Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-12
C0N[EYS PAID
CASH FOR MEAT
SAYS BUTCHER
Defense Grabs State S
Witness Called to Es-
tablish Price Basis.
Rankin Was Trying to
Prove Commonwealth
Footed These Bills.
(Tribune's Helena Bureau.)

t1ribunes Helena Bureau,
Helena, May 11-Through witnes!
called by the state to testify as TO th'
market price of meats Mt Deer Lodge
during the time the prison was being
supplied with pork by the former
warden, Frank Conley. the defense was
able to show Thursday, during the tria
of the action of the state against Con
ley, that, although it is charged by the
state that supplies, including meats
were procured by Conley from the
prison store and meat market for use
in his private residence, the Conley
family purchased large quantities OF
meat at downtown markets. This wit
ness testified he sold daily to Mrs.
Conley from 50 to 81 worth of meats,
but he did not keep any account of the
transactions because she always paid
cash. This witness. butcher, said he
had been in engaged in the meat busi-
mes virtually all his life, having been
put to work making sausage when but
four years of age.
Appraised SwIu at $1,000 a Year
Testimony to the effect that great
quantities of milk, hominy and oatmeal
of considerable value went into the
swill that was then fed to Conley's
hogs was given by Harry Holland, a
former guard, who admitted he had
been twice ''fired" by Conley. but
said he did not bear any i'll feelings
toward Conley because of his dis
charges.
This witness estimated that from 80
to 40 gallons of milk was daily poured
into the swill barrels at the prison
and that, in addition, almost
all of the hominy dished out to the
convicts, of which four patches of 100
pounds each were prepared weekly,
went into the swill along with about
30 pounds of oatmeal.
Still another witness testified that
the swill from the prison was worth
81, 900 year.
Go Over Meat Prices
Ernesto DeAlton, who said he had
been conducting a butcher shop in
Deer Lodge for the past Is years. was
called to the stand as an expert wit
less to testify as to the values Of
meats in Deer lodge during the years
covered by the complaint against Con-
ey lie said the retail price of NUT
on and pork had ranged from o5 to
SD cents per pound and that of hams
md bacon from 80 to 35 cents. Asked
IS to the wholesale price of pork from
$40 to 1914, he said it was 10 to
= cents and that from 1914 on through
he war period it had ranged at Is to
20 cents. He said the lowest wholesale
'r1ce In the period covered had been
% cents. but he had bought some !
ough hogs as low as eight cents.
Under cros-examination conducted
" Colonel Nolan, the witness said he
ad been in the butcher business all his !
Ife. and when asked if there was not |
few years during his infancy when
e was not so employed he said he had
tarted making sausage when he was
our years old.
In those days they didn't bring I'm
hiidren In Germany like they do in
his country said DeAlton "They
,ade them work from a pig up."
We'll. queried Colonel Nolan.
from the condition of the
'orid today 1t would have been better
they had been brought up differ.
ntly, wouldn't it,"
In the Good Old n. C. 1. Davs
The witness replied that maybe tbatI
as true. "e 'n''
DeAlton said that in 1919 mutton
len at its highest price il ever CON
landed, sold as chops I'D to Is cents
er pound. that he paid as high No S16
veweight for sheep that wear and
fterwards had paid as low as Ak nor |,
He said he paid from sir
eight cents for live beef which
cant 10 or is cents dressed. and that i
hen retailed, the people who bought (
IN steaks and porterhouse steaks had ]
pay the price because he had TO sell
'ugh meat at six to eight cents and
It roast at 10 to 121a cents. II
In reply to questions as to whether {
mad ever sold meat to Conley. De- v
lton said Mrs. Conley was one of his Ii
'st customers, that when she was MT /
'me she traded at his shop eyery dav r
lying from 81 to S5 worth of meat g
ily. Later he reduced this figure to ,
ON $3 to $4 per day.
Attorney General Rankin wanted ~
low II he had any books to show how
uch meat was sold to Mrs. Conlev. to
men the witness replied that he kent
account OF sales to her, because she q
ways paid cash. '">e S"e Z
Thereupon Mr. Rankin Objected +o /,
Is character of Testimony and waal
formed by the court that il came :
TN pretty poor grace from him tol I
1ect 10 this testimony and for a few q
nutes MIR. Rankin engaged in a heat
argument with opposing counsel 1
'ich ended with the witness being
cused. s
Claims for Goods Introduced b
The state. through w. A. Logan, dep d
state auditor. then took up the r
- ~ tnfrodncing as exhibits a num-
pc goods which had beenI q
The state in connection t