The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1912-02-21
MONTANA BRIEFLETS.
SHORT ITEMS OF NEWS FROM
ALL OVER THE. STATE.
What Has Happened in Montana Dur
ing the Past Few DAYS.

What Has Happened in Montana Dur
ing the Past Few Days.
BUTTE, Feb. 15.-From q lecturer
for a cult to q prisoner in the city Jail
on q charge OF stealing chickens is the
fortune OF F. W. Tatum. an eastern
man OF middle age who wears flowing
locks and talks fluently on matters Of
science. Tatum was arrested last
night by Detective Frank O'Brien of
the Butte, Anaconda aud Pacific road.
who says he saw the lecturer crowding
the fowls under his coat from a coop
near the tracks.
HELENA, Feb. 14.-Charged with
having branded q COW and q calf be-
longing TO q rancbmsn living near
Cascade, George French, a ranchman
living across the river near York,
was arrested here this evening and
will be taken to Great Falls tomorrow
morning by Deputy Sheriff Dennis of
Cascade county. French asserts the
trouble is the result of q mieunder-
standing which he will have no diff
Guilty in clearing up.
BUTTE, Feb. A.-Three of the six
alleged hold.up men rounded up by
sheriff Office a short time ago were
sentenced to five years each in the
penitentiary this morning by Judge D.
M. Donlan. They are members of
what is known in political circles as
the notorious "Tige" Harrington
gang, and their capture was brought
about by Deputy Sheriff Sullivan.
For several weeks, according to the
information in the possession of the
authorities, this gang had been rob-
bing saloons on the outskirts OF the
city and holding up citizens on the
streets.
HELENA, Feb. 16.-Half an hour
after 81 application for q writ of
habeas corpus had been fled here in
the federal court today on behalf of
Dick Reif, OF Cody, Wyo., held in the
town Jail at Poison on q charge of
intimid ating q witness in a bootleg.
gipg case, the marshal's Office received
q telegram stating that Reif broke Jail
last night and had not been recap
tured.
GREAT FALLS, Feb. 15.-Mat Mel
son, proprietor of one of the oldest
saloons on the south eide, dropped
dead behind the bar of his place to-
night. He had been working and was
apparently in his usual health when
he went to work tonight. He was at.
tackled with heart disease and quickly
succumbed.
HELENA, Feb. 16.-In q case brought
before it by Butte shippers, the state
railroad commission has made q de.
cision defining when cord wood is not
cord wood. Two cars OF cord wood,
one in length OF eight feet and the
other four feet in length, we're shipped.
The cord wood, instead of being used
as fuel, was utilized in the manufac-
ture of excelsior and the railroad held
1t was not entitled to the lower rate
given cord wood. The commission
holds that the cordwood is four feet in
length, no difference to what use 1t
put, it gets the cord wood rate, while
the eight foot stuff does not, as cord
wood Ia not cut in that length.
HELENA, Feb. 17.-Montana will re-
ceive this year from the forest SER
vice a total of s74,021, which will be
divided among the different counties
in proportion to the area of the
forest reserva tions within their bound.
aries.
BILLINGS. Feb. 17.-By a new in.
dustry which has just started here
ell of the cottonwood trees seem des.
tined to be a thing of the past with
in a few years, for they are being pur.
chased and will be manufactured in.
to excelsior which will be used in the
making of mattresses of the cheapest
sort aud for packing shipments Of
various sorts of merchandise.
HELENA, Feb. 1.-THE supreme
court in the suit of Elizabeth Fuller
against the city OF Butte handed down
q decision today cutting the judgment
awarded the plaintiff in the Silver
Bow court from s., 200 to %, 900. Mrs
Pullen who 10 60 years old, was In
iured by q fall caused by q defective
sidewalk. The supreme court say
: the award of the lower court was ex
: cessive.
: LIVINGSTON, Feb. 1.-THE body Of
e Matt Arnold, q trapper and hunter
= living at Electric, e . here, was foun,
by friends who became alarmed .
his absence and broke into his cabin
Beside the body q large caliber gul