The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1916-08-10
NOW JUDGE UTTER
ENDEAVORS TO EXPLAIN.

Tuesday evening in the court
room in this city, Judge Utter gave
one OF his temperance speeches with
which he is making the rounds OF
the district During the evening he
sidestepped his prohibition talk long
enough to make d feeble effort to de-
tend himself against facts that this
paper has been giving to the taxpay-
CTS OF the county, and while not de-
n:ing any OF the charges we have
h1aae against him. he tries 10 drag
others into the Inire.
lie taade q statement to the etfeC!
that some OF the county officials
were spending tile money belonging
10 The taxpayers Illegally. that a
grand jury should be drawn TO in
NeStisate. This statement, coming
from the Judge, speaks very poorly
ior his administration, and especial
y SO in the face OF the fullOw wing
facts He said the county could not
legally hire assistance in the prose
cution OF criminal cases. He said,
however. that the assistance hired in
the prosecution of the Doney cases
was friend OF his, and we will ell
dcavor to show where the friendship
existing between the judge and At
torney O'keefe, was OF such ma
ture that the interests of O'keefe
were put ahead of those OF the tax
payers OF the county. Then ii
grand jury is to be drawn let them
make a thorough investiga tion, and
the judge will find he is not on any
too solid foundation himself.
When the county was divided and
Dennis McGrath elected county at
torney for the new county he, in
company with the sheriff's office. i'm
mediately became very busy, and ar
rested all the people they could find
in the Larb Hills. on the charge of
cattle rustling? What was the out
come? They were brought to town
at great expense, given prelimi-
nary hearings, and bound over to
the district court. Special council
/ was hired to assist Dennis McGrath
in the prosecution. and that special
council was no other than Mr..
O'keefe, the friend OF the judge.
Ii our memory is not at fault. and
hundreds of people, who were pres
ent at the time can say as to that,
when one or more Of the Doney cases
were under consideration in the
court room over the First State
bank, Mr.. Okeefe who supposedly
had drawn the information, arose in
| opposition to some motion and when
he had become fairly we'll sd
| the attorney for the defendant
stopped him and asked by what au-
| thprlty he was butting into the cases
and insisted he wanted an ans wer
! before O'l\eefe was permitted TO 90
II her i'm 1,o Al, ,,a
McGrath pulled himself together and
assist in the prosecution OF all the
criminal cases pending in Phillips
| county. MIR. Stevens. who was the
| attorney for the defendant, adj
| dressed himself to Judge Utter. and
| objected to O'keefe taking part in
the proceedings upon the grounds
mat the county attorney had no all-
fnoflty TO hire a special prosecutor
| McGrath then said the commission
J ers had given him authority, and an
other objection WAS made by Mr.
| Stevens in that the commissioner,
We're without authority to hire spec
ial council III the prosecution OF
criminal cases. The motion was
oVerruled by Judge Utter and from
ti!2t time on his friend, Mr
/ &heefe, was the whole cheese in the
prosecution. And now at this late
day having sanctioned O'keefe's <
appearance III the cases, which re
suited IN not a single conviction, am
alter he has drawn from the counts
something oyer three thousand dol
Sars, the Judge finds the money wa
Illegally spent.