The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-02-25
MONTANA CONVICT MARRIES
WARDEN'S FORMER WIFE,
HATCHER A SMOOTH ONE
Used His Time At Deer Lodge to Good
Advantage In Different
Ways.
From Sundays Daily Gazette.

AAN ~ AAAA
The Biddles do not seem to be the
only men who nave been behind pris-
on bars that proved to be irresistible
to the wife of the warden charged
with the responsibility of their safe
keeping. From the Puget sound comes
the closing chapter of a romance
which had it's inception in Montana's
p~enitentiary, but fortunately for the
principal actors in it, it's ending was
less disagreeable for them than for
Mrs. Soffel and her convict lover. The
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Of February
IS contains the following, which will
probably prove interesting reading to
many of the readers of The Gazette:
Sent to the penitentiary for wreck
ing a bank, Benton D. Hatcher man
aged to win the affections of the war
den's wife. and recently married her
in Seattle. He is now in Portland
with his bride, from whom her former
husband was divorced because of
. Nol1butl III q SOllc III
his keeping.
thatcher was cashier in the North
western National bank of Great Falls.
Montana. During his employment in
this institution he managed to en-
bezzle from S12O, 900 to $3.50, 900 Of it's
funds. He was finally detected and
was convicted of larceny by embezzle-
ment. He was sentenced to five years
in the Montana state penitentiary.
"a peculiar system governs this pen
itentiary. No regular warden is en-
ployed. Instead. a contract is let by
the state for the keeping and guarding
of the prisoners. Conley 4 McTague
himself we'll, and Frank Conley, one
of the firm. soon gave him the position
of prison bookkeeper. He then became
a prisoner in name only. In reality ne
was one of the main officers of the in
stitution in which the law supposed
him to De confined He dressed as we'll
40 HC SNCl dO1C. 11c WOlC uld-
monds. He lived a life of comparative
ease, and had the same actual liberty
any other citizen of the state. When
r. Lyter, o of this city, then attor-
ney for the wrecked bank. visited the
prison to obtain Hatcher's deposition
on some matter. he found that individ-
rrInpir1 r,,or1r orl &p,Jc{No
as though they were his SER
wants.
thatcher had time to spare from his
prison duties. He placed this time to
SO good advantage that rumor soon
busted itself with his name and that
of Mrs. Conley, his keepers wife. The
came to be frequently in one an
company. Conley noticed the
affair after it had long progressed. 1t
is stated that he finally told the wo-
man that he would obtain a divorce
from her and that she might then mar
ry Hatcher when the latter left the
prison.
"iCllCl VI IoI lille NC u uS, Lllc
fact remains that Conley obtained
legal separation from his wife within
the past year. During the same period
Hatcher walked from the prison doors
a free man, having nominally expiated
his crime.
1.-Two weeks ago Hatcher and Mrs.
stood before a local clergyman
and were united as man and wife.
Then they left for Portland, in which
they are now supposed to be.
Hatcher is not without funds. It is
stated that he managed to make his
stay in prison profitable financially as
we'll as otherwise. Of the amount
the bank recovered about
$25, 900"