Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-12-23
COIL TIGHTENS
ON GRANVILLE
Dynamiter of the Northern Pacific
Listens to Most Damaging Testi.
mony Against Himself.
EVERY MOVE OF HIS PROVEN
Wrote More Intimidating Letters A.
ter Being Placed in Jaii-A Pen
itentiary Bird.

Helena, Dec. l9.-Unless Isaac Ora
velle has an iron nerve, today must
have given him shock or two. But
if the testimony that wss brought out
by the witnesses for the state did
startle him, he did not show it to any
great extent. When letters were pro,
duced which, he wrote since he has
been confined in the county jail, he
turned a shade paler, and settled a
little farther down in his chair. When
Mrs. Bessie M. Shanks. at whose
house he stopped, told of his move
ments during July, August and Sep
tember, told of spur sharpening incl
dent, and of the writing of a letter,
he paled considerably. and his black
eyes almost closed, but beyond that
he made no sign that the story being
told affected him. While Mrs. Shanks
was testifying he looked steadily at
her. but not once did the witness re-
turn the look, except when she identi-
fed him and that was but fleeting
glance.
The incident of the threatening let
tiers written in the jail care out dur
ing the examination of George n.
Hill. who testified as an expert on
handwriting. Three letters were
shown Mr.. Hill, Mr.. Wallace prefac-
ing their introduction with the state
ment that he would show later on in
the trial that the defendant wrote
them in the Jail since his arrest. One
of the letters directs the railroad to
return threatening letters 1t has to a
certain place, under penalty of suffer-
ing greater damage. Another directs
Bert Coty, who lives near Helena, to
testify in a certain way. and threat
ems him unless ne does with destruo-
tion of his property. A third letter is
to be delivered to the foreman OF the
Jury. and warns the jurors under Sc
we're penalties not to convict the man
on trial. The witness said the three
letters were written by the person
who wrote all the threatening letters
to the railroad except those known as
the Whitton letters, and by the same
person who wrote the Gravelle peni-
tentiary orders.
II was late in the afternoon when
Mrs. Shanks took the stand. She Is
an attractive looking young woman,
was neatly dressed, and was thor
oughly self-possessed while on the
stand. On the direct examination she
gave dates and places that Mr.. La
Croiy, on the cross-exainination. failed
to shake her in. A popularity of the
witness was that while being examin-
ed by Mr.. Wallace she looked direct
ly at him, while when Mr.. La Croix
questioned her she seldom looked In
his direction. This was probably due
to the fact that the defendant, who
sits next to La Croix, was evidently
trying to stare her out of countenance.
II will be recalled that the explosion
in the Helena yards occurred Septem-
ber 2. After railroad men had testi-
fed to the explosion and one OF them
told how he had tracked a man and
a horse to an alley within 100 feet
of the Shanks residence, Mrs. Shanks
testified that on the morning OF Sep
tember 22, between and 8 o'clock,
Gravelle came to their house and
knocked and was admitted, remain
ing there all night. She identified a
tablet of writing paper which w. j..
McHaffie testified the other day con-
tanned paper of the same kind as the
threatening letter of September 3
was written on, as tablet that be-
longed to her, 1t having her name.
This tablet. she said she saw Gravelle
write a letter on in her dining room
September 3. The witness said Gra-
velle would not let her see what he
was writing, putting his arm over 1t
when she passed him. She said he
asked her to spell double" mon
key" and Garrison" Each of these
words appearing in the letter of Sep
tember 3.
At the morning session George II.
Hill was subjected to long examina-
tion, he testifying to the similarity of
the writing in many letters.
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