The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-07-14

NOT GUILTY Of
Horse STEALING
Poker Jim" was acquitted by the
jury at Ekalaka last week sfter . few
hours deliberation. It was the last
Jury trial In the term Of court for
Carter county. Another acquittal was
In the case Of Paul Grimes who was
tried for the murder Of Merton 0oe.
The Ekalaka Eagles account Of the
"Pclxer Jim" trial 10 - follows:
Some men have q national reputa-
tien. Poker Jim's "rep'' does not ex-
with q county reputation. and to some
extent . state reputation. having dg-
ursA ccnsiderably In the news COLI
unns Of the state papers. His other
name IL Jim Roberts, and he halls
from the range country on the Wyo.
ming border, between Alsada and
Jim was accused Of grand larceny
and the case came up for trial at the
concl usion cf the whitney case on
June -. He was charged
with having stolen . black horse from
Mrs. Melida Price. widow ..f the late
r c. Price who died in October. 1913.
The horse in question has been in the
Of W. H. Parks Of Baker.
deputy state stock inspector, for the
past year and was part Of the evidence
In the case. He was in the corrals
back Of Minis barn and was viewed not
only BY the Jury and witnesses but By
q large and admiring throng Of spec.
tators. He 10 . peach. . glcSoy. coal
black: holds his head high ana brave
and looks like he might beat Black
Diamond a. q bucker, and In endur.
ance outrival the steed bestrode BY
Phil Sheridan when he made his IA
nous ride at Winchester.
When stock Inspector Billy Ritch-
q, dson Invaded the south end last year
he found this horse in Power Jin's
pasture. A neighbor declared the an
imal was the property Of Mrs. Price.
The horse was at once taken into GUS
tody. likewioe Poker Jim. who was
held to answer to the district court
under bends Of $4,000. The horse was
trned over to Stock inspector Parks
who produced him when the trial be-
gan.
identified by the states witnesses as
being the property Of Mrs. Price, an
animal they had known from the time
he was . sucking celt, and had seen
OF and on up to the present time.
The brand on his right shoulder they
claimed was Originally d P-now
worked over. He was also Identified
by Poker Jim and his witnesses al
being q different animal altogether. q
horse OF another color. one that Poker
Jim had owned since he tthe horse
rot Jim) was a yearling colt. One OF
Jim's witnesses had Kept him for a
time in his pasture, another had brok-
en- him to ride. The brand on him had
never been changed or worked ever
since he was hrst branded as colt
ETC.. etc. Fact side had expert testi-
mony on brands and witnesse who had
handled horses al their lives. With
all this mass Of conflicting testimony
1t was q complicated case and one that
would puz9le wiser man than Old
Solomon. Horses have been known to
give testimony by their actions to-
wards their real owners or masters
but this animal il wild range horse
who acknowledges allegiance to no
man.
At the trial Mrs. Price stated that
she has resided near Ridge for 1s
years. She had q mare named Dolly
who had a number Of colts and this
black horse in controversy was one
of Dolly's colts. His sire was q Ner-
man. chunky black. The colt was
branded D p. the Price brand. and she
never sold it to Jim Roberts or any
body else. This was the horse she saw
in the Minis corral. The brand was
blotched. had been worked over. Mrs
Price had not brought the branding
iron with her. but made a drawing OF
the Price brand which was offered in
evidence az exhibit A."
James Archibald who lives eleven
miles south Of Piniele, stated that he
IL familiar with her live stock and
the horse in question. II saw him
near my place in 1917 when he was
3 colt. He was with the Price mare
and was branded lazy D P on the
right shoulder. Saw the colt several
times. l saw him at the age Of three
years as a stallion and notified Mrs
Price and Charles Eldridge castratei
him. saw the horse this morning. alb,
solutely the same horse. but the brand
has been worked over. Other mark,
are small white spot in forehead
shaggy, and proud in his carriage. /
II now quite difficult to determin,
just what the brand is. Mrs. Price i,
q widow and I have been looking at
ter her stock. In the latter par. q
May, 1891. in company with Bill
Richardson was looking for som'
cattle. Noticed this horse in jim
Roberts pasture among some othe
horses and recognised him as Mra
Prices horse. Drove him to corral an,
rcped him and examined the brand an,
found 1t was D p brand worked over
Parts Of the letters Of the ortgina
brand are still recognizable. Ritchard
son deputized me to hold the hcrs<
Later I turned him over to W. Z
Parks. deputy state stock inspector
The next time I saw the horse wa
this morning, In Hkalaka.
James Eldridge. who lives With