Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1904-12-06
This Time ChOteau Coauty Assesses
Him $500 for Killing Game
Out of Season.
IS UP AGAINST THE REAL THING
killinQ Game Out of Season Is Said
to Have Cost the New York Mil
lionaire $4,000.

Choteau, Nov. 2S.-Ralph Pulitzer,
young millionaire of New York City
son Of the owner of the New York
World, today. in the district court,
by his attorney. entered plea of
guilty to a charge of having violated
the game laws Of Montana by killing
mountain sheep. Judge d. f. Smith
imposed fine of $500 upon him and
the amount was paid by his attorney.
When the case was called, Attorney
j. G. Bair, representing Pulitzer, an
nOunced that his client was not in
the state, but that he was authorized
to enter a plea Of guilty for the ac-
cused and ask that sentence be inn
mediately imposed. Judge Smith had
been anticipating such a course and
he at once announced that the de-
fendant would be required to pay a
fine of $500, without costs. The fine
was Immediately paid and sensa-
tional case was ended. The costs of
prosecution, amounting to considera-
bly, over $500, will be borne by the
county.
Pulitzer was arrested last spring,
on complaint of the state game war
den, it being alleged that he, while
in the company of j. w. Schultz, a
well known guide OF the Blackfeet
reservation, had killed mountain
sheep, the killing Of which is prohib-
tied by the laws of the state. He was
arrested as he came out of the Yel-
lowstone National park and was
brought to Choteau for preliminary
examination, at which he was held
for trial in the district court. He
gave bail for his appearance at GER
tain time, but did not appear then,
submitting certificate from man,
claiming to be practicing physician
of New York, to the effect that he
was ill. The case was continued, and
a few weeks later, when Pulitzer did
| appear in the state, lie was arrested
on a charge of having killed an ante
lope in Fergus county. He pleaded
guilty to that charge and was fined a
few hundred which he paid.
When he was next to appear in Te-
ton county, the attorney general, who
had assumed charge of the prosecu-
tion of the case, agreed to a contin-
uance, and Judge Smith then said he
would entertain a motion by the
county attorney to dismiss the case.
County Attorney Erickson, who has
since been elected district judge, re-
fused to make the motion to dismiss
or to have anything to do with the
case, he having never believed there
was sufficient evidence to justify the
putting of the county to the expense
of prosecution, and the case was set
again for trial today, rulitZer's bail
meanwhile being continued.
1t had been believed that Pulitzer
would fight to the last, as conviction
would exclude him from membership
in a swell New York club to which he
belonged. but he was being forced to
make liberal payments frequently to
persons who claimed to know facts
that would be of advantage to him,
and he at last got tired of being s'bled''
and decided to rid himself of the an
noyance by pleading guilty and pay
ing the fine that might be imposed.
1t is stated by one in position tO
know that the prosecutions in this
county and Fergus county have cost
Pulitzer over $4,000.