Great Falls daily tribune., 1920-01-01
SENSATIONS SPRING
FROM |MFERCUSCOUN
FIGHT OVER DIVISION
Charge of Attempted Bribery
Made; Is Men Sign $4,000
Note After Coercion Accusa-
ton,

Special to The Daily Tribune
Lewistown. Dec. 31.-Sensatlons fol-
lowed each other with startling rapidity
in the county division hearing here to
day. The first one came when T.. IL
Holmboe Of Lewistown, secretary Of
Moore. testified that Girls Seifert. a
ranchman living near Moore had told
them that T. W. Cowan of Hobson had
offered him $500 to stand with the
divisionists.
An even greater sensation came. how
ever. when Is Of the divsionists. friends
of Seifert's, declaring that the Bank of
Fergus county to which he was indebted
in the sum Of $4,000 was trying to force
the division. signed a note in favor Of
the Bank of Fergus county to cover the
Seifert debt and Herbert Woodward,
vice president Of the First National
Bank of Hobson stated that just as
soon as the matter of security could be
arranged and Seifert give the same
security which had been held by the
Bank of Fergus county. the DEBT would
be transferred to the Hobson institu-
ton.
This financial transactiop had no part
in the official proceedings of the day.
Was Joshing Them.
The divisionists Immediately follow
ing the testimony Of Holmboe and Nihlll,
got busy i'll an effort to discredlt their
statements. Cowan and Seifert both
testified that Cowan had made no offer
but Seifert said that he told Nihlll and
Holmhoe that the offer had been made
just to Josh" them. Cross examination
Of Nihill and Holmboe brought out that
they had gone to see Seifert about the
county division; that they had found a
bottle in the auto in which they made
the trip and had taken several drinks
out of it, Seifert corroborsted the state
ment that the bottle" was of the party
and ii was stated that all had taken
several drinks during the discussion.
The incident Of the note followed
the intimation of Seifert made privately
to his friends that +. T. Taylor. vice
president Of the Bank of Fergus county
had told him that the bank could not
stand with him if he in turn would
not stand with it and sign an exclusion
petition against the division. Seifert re-
fused to sign.
Seifert's divsionists friends then told
Taylor, it is stated. that if the bank was
going to try to force Seifert to sign an
exclusion petition, they would sign a
note to cover his Indebtedness. Taylor
left the court house and returned short
" afterwards with all Of the Seifert loan
y
given the Bank Of Fergus county bear
ing the signature of IS men. to cover
the Seifert debt. The sgncrs of the
note were:
Senator Il. E. White. Buffalo; Pat
Flannigan Utica; Joe Eveland, Mecca
sin; d. NJ Campbell. Utica; Ellis Phil
lips. Buffalo: Hugh Dawes, Garneill;
/. :. Ward. kolin: Il. W. Cowan. Hob
son: J. W. Stevenson. Hobson: w. NJ.
eagle. Hobson; w. Il. Gray. Utica: II.
J. Springer. Hobson: V. X. Cook. Hob
son; G. 4. Ray. Hobson; Homer Wright.
kolin: J. j. Jewell Hobson; +. q.
Myers. Utica; and Herbert Woodward.
Hobson
The IS men who signed the note for
Seifert are all prominent in Fergns
county aud represent wealth which will
aggregate half a million dollars or more.
The hearing will be continued next week