The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-06-24
WIN. HEFFNER TAKES FRENCH
LEAVE FROM ASYLUM.
RANGES AGAIN FILLING up
While Not So Plentiful as Formerly
Cattle Are Still Far From
Scarce.
From Fridays Daily Gazette.

w. H. Heffner mas grown tired of
the slow steps taken to secure his
release from the insane asylum, to
which he was committed last month,
and yesterday set about to get back
home without awaiting the formality
of a regular discharge.
1t will be remembered that his com
mittment was ordered sometime last
month, when his mind became unbal-
anced and he was laboring under the
hallucination that he was pursued by
some n who was intent on killing
him. Haunted by the delusion, he
left his home n morning and threat
ened harm to the members of his
family, who sought to prevent his de-
p%arture. Later in the day he was
found by the sheriff's officers some
distance from the city, in an ex-
hausted and weakened condition. He
was secured and committed to Jail
and subsequently examined as to his
sanity and sent to the asylum.
Several days ago Mrs. Heffner was
notified by the asylum authorities
that her husband had been restored to
his normal mental condition and that
his physical health also was greatly
Improved. Acting upon this report
she instituted proceedings for his re-
lease. Mr.. Heffner was informed of
the fact and was Furthermore told
that he would be discharged in a few
days. Seemingly he could not wait
for what he considered the slow pro-
cess of the law and yesterday took
sFrench leave" and headed for home.
He went to Butte, walking the entire
distance, and applied to the Masons,
of which body he is a member, for
relief and assistance to enable him
to get back to Billings, saying that
his mind was no longer affected and
that he had grown tired of being kept
in confinement.
Acting upon the appeal the Butte
lodge t~elegraphed. this morning, to
this city asking for instructions as
to what to do in the matter. Answer
was made to notify the asylum au-
thorities so that Heffner could be
kept in charge of that institution un-
til released in the regular manner
Frank Mayer, the retired fruit mer-
chant, awoke this morning to find him
self no longer in undisputed posses
sion of his ground and the little build
ings that partly owe it. A deputy
sheriff served him with a document
issued by order Of the district court
in which he was informed that the
property was under attachment to
secure a claim a Helena concern al
leges to hold against him for goods
sold to him while he was still in bus
mess. "e
In the complaint it is set forth that
within three years past the plaintiff,
Lindsay & Co., Limited, a corporation,
sold him goods to the amount of
$186.58 and that of this sum only
SOTO has been paid, leaving a bal
m due of $116.4S and interest at
the rate of 8 per cent per annum
since November 8, 1900, for which
amount judgment is demanded.
The return Of the sheriff shows that
he attached lots Is and IA, block 112,
of the original townsite of Billings,
and is now holding them subject to the
decision of the court.
THE I6Ik that the ranges of eastern
and U6rthern Montana have been
aboHA depleted of the cattle that
formerly grazed on them may have
held good a short time ago., but it
doesn't go any longer" said a we'll
known observer of things to The
Gazette this morning. "While the
number Of range cattle probably is
not SO large as in the days of long
ago, when the real cattle king was a
vertiable parsonage and had his ex-
istence the same as the rest of us
less favored mortals, still there are
quite a few meat producers, and then
a few MORE, munching grass on ma
lures pasture lands at the present
time. l haven't kept track of all of
them, but the shipments that have
been received from the south this
season must run we'll up into the
hundreds of thousands. Right here in
Billings the Burlington must have
unloaded at least $4,000 head, to say
nothing of the large number, prob
ably as many more which the com