The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-02-19
MONTANA BRIEFLETS.
SHORT ITEMS OF NEWS FROM
ALL OVER THE STATE.
What Has Happened in Montana Dur.
ing the Past Few Days.

HELENA, Feb. 13.-The state board
of pardons today approved the par.
don granted by Governor Toole to
William Day, convicted of murder in
Butte in 1896 and sentenced to go
years in the ~penitentiary. Day will
be released on Feb. %. BY the terms
of the pardon, Days punishment 10
equivalent to a 24.year sentence with
q good behavior allowance.
HELENA, Feb. 13.-According to l..
P. Benedict, assistant in the bureau
of agriculture and labor, statistics
gathered by the department this year
show that the average yield per acre
of wheat in Montana vas 40 bushels.
This average takes in both irrigated
and non.irrigated lands. The aver
age yield per acre for oats is given as
60 bushels.
BILLINGS, Feb. 13.-In less than
twelve hours after they had burglar.
lied and plundered the Billings Hard.
ware company's store, Fred johnson
and Fred and Ernest Backstrum we're
arrested by the police, and all of the
plumber which they had stolen recov.
cred and returned to the hardware
company. Johnson has made a com.
plete confession in which he has not
spared himself and also duplicates
the Backstrum brothers.
TWIN BRIDGES, Feb. 13. - Chris
TOPPER Stocker, a Swiss miner at
Rochester, denies shat John Kearn
has in the 81, 1856 .95 nugget the largest
ever discovered in the Highland dis.
trict, near Butte, an account of which
was published in the daily papers a
few days ago. Mr.. Stocker himself
lived il the Highland district for
many years, and while he was there,
about the year 1871, q nugget, he
says, was unearthed which weighed a
trifle over 81, 400. Mr.. Stocker found
a number of oar nuggets, but none
to compare with these two, which are
believed to be the largest ever found
in the district.
LEWIsTOwN, Feb. l4.-John d.
Waite, former state senator, left to-.
day for the national capital and will
be joined en- route by 7. A. NARROW Of
Helena and Senator Edwards of For
syth, Edward Donlan of Missoula and
G. M. Barr of Billings. These gentle.
men will go before the senate CON-
mittee Thursday mex and present
some facts bearing on the pending
Burkett bill, which they will endeavor
to defeat.
HELENA, Feb. l4.-Hart & Godfrey,
the two Dot sheep firm, began lamb
ing on February s and are meeting
with remarkab success-saving fully
100 per cent. That is, the twins more
than Offs e the death losses. The firm
is now engaged in lambing about q
500 ewes and will conclude its work
shortly. The ewes we're fed alfalfa
for thirty days prior to the beginning
of Landing, and the operations are
being conducted in a large and especi.
ally prepared shed of immense pro
portions-2OOx6O feet. The ewes are
taken from the shea only for feeding
purposes.
GREAT FALLS, Feb. l4.-Charles
johnson, an old.timer, better know
as "Hypo' Johnson, was arrested
here today by Sergt. Maj. w. G
Bryan Of the Northwest mounted pol
ice of Alberta on a charge of cattl'
stealing. The complaint charge
johnson with having stolen a steer q
Macleod, Alberta, in May, 1903. A
that time, when Johnson vas await
ing trial, it is alleged that he brok
Jail. He was pursued by the Canada
mounted police through Montana
Wyoming, Colorado and into India
Territory, but managed to evade hi
pursuers. He a recently located b
the Canadian authorities in this cour
ty, near Belt, and his arrest followed
HELENA, Feb. l4.-Fencing case.
involving approximately $50, 900 acre
OF land, alleged to have been unlav
fully fenced, We're set for trial tod q
by Judge Hunt, in the federal cour
| Besides the fencing cases, the trial
Oliver G. Dallas, formerly chief Gle,
in the surveyor generals Office, ar
John D. Mcleod and A. S. Hove
! Jointly charged, with Dallas, with co
spiracy and forgery, was set Il
trial March 80. Charles McDoua
: and George Frankhauser, the alleg,
. Great Northern train robbers, will
E tried March %. This will be the nc
sens atioual case of the term.
E HELENA, Feb. l5.-Standing VIII
T Man, the half-breed who was arrests
to prevent his being shot in mista
for Mosney, the half-breed desperad
was sent to Jail today for 10 days