no way of
Furnishing these people, and it was then
that Judge Belford suggested the pro-
priety of indicting them for obtaining
money under false pretenses. The dis
trict attorney was afraid an indictment of
that kind would not hold good
Judge BeIford replied: The court
determines the validity of an indictment
against the defendants, and if they are
proven guilty, the indictments will have
to stand between them and the peniten-
tiary'
The indictment was returned and a
motion made to quash it, which was
overruled. A special jury from the
southern part of Clear Greek county was
summoned. and amidst the most intense
excitement O'Boyle was tried. During
the progress of the trial there were over
100 armed men iu the court house, and
Judge Belford sat with a revolver across
his knees to protect himself from any as.
sault that might be made on him BY
O'Boyle or his confederates. The ten
sion in the court room was great and the
air was tull of passion. Ifone single shot
had been fred at any time a score of men
would have been killed in the riot that
would have taken place.
"rhe jury brought in a verdict of gull y,
A motion for a new trial and an arrest of
judgment were promptly overruled
o Boyle was sentenced to the penitentiary
for the full term allowed by the statutes
for offenses of fraudulent character.
"When the sheriff went to bring o.
Boyle from the jail to the court house he
was specially charged to see that the pris-
oner was disarmed, but in some way he
had managed to conceal upon his person
a revolver and long knife. Four or five
horses were stationed at the foot of the
stairs leading to the court room, which
were to be used by O'Boyle and his
friends after he had been rescued on his
way from the court house. However,
all efforts at flight had been anticipated,
and O'Boyle left that night under heavy
puard for the Denitenfiarv whera he