The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-03-21
ONLY PART
Montana National Bank Has Portion
of Stolen Bills.

OF stolen Bills.
Henry G. McIntire mas returned
from Knoxville, Tenn, where he went
as the representative of the National
Bank of Montana, with 5000 of the
unsigned currency of the bank stolen
by the Curry gang near Wagner on
the Great Northern July 8, last. Of
the 100000 belonging to the bank
stolen by the outlaws the bank has
actually recovered only $10,2s0. The
authorities at Washington, however,
have, $500 of the bills in their pos
session, which the bank may claim at
any time.
The money in Washington was re.
covered from Ben Fitzpatrick, who is
now@serving a H. years term in the
Leavenworth penitentiary. Fitzpatrick
was believed to be one of the gang
that held up the Great Northern ex-
press train. He was arrested at St.
Louis through a woman named Bull
lion, and later pleaded guilty to forg-
ing the names of the officers of the
bank to the unsigned notes.
Several months later Kid Curry,
alias Harvey Logan, turned up in
Tennessee. From hira $4,000 of the
notes We're secured. Logan is still in
Jail at Knoxville, awaiting trial.
When the officers Of the bank sent
for the money recovered from Logan,
they found there mere teehnicalities
to be observed that required the pres
.ence Of its agent. Accordingly Mr.. Nc
IntiTe was commissioned to pay a
visit to Nashville. He secured the
without especial difficulty. al
though he was compelled to pay the
officers literally for the trouble they
had been put to, says the Herald.
At Nashville there were recovered
$3.50 of the currency of the bank
from a man who threw the bills away
as he was being pursued by the Off
GERS. That man escaped in a buggy,
and no trace Of him was found later.
The entire $4,000 in currency was
in $40 and $40 bills. The bills had
been procured in the usual way, and
had been shipped by the government
first through the United States Elk
press company, which turned the
package over to the Great Northern
Express company. The money was
insured.
When the money was stolen, the
Helena bank made a demand upon the
Great Northern Express company for
the value of the package of bills en-
trusted to it's care. The express com
pany refused payment on the grounds
that the bills not having been signed,
were not currency, and consequently
had no nor value that the actual cost
of the paper on which they were
printed together with the cost of en-
craving and printing.
The bank brought suit in the dis
trict court of Lewis and Clarke coun-
ty against the express company to re-
cover the amount of the bills. It is
claimed by the bank that the bills
were currency, although not signed,
and that az it had paid out full value
for them they were worth what their
face called for, that is to say, $40, 900.
The suit, which will probably be
transferred to the United States court,
will determine the actual status of I'M
signed bills. The bank claims that if
the bills unsigned were currency, the
express company is liable, and that if
they were only SO much engraved pa
per, then that the government should
replace them.
1t is understood that T. A. NARROW,
president of the bank, while in New
York recently, interviewed the Off
GERS Of the United States Express com
pany with a view to securing an I'M
derstanding in the matter.