The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-07-01
STATE
TO FOOT Bill
POWELL COUNTY WANTS PAY.
FOR TRIAL AND EXECUTION.
IN CLINTON DOTSON CASE
Every Item Included Even to Price Of
Rope Used on the
GaIows.

GaIoWs.
Helena, June 26.-At the next meet
ing Of the state board Of examiners
there will be considered a bill that ts
rather q novelty in its way. It is for
the cost of the trial and conviction
of Clinton Dotson, who was hanged
in Deer Lodge several months ago for
the murder of his father. The state
is asked to pay the bill under the Q
provision providing for the expenses
of the trial of convicts who commit g
crime in the pe%ntientiary.
Governor TOole received the bill y
Yesterday afternoon from the county
clerk and recorder Of Powell county.
It is no exaggeration to say that the
bill slightly staggered the executive
on account of it's size. The PROPOSE
ton was a trifle new, too, and the
governor Immediately began looking
up the law. The bill amounts to 81
SO4 90 and is sent to the state board
of prison commissioners under Sec
ton 226 Of the penal code which
reads:
: whenever a prisoner in the state
prison shall be tried for any crime
: committed therein, the county clerk
of the county where such trial is had
! shall make out a statement OF the
: costs incurred by the county for the
: trial Of the case and Of guarding n
u keeping such prisoner, properly certi-
9 fed by a district judge Of said county,
which statement shall be sent to the
board of state prison commissioners
! for their approval, and after such ap-
prevail said board must cause the
amount of such costs to be paid out
of the money appropriated for the
II support of the state prison to the
county treasurer Of the county where
such trial was held" ]
The law seems to be- quite plain
upon the subject and if the state of
fers any objection to the payment It
h" Will NC I'll 0CCOu1C VI AO OAD0 Va eAy
bill more than on the principle.
It will be recalled that Dotson while
serving a 99-year term in the peni-
!, : Tertiary for being implicated in the
murder Of Eugene Culliname, induc-
ed Macarthur, another convict who
was about to leave the p~enitentiarys
:. to kill Dotson's father, Oliver Dot
- son, in his lonely cabin in Washington
!. gulch, for the purpose of conveying
- the impression the elder man hae
committed suicide in a fit of remorss
for having killed Culliname. A not
left upon the dead mans body was II
confess the crime and say that hi
son, Clinton, who was serving time
his part of the crime, but The plo
80 was exposed and both he and Dotsol
were convicted of murder in the frs
~ degree and hanged.
Dotson was of course in the pen
tertiary when he plotted with M
Arthur to kill his father and in
g sense committed the crime in the pei
itentiary within the meaning OF ia
section quoted.
The state board of prison comma
sioners, who compose the state bQar
of examiners, must first audit tn
- bill and pass it up to the examiner
for allowance. The bill has bee
properly certified to- by Judge Napto
OoS' -. =. -. - 1,,4 tho hill II ic nVidA1
that the Powell county authority
did not overlook am item. There g
charges for the perdiem n mileal
of the Jurors, the stenographer,s Ie
in nreparing the transcript. the Z
paid Attorney Walsh, who defend
Dotson, and Attorney Trippett, "
- assisted the county attorney IN y
prosecution. The guards VINO q
~ ed the prisoner after his convictl
iauu also come in for a slice of the mons
The detailed expenses OF the exc
ton are charged, including the e
Maid the physicians who stood pes
the murderer n counted the pu
as the hangman's victim grew feeDl
~ The 60 cents that Sheriff McMat
Maid for a rope to use in hanging
,ecial wretch is included, as wen q
Win bill for the clothes used in hang
him and the expenses OF his bun
con- So far as known II is n ols
noon first bills Of the kind ever press1
} par to the state.
is no - -