The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-02-02
POPLAR CITIZENS
START ACTION
AGAINST W.P.
NEWSPAPER


they have been falsely accused o.
wrong doing in a story which ap.
peared in last weeks issue of the
Wolf Point Herald, several prominent
citizens of this city have commenced
an action in district court this weel
for damages in the sum of $5O,OOO.OC
against that publication.
A copy of the complaint, taken from
the public records in this action is as
follows:
In the district court of the TWEEN
tieth judicial district of the State of
Montana, in and for the county of
Roosevelt.
Chris Jensen, G. A. Lundeen, Herb
Zeige, Fred Turner, J. L. Atkinson.
Geo. T. Kelly and James F. Redmond,
plaintiffs, VS.. The Wolf Point Herald
Ga corporation) and Ross e. Shaver.
individually, as it seditor, defendants.
Complaint
Plaintiff complains of defendants
and for cause Of action alleges:
That plaintiffs now are, and at all
times hereinfter mentioned have been.
residents and electors of the City of
Poplar, County Of Roosevelt, State Of
Montana.
That defendant, the Wolf Point Her
aid, now is, and at all the time here
matter mentioned has been, q corner
alton duly organized, created and ex-
listing under and by virtue of the laws
of the State Of Montana, and doing
business IS such in its corporate name
at Wolf Point, Montana, which news
paper is one of general circulation
throughout said county and state
aforesaid, and is known as ''The Welt
Point Herald"
That on or about Thursday, the 18th
day of January "A. d. 1923, at the City
of Wolf Point, Montana, the defend
ants did publish and cause to be pub
hshed in said "T9e Wolf Point Her
aid" and did Immediately thereafter
publish and give general circulation
throughout the United States mail
and otherwise. said newspaper, which
newspaper then and there contained on
the first OF title page thereof, an ar
ticle entitled CLERK Finds Ballots had
been Opened Unlawfully."
That the defendants, eontriving and
wickedly and maliciously intending to
injure the plaintiffs and each Of them
in their good name, reputation and
credit, and to bring them and each of
them into public contempt and dis
grace, and to cause them and each of
them to be believed by their acquaint-
ances, neighbors and the public gen
orally, to be guilty of the crime Of
tampering with, mutilating or destroy
ing, OF attempting to tamper with, I
mutilate or destroy, certain election
returns or ballots, or poll-lists. or
checklists, or ballot-bags, or election
envelopes, all of the election Of said
county held on November 9TH, 1922.
did wilfully and maliciously compose,
publish and cause to be published, in
the aforesaid article of said newspa-
per, of and concerning these Plaintiffs
and each Of them, the false, malicious
and defamatory libel following:
Clerks finds ballots had been un-
lawfully opened-Tuesday, on the adj
vice Of County Attorney L. A. Brown.
Mr.. 'Hardie examined the bags, which
are now stored in a vault, and unlock
ed three Of them.-The envelopes from
% and "a, two Wolf Point wards had
been torn so that the ballots could
easily be removed, large openings had
been ripped in the extra thick and
stout manila paper. On the envelope
from 81 wolf Point outlying) the Of
fetal seal, signed by the election
judges had been broken so as to al
ow access to the ballots and the flaps
IF the envelope reglued. But in the
operation the two parts of the cut or
.Orn seal failed to join each other by
about half an inch. ]
Mr.. Hardie nor none of those pres
mt touched the ballots or removed S
hem from their containers, but there t
vas conclusive evidence that these e
'ags and ballot envelopes had been i
opened after being sealed by the cleo
ion officials. This being sufficient
roof that the election returns had d
zen tempered with before Mr.. Hardie b
ook charge of them. The other baks c
we're not unlocked, but all bore the il
anne outward appearance. S
The public win draw its own conclu- Ii
ions, but there appears to be abund- 81
Mt justification for the comment that o.
he people of Roosevelt county will be S
when they finally get the
Dunty's affairs free from the clutches Il
this desperate and daring Poplar ST
Ian. A big delegation of Poplar's 81