The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-08-02
CORBAN CONSPIRACY CASE.
Several Witnesses Confess They Received
Money From the defendant.

HELENA. July 2..-At the opening
of the Cobban case ID the United
States court at Helena this morning
Judge Hunt ruled that it was tn"
province Of the court to instruct wit.
nesses that they nee.l no, answer uue..
tions propounued to them by counsel,
If the answer thereto tended ia any
way to incrimin ate them: that colnsel
might consult with their clients rela.
tive to such testimony but that it was
a personal privilege which the witness
alone could waive at their discretion
and that an attorney had no right to
inject himself into the proceedings for
such purposes.
Proceedings commenced with the
ss.examin alton of Thomas H. Nc.
Connell of Clearwater. He said be
made $3.50 on the trans acton Of taking
up timber claim and selling it. H.
said that he had obtained his lauG Of
flee receipt in the forenoon, had run
across Cobbau in the afternoon of
the same day. solo the claim to him
and received Sll5.
Hiram Dodd va. called to the stand
and after the indictment against him
had been dismissed, testified that he
had made an entry, borrowing the
money from CAillu and afterward
selling it t. Cobbau.
Mrs. Belle Bryau Evans, now Mrs.
Gillis, testified TIA, her father Thomas
Bry an, had told her of making ar.
rangemeuts with Cobban to take up
land, that she had made declaratory
statement, filed upon the land and
later transferred it.
Herbert Eddy gave similar testi.
mony. He declared he received 300.
| Thomas B. Ryan was the last wit.
ness OF the day. He declined to testi'
fy unless the indictment against hi;
wife was nolled, but upon Judge Hun,
directing him TO do SO, he gave q
most damaging story against the de-
fense. He said he had made au agree
ment with Cobban to take up four
pieces of land. one by his wife, one
by his daughter one by his half.sistel
and the other by Edgar Lehman. the
witness having exhausted his owr
right. They were to receive $500, ir
all, under this agreement, which he
asserted. had been carried out. Hi
was in the midst Of very pertinen,
examin alton when court adjourned for
the day.
| HELENA, July 2s.-The entire morn
ing session of the United States court
before which Il. NJ. Cobban of Mis-.
,oula il being tried on charge OF
suborn alton of perjury, was devoted
! to the examiu alton OF Thomas Bryar
of Missoula. MIR. Maynard, special
prosecutor for the government, begar
his examination by questioning Wit.
ness Bryan a. to the money received
for the four claims of which he made
mention Yesterday. He said that at
ter getting the money from Cobban,
he gave his wife the S4OO with which tC
60 to the land Office and make the finaI
payment on the land. He said that be
got the money from Cobban himself
with the understanding that it was tc
be replaced. The money was paid tc
him by chece on the FIRST Nationa
bank Of Missoula.
! c. II. Moss was the first witness a,
the afternoon session. The indictmen,
against Moss was vacated on motion
OF Specia! Prosecutor Maynard, and
he testified a. some length. detailing q
trip taken to the Blackfoot country
with Cobban. He filed upon the LAND
a. suggested by Cobbau. and came ,c