The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1927-08-19
CUSTER CASES TAKEN
UNDER AMUSEMENT
Continued from page One)

Farming Corporation. Ohstad, see d.
ing that he had lead dis client Ii
into a trap started to object saying 81
that the Plaintiffs counsel wanted 81
this information for a purpose for 1
eign to this case. ct is presumed o
that Onstad referred to the execution a
for $4,000 which stands in favor of b
the county against French. This exc
cution is not levied because the sher-
if has been unable to find any pro- d
perty in the name of French that is j
not covered up") French finally de-
MED that he had any property and C
when asked concerning the stock he t
had in the Farming Corporation said i
he didn't know how much he had. W. ID
erson's favorite expression on cross
examination was 81 don't remember"
Case Against IversOn
The case made against 'Iverson con-
sisted Of the various claims made by
him against the county during the
years 1925, 1926 and 1927 for "rOad
inspection" and viewing roads" IN
which he charged So per day and 10
cents per mile. By the records pro-
duced by County Clerk Madsen it ap-
peared that there never was any pre-
vious order or direction made by the
Board for these inspections, nor any
report made of record after these
trips, with the result that no show
ing was ever made on the county rec
Ords as to what roads were inspected,
what was the need for inspection, or
what was the result of such 'inspec-
ton having been made. In 1927 a /
resolution was passed by the Board |
on April 9th in which it was provided |
that in every case a Commissioner |
making an inspection should after
ward "make proper entries" las re-
ouired by law of what the inspection
had been. In May of that year, the
next month, this resolution was re-
enacted, leaving out the clause calling
for the making of entries, and so the
matter stood up to the latest date
covered in the evidence. No entries
were ever made under the earlier res
olution. Crank French, testifying for
Iverson, gave as his reason for leav-
ing out this paragraph of the April
resolution that it was "too lengthy"
at which the Judge seemed surprised.
IversOn Makes Restitution
Iverson was also shown to have
collected a bill from the county for
attending a meeting of the Montana
Association of County Commissioners
at Billings in January, 1926. The bill
was admittedly excessive, Iverson
having charged some $12 for meals
and testifying that he had that day
(the date of the trial) rendered to
the County Treasurer S12.05. He
also admitted having charged 5 days
per diem, although the Billings meet
ing lasted only days.
Antelope Commissioner Exhibits
Dumbness
Iverson's claims, put in evidence
were entirely vague, and failed to
show any details from which it coulc
be learned where his inspections
had been. On cross examination "
erson, who had had to be helped ant
led along by his attorneys on direc
examination, collapsed completed
when asked for places and occasions
with his bills before him, and re
manned silent for minutes at a tim
with the cross-examiner and tn
court waiting for an answer.
Several witnesses testified that "
erson had been seen by them Gin
speeding roads" at different point
in the county, and to save time
was agreed by attorneys for the az
cusers that it would be admitted sue
testimony would be given by a larg
number of such witnesses if called.
Iverson claimed that all his charge
were made in good faith.
The French Trial
The case against French, whiC
commenced on Wednesday mornin
was put in in a brief and snappy mai
ner by the introduction of French
claims which he had charged again
the county and collected from it, al
the stipulation of the Madsen test
mony in the Iverson case for the pu
pose of the French case. A flock
witnesses who had "seen French
specting roads" was dispensed wi
by the admission that they would
testify if called. French took t
stand and gave a voluble account
the division of the county into 70
districts, which he illustrated
sketches on the official blackboa,
One of the frequent items in t
French bills was for getting p
mits" and getting rights of wa
which was apparently conceded to
illegal by the defense, as the exp
nation was that the charge was rea
for road inspection and not for
tanning permits to cross private le
with new roads. Although no rec,
appeared of the previous order
subsequent notation of the vari
road inspections, as required by l;
this was explained by the witness
have been covered by various yer
transactions of which no record \
made. He said with reference to
very recent entry in the Commissi
ers' Journal vaguely stating that
the commissioners reported on r
inspections made by them, that
item was not expressly given to
Clerk of the Board to write in. CT
Madsen in rebuttal narrated '
particular conversation at the be
meeting in question at which Ere
and Iverson directed him to put
in the minutes.
"Much Property?
French in closing his direct ex
nation testified to the large amC
of property he had, mentioning n
than 1000 acres of land, 1900 81
and 400 tons of hay recently put
On cross-examination as to his
perty it appeared that this was
property of corporation in whic
had some stock, but how much S
he did not seem to know. He
his Family" had the stock. A
whether he was solvent or insol