The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-12-20
SILVER BOW COMMISSIONERS
PASS RESOLUTIONS.
CALL ON ATTORNEY TO ACT
Charge Foreman Of Recently Dis.
charged Grand Jury With
Malfeasance.

Butte, Dec. l5.-Ine board OF
county commissioners this morning re-
quested County Attorney Breen to be-
gin criminal proceedings against w.
McC. White on the charge OF having
Incorporated $4,000 of the
county's money. A vigorous prosecu-
ton is desired.
The news of this official move of the
board of commissioners travelled fast
all over the city and created a sensa-
ton.
Mr.. White, foreman of the late
grand jury, is president of the Butte
Ice company and otherwise prominent
in social and business circles At one
time he was the president of the
board of school trustees, and it is in
connection with this Office that al
legged maIfeasance of Office is charged.
Mr.. cIark's Resolution.
The ball was started rolling this
morning when Chairman Clark at the
meeting of the commissioners intro
duced the following resolution:
Whereas, 1t appears that at divers
times w. Nice. White, while acting as
school trustee of school district No. 1
of Silver Bow county, did at various
times willfully and corruptly appro-
pirate and take moneys from the GEN.
eral school fund of Silver Bow county
Il therefore move that the county
attorney be requested to proceed i'm
mediately against the said w. McC..
White and his bondsmen for the re-
covery of any and all moneys belong;
ing ito the general school fund of this
county, Incorporated by the said
w. Nice. White, and more particu-
larly as follows, to-wit:
Fifteen thousand; dollars ($15 ,000l
Incorporated and taken from the
general school fund of this county ON
December 2, 1903.
w. d. CLARK,
chairman of Board of County Com
missioners."
The resolutions was passed, Conn
missioners Clark and Peoples voting
for and Commissioner Haggerty
against it. The latter stated that he
knew nothing of the matter, and for
that reason only wanted to vote
against tho resolution
Chairman Clark said: "This is by
no means done in the way of retalia-
ton, as no doubt will be charged by
some people. We have known of this
matter for a long time, but waited the
action of the grand jury.
Hope for Denouement.
eve expected and had hopes that
Mr.. White would prove a enough
to ncover things, eve though the
investigation would lead to his own
door. The facts and evidence in the
matter were easily o%btainable, and
have as yet o been touched OF by
the grand jury.
"Under MI. Whites administration
funds were illegally withdrawn from
the general fund and wrongfully cred
tied to other funds, and then spent.
No reference was had to this in the
first report by the grand jury, which
was made last September. Neither
was this done yesterday. ~.
I'VE propose to ask Mr.. White or
his bondsmen to make good this
amount. If the county attorney re.
fuses to proceed, we at any rate have
done our duty"
Mr.. Yancey Non-committaI.
Mr.. Yancey was asked what action
his Office would take in the premises.
He answered:
II cannot tell. It depends altogether
On whether the grand jury has dis
cussed this matter. I really do not
know whether it's report embraces or
touches on it or not. If the jury has
disposed of it, nothing remains for
us to do. If that is not the case, how
ever, we certainly shall proceed
against Mr.. White under the resolu'
ton as passed by the commissioners