The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1923-06-28
MOONMAKERS HIDE
BEHIND WOMEN
SHIFT BLAME TO SHOULDERS OF
SISTERS AND WIVES SAY
INVESTIGATORS.
On the Theory That Courts Are More
Lenient With Women Than With
Men Offenders; 1000 Cases in
Silver Bow County.

Knowing that courts are usually
lenient with women, many
of the 1000 bootleggers brought
to trial in federal, district and POI
lice courts of Silver Bow since the
summer of 1920 have shifted the
blame to the shoulders of sisters
or wives according to the report of
investigators who have been gath
ering data on these cases.
Another interesting item unearthed
by the investigators is the fact that
a goodly percentage of violators of
the prohibition law are of foreign
birth. Others are offenders who have
time after time been arrested on the
same charge. Some have been hailed
into court nine times charged with
violating the prohibition laws.
The report of the men probing the
Volstead law in Silver Bow county is
a comparative table by which the eff
ficiency of prohibition in this county
may be determined. The investiga-
ton is not yet quite complete, but as
soon as all data is collected the fig
ures will be printed in pamphlet form
to afford the public an opportunity of
determining the results of the drouth
there.
Status of Cases
The report states that of the 1000
cases approximately 80 of them
have been or still are on the docket of
the United States court. OF this
number AZ have been dismissed or
acquitted; IA are still pending, while
38, because they failed to pay a fine
are serving or have served time be-
hind the bars.
About $50 so-called whisky cases
have reached the district court.
Twenty of these cases are still pend
ing, 80 have been dismissed or ac-
quilted, while 80 bench warrants is
sued for persons free on bail were
returned unanswered.
The fines imposed in the district
court aggregated S17,911. An inter-
esting item not included in the re-
port is the fact that although the
county Of Silver Bow stands THE
costs of all proceedings in whisky
cases." and these costs during the
time the investigators were at work
amounted to several thousands of dol
lars, the county receives none of the
fines collected. The costs of prose-
cutting these actions are included in
the expense of the judicial district.
County Gets Nothing
Of the fines collected in the district
court, $17,435.58 was paid by the
clerk of the court to the state law
enforcement fund. From this fund
tha Jrx1 e1n11fhc nf fhn cfofn or0 mold
Into the general school fund of the
county $~7,435.60 vas paid. The gen
eral fund got $296, while the poor
fund received $66. County attorney
and sheriff's costs were all that were
deducted from the fines and these
costs amounted to but $~2,677.20.
In the police court, out of the total
number of cases SO were dismissed or
acquitted and SO sent to the federal
court for trial.
''There are numerous instances"
states the report, "of cases instituted
1920, which are still pending, and
in which pleas or verdicts of
guilty were allowed by orders indefi-
,itely postponing sentence and APP
,arently forgotten.
Doe Family Popular
John and Jane Doe r. two of the
offenders, the report states
ind a great majority of those arrest
I'd have hid their identity behind
.hese pseGdonyms. In dealing with
'epeated offenders the Investigators
have found "that among the defend
whose cases are pending very
many are not only second, third and
sven ninth-time offenders, but more
han one, who in earliers cases for