Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, December 8, 1911, Page 1

ik gt VOLUME . NUMBER 179. BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA, FRIDA. TEN CENTS PER WEEK. BELTRAMI REPLIES TO UNJUST ATTACK County Officers Riddle Assertion in City Press That County Repudiates’ Just Debts. TORRANCE HAS A STATEMENT Tells What State Asked of Commis- sioners and Explains His Attitude on Controversy. In an effort to counteract the un- just eriticism relative to Beltrami county which have been made in the Twin City press a statement last night was telegraphed to all the city newspapers signed by the Commer- cial club committee and county offi- cers. in addition, County Attorney Tor- rance today addressed still another communication to the public through the columns of the Pioneer. Both statements follow: The county officials and committee of the Commercial club have issued the following statement: “Articles appearing in the daily press of yesterday contain statements to the effect that Beltrami county has ‘repudiated its obligations’ be- cause the Board of ‘County Commis-| sioners of this county have refused to pay the ‘incidental expenses’ in connection with the trial of the Du- mas’ case. “At an informal meeting, held at the Court House in Bemidji on Tues- day of this week, three members of the Board of County Commissioners were present, and there met with A. L. Janes, assistant attorney gen- eral and a committee appointed by the Commercial club, to wait upon them. was to secure the ‘pledges’ of these three commissioners that they would vote in favor of the allowance of bills, thereafter to be presented to the County Board, for incidental ex-: lowed, and I stated that I could find! penses incurred in connection with the preparation and trial of the Du- mas case. “Two of the commissioners agreed to vote in favor of the allowance of such bills, and the third did not re- fuse, but merely declined to pledge himself to the payment of any bills until they are presented to the Board. All the commissioners stated that they were in favor of allowing all proper bills against the County, and that every obligation of the County would be promptly met. “At the last meeting of the Board three bills for incidental expenses” in the casé were disallowed by the Board. These bills bore the written approval of A. L. Janes, Assistant Attorney General. They were disallowed by the Board because the Board at that time did not know the total amount of the claims that might be ultimately presented them for payment. They did obtain the opinion of their County Attorney that in case they disallowed such bills the claimants could not enforce payment from the County. This opinion of the County Attorney was expressly confirmed by Assistant General Janes at the meeting of last Tuesday. “We believe that under such cir- cumstances - it is unfortunate that newspapers of this state should pub- lish as a “fact’” that Beltrami County has repudiated its obligations. The County Commissioners stand ready to pay every legal claim against the County, and ought mnot to be ecriti- cised because they declined to pledge| themselves to the payment of bills not then before them. “We further consider it unfortun- ate that any newspaper of the state should publish it as a “fact”” that the State Board of Investment of this state will decline to loan its money to this County on account of any misrepresentation of the facts. We feel confident the state will loan its money only where it is needed and where the security is unquestioned. “Beltrami County is on a cash iin the trial of the Dumas case, and The object of that meeting|cized in allowing them. | that ~they could not be enforced if to|that unless they were paid the pros- maitter. : “Graham M. Torrance, County Attorney. i “J. L. George, County Auditor. “F. W. Rhoda, Clerk of District Court. “W. G. Schroeder, “E. A. Schneider, “Thos. A. McCann, “Members of Committee of Com- mercial Club appointed to wait upon Commissioners.” County Attorney Torrance’s state- ment to the Pioneer follows: “Bemidji Ploneer,—In response to your request for a reply to the article contained in the Minneapolis Journal of the 6th inst. wherein the County officials of Beltrami County are charged with having repudiated the obligations of the County in refusing to allow bills for incidental expenses wherein it is stated that such action was taken because I so advised the Board, I have to say: “First: Beltrami County has not repuqiated her abligations. “Second: The action of the Board was taken on their motion, without any request from me so to do. “Only three bills for ‘incidental expenses’ in the Dumas cases have thus far been presented to the County Board. They amounted in the aggre- gate to about $20.00. They were disallowed by the Board because they did not know how many bills of this character would ultimately be pre- sented to them for payment. They did not at that time wish to set a precedent for paying future bills of | the same character. “It now appears that incidental ex- | penses in the Dumas case were in—; curred through the Attorney Gener- al’s office, direct, amounting to about $800, and through the State Fire| Marshal’s office to the amount of; $7,000.00. “The bills so disallowed bore the! written approval of A. L. Janes, As-! sistant Attorney General. I advised the Board that these ‘bills were, ih! my opinion, necessary items of ex- pense incurred in the trial of that case, that they bore the approval ofl that under ‘'such circumstances ths.t) I did not see how they could be criti- “I was then asked by the Board| for my opinion as to whether or not such bills could be enforced against | the county in case they were disal-| no express statutory provision, nor | any decision of our supreme court, making them a direct county charge. That _therefore my legal opinion was disallowed. “The bills were disallowed. “Last Tuesday Assistant Attorney General Janes appeared before thei Commercial club of this city, and presented the matter of the'payment of these bills, and that body, at my | suggestion, appointed a committee‘of five to wait upon three of our county commissioners who were then assem- bled at the Court House. The com- missioners were not assembled at a meeting of the board. The matter was laid before them by the commit- tee and by Mr. Janes, and it was plainly made to appear to them that these items of expense had been nec- essarily incurred in the case, and ecutions would have to cease. “I was present at that meeting, and at the request of the three com- missioners to state my views, told} them I realized the necessity of in- curring incidental expenses in the trial of criminal cases, that it was of the utmost importance that such prosecutions be carried on by the county, that the attorney general’s office had given its opinion that such charges were legal charges and could be legally paid by them, and under such circumstances the only question I could see before them was whether, as the business agents of the county, they could see their way clear to do so. “At this meeting Mr. Janes stated that the state fire marshal’s office would make no claim for reimburse- ment for the $7,000.00 expended by it; that the expenses in the case tried in this county amounted to about $800, and that the cost of try- ing the case at Brainerd, for ‘inci- dental expenses’ could not amount to more than $500. “The three members present did not all unconditionally agree to al- low all bills for such incidental ex- basis, It is under careful business ma}nagement County Commissioners of ous Countyl penses, but the general sentiment (Continued on Page 4) {made than O’Neill, shouldbe commended, rather than criticised, for their attitude in this CLosE TO CLAS“ A ST. CLOUD MEETING Effort to Juggle. Reapportion Pro- gram Brings Fire From Represen- tative O’Neill. HILL AND POWDERLY TALK More Than 500 Delegates Present and Enthusiasm Exceeds All Pre- vious Gatherings. St. Cloud, Dec. 8.—(Special)—In the presence of more than 500 dele- gates, already here to attend the Northern Minnesota Development as- sociation’s convention, foes of the proposed extra session of the legis- lature, lost in the first reapportion- ment tilt at the opening session this | morning. Some one in an obscure part of the hall arose and moved that all resolu- tions be referred to the resolutions committee. . This was just what the friends of } reapportionment had been expecting as it has been known that an effort would be made to smother the re- apportionment resolution in the rese- lutions committee. No sooner-had this motion been Representative D. P. “delegate from Thief River|, Falls, jumped to his feet with his Irish dander up and thundered in ay voice that meant business: “Mister President, thererare some! {of us who have come a long distance just” to prevent such tactics as this —we are here to fight at the drop (of the hat for justice for northern Minnesota, and I now move you, sir, as an amendment to this motion, that all resolutions, excepting the resolution on reapportionment, be sent to the resolutions committee.” It ‘looked as if the extra session storm had brokéd but Président H.'J- Maxfield, of Wadena, poured oil tem- {porarily on the troubled water; by ruling that both motions would Be out of order until the credentials | committee has made its report tomor- {row morning. Just before the convention = ad- journed at noon ‘today, C. A. Cong- {don, of Duluth, made a similar mo- tion, but it was again ruled out of ;order. It is certain that a resolution cal- ling for an extra session of the leg- islature will be introduced at the session tomorrow, and it appears to have a good chance of coming before the convention with the endorsement of the resolutions committee, as sev-| eral avowed champions have been named on that committee. The resolutions committee is made up of the following: W. T. Middle- ton, Beltrami county. M. N. Koll, Cass county. J. LaHuntoon, Clay county. C. A. Allbright, Crow Wing coun-i ty. W. S. Henry, Hubbard county. H. Trittner, Benton county. H. Sutherland, Isanti county.. H. Mattson, Roseau county. F. Kiley, Itasca county. J. Estlund, Kittson county. E. Pfiffner, Marshall county. C. Dunn, Mille Lacs county. J. Conger, Polk county. Guy Halvorson, Pennington coun- ty. H. V. Eva, C. P. Craig, R. Strat- ton, St. Louis county. Asher Murray, Wadena county. H. J. Ehlers, Wilkin county. T. C. Gorman, Morgison county. W. B. Mitchell, Stearns county. E. S. Jameson, Koochiching coun- ty. John Bwan, Lake county. F. Hunt, Red Lake county." H. Oldenberg, Carleton county. C. F. Serline, Kanabec county. President Maxfield appointed F. S.| Lycan of Bemidji, chairman of the credentials committee. Among the prominent men here are State Treasurer Walter J. Smith, Louis W, Hill, president of the Great Northern; W. D. Powderly, of the federal immigration bureau; Senator Boyle, Bob Dunn, -Senator Elwell, and Dan Shaw of Thief River Falls. Three towns are making a hard fight to land the June convention: International Falls, Thief River pEPEEQP > and we believe the|Drevailed with the commissioners|Fa) and Little Falls. The meetings are being held in the opera house and the first session!* 2 was cfiuled to order shortly after 10 ~:Rev. E. V. Campbell, D. D., af Presbyterian church, St. deliveraed the invocation, after which .President Maxfield, who is to resigni his office at this gathering, gave 3 review of the work accom- plished by the association during the past year. . Joseph Chapman, Jr., banker of Minneapolis, spoke on the relation of the business man to agriculture, and George Authier, editorial writer of the Minneapolis Tribune, spoke on “The Relation of the Twin Cities to Northern Minnesota.” Editor George J. Silk, of the Pine River Sentinel spoke -on the state fair agricultural interests, and Editor C. F. Mahnke, editor Moose Lake Star Gazette, dis- cussed the same topic. This afternoon Mr. Powderly, chief of division, Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization, Department of Comrqerce and Labor, Washington, D. C., spoke on immigration, and he was followed by Louis F. Hill, chair- man of the State Highway Commis- sion, who urged the construction and improvement of roads in Minnesota. The. big session of the convention will be held tomorrow forenoon, for it'is at that time that the fight for a resolution calling upon the gover- nor to convene the legislature to act on reapportionment, will be taken up. % There is no question but that there is a' strong feeling in favor of such a move, but friends of Governor Eb- erhart are ofr the ground and prevent such action if possible. Although the governor had informed Secretary Mackenzie that he would have a representatlve .at the convention, no one “has a])peared as the official mouthpiece of the executive. ONE DEAD IN FIRE TODAY ATCASS LAKE Cags Lake, Dec. 8.—(Special)—R. S. Barnum lost his life this morning p in whlc’h ‘destroyed a two-story iframe building situated hear the| Great Northern depot: The fire is said to have originated by the ex- plosion of a lamp in the kitchen downstairs and' burned with such rapidity that the occupants escaped with only their personal belongings. Barnum was sleeping upstairs over the kitchen and was awakened by F. Dodge, another roomer, who made his escape down the back stairs. He called to Barnum when in the hall- way and heard him coming. Going down the stairs he still was under the impression that Barnum was fol- lowihg but could not see on account of the smoke and did not realize un- til he was outside that Barnum was still in the building. The fire made such rapid headway that further en- trance into the building was im- possible. Barnum was 55 years old, made his home in Cass Lake since the town was started. He was a one-armed man. He had been married three times. His wife and children are living in Minneapolis. The body is a.véaiting further information from Minneapolis. | TEACHING THEM HOW TO TEACH Bemidji High School’s New Course of Study Proving Popular. The Normal course, which is an addition this year to the High School courses of the public schools, prom- ises, from the success already shown in the number of students taking the course, and in the work daily being accomplished, to be one of the most popular of the courses offered in the. High School. Through’ this course, many students who are un- able to obtain the teacher’s training at ‘the State Normal schools are given essential, help in this- line. The students are given practice teaching from the first in connection with their studies, and after one year of this training in the High School, a student may complete the entire Normal Course required for city teachers, at any State Normal in one year. The children filling the model classes taught by these stud- ents are those taken from the vari- ous grades, who, through ‘sickness or other misfortunes have fallen behind in their regular class ~work. Miss Edna Hill is Principal of the Normal classes. v in charge of E. F. Miskella who is! : Red Cross Seals for Sale Here Under Direction of Women’s Club : Red Cross Seals—little mes- : sengers of the Christmas spirit : : are now on sale in Bemidji. . A large consignment of the : : stamps have been received by i Mrs. C. R. Sanborn, president of : the Bemidji Woman’s Study™: : Club, under.<the supervision : : of which organization the sales : : are to be made. Mrs. Sanborn : : has appointed Mrs. E. E. Mec- : : Donald and Mrs. C. E. Battles to : : assist her in taking care of the : : sales. : The stamps, which are to be : : placed on the back of letters, sell : : at one cent each and if $100 : :"worth are sold here, the entire : | : amount, less the expense of : : handling them, will be spent in : : Bemidji in the fight against tu- : . berculosis. . g If less than this amount is.: + realized, 50 per cent of the funds : : will be used here and the state : : society will bear the expense. The idea in selling the stamps : i is to obtain funds to prevent : : tuberculosis and care for persons : : suffering from this disease. Stamps are on sale in Bemid- : : ji at the following places: 2 Netzer’s, Barker’s, City Drug : : Store, Berman’s, Crane’s, O’Leary : : & Bowser, Bazaar Store, Me- : : Quaig’s, Troppman’s, Baker’s : : Jewelry Store, Gould’s and -Ab- : : ercrombie’s. 2 TR P, ez meis v KK R R R R R RO CROROROROR Y © QUTSIDE NEWS CONDENSED. ¢ COVOPVVOVPPOPP®OEC v At Kahan, Russia, today a bridge gave way and 200 men fell into the river and all probably drowned. * Devotees of gathered at the game of whist Oshkosh, Wis., from {many points today to compete in the annual tournament of the North- eastern Wisconsin Whist League. Play began in Armory B this after- noon and will continue over tomor- TOW. > The need of a State reformatory for male misdemeanants bétween 16 and 21 years of age, together with other important problems confront- ing the judges of police courts and juvenile courts, are slated for dis- cussion at the third annual State Conference of Magistrates, which met in Albany, N. Y., today for a two days’ session. z » A case of the “unwritten law” is docketed for trial in the Gallaway County circuit court at Fulton, Mo., next week. The defendant is Rich- ard M. Johnson, who is to be tried for the murder of John Griggs at Boydeville last summer. Johnson killed Griggs after Johnson’s wifel had confessed to wrongdoing with the dead man. * Midland, Texas, held a jubilee cel- ebration today to draw the attention of prospective homeseekers and in- vestors to one of the greatest irri- gation wells on record. This is the great Moran well, which is produc- ing 2,000 gallons a minute from a depth of 121 feet, and the capacity of which, in the opinion of experts, could be doubled. L] The Noble prize awards at Stock- holm, Sweden, for'the present year are calculated to give little ground for self-complacency to Americans. Though the formal announcement of the awards will not be made until day after tomorrow, which will be the anniversary of the founder’s death, the prospective recipients al- ready are known, with the exception of the person or persons who will receive the prize for performing the most useful service of the year in promoting peace. The prize for chemistry goes to Mme. Curie, chief professor of sciences in the Univer- sity of Paris, who, with her husband, discovered radium. The prize for physics, which it was believed some time ago would be awarded to Thom- as A. Edison, the American inventor, will go instead to Professor Wilhelm ‘Wien of Wuerzburg University. Mau- rice Materlinck, the well known Bel- gian author and playwright, will re- ceive the literary prize, .while the prize in medicine will be awarded to Professor Allvar Gullstrand, of the faculty of medicine of Upsala Uni- versity, for research work in connec- tion with his study of the eye. “IWITNESS IS GONE; REWARD IS OFFERED Brandt, Who Testified Against Ed- ward Gearlds, Said to Be Fugitive From Justice. EVIDENCE IN DUMAS CASE Witnesses. for State Tell of Defend- ant’s Alleged Connection with Blackduck Crime. Brainerd, Dec. 8.—(Special)—It was given out here today by Attorney George Speer, of Grand Rapids, rep- resenting Edward Gearlds of Bemid- ji, in the charge of arson brought against him, that A. H. Brandt, a witness for the state, against whom a warrant charging perjury has been sworn out, is a fugitive from justice, and that a reward will be paid for his capture. Mr. Speer said: “We are now advised that the ex- convict, Brandt, alias Duval, alias Fisher, who testified against Edward Gearlds at his preliminary examina- tion at Bemidji before Municipal Judge Simons, is a fugitive from jus- tee. “It was our understanding that this man was to be presented by the state authorities. It seems, however, that he is not avdilable. “On behalf of my clients and for the purpose of assisting the authori- ties in effecting the capture of this notorious crook, we will pay a sub- stantial cash reward to anyone who will furnish information leading to the arrest of this man. “Duvall or Brandt is about 5 feet 7 inches in height, smooth shaven, has thin, dark hair, weight about 140 pounds, marked by physical deform- ity by the loss of the front’ half of his right foot. “Bertillion measurements can be supplied by the warden of either tne Waupun or Stillwater penitentiaries. “Duvall drinks freely, is a con- firmed cocaine fiend, and may claim that he is still doing detective work for the state. He was last seen at Grand Rapids on Tuesday morning, by a traveling man who had seen him in Bemidji. “Information as to his whereabouts can be reported to the chief of po- lice of St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth, or to Mr. Gearlds, or Sheriff Hazen.” In the case against Dr. Dumas, now on trial here, several witnesses have been produced by the state in an ef- fort to show that Dr. Dumas aided and abetted in the burning of the Bacon and Brown building at Black- duck in March of this year. C. E. Foyer, chief of police of Du~ luth, when on the stand identified a photograph of “Sandy Young,” also known as Andrew Cooper. He testified that Young was a pro- fessional safe blower at present serv- ing a five year term at Fort Went- worth for robbery of the Cromwell postoffice. Foyer’s evidence was used by the state to show there was such a person as Sandy Young. Young and Ed. LeClaire, according to the wine room conversation held in- Be- midji, are all one and to be impli- cated in the setting on-fire of the Blackduck building. John Larson, proprietor of the sa- loon and wine room at Bemidji, tes- tified as to the important conversa- tion at his wine room and said Dr. Dumas came to his place that day and told him he expected some one there and that Larson was to tell him to go to the wineroom. Larson saw Behan after the con- versation. A. B. Moore, a marshal of Black- duck, testified to finding the oil sat- urated candle wicking in the Bacon and Brown building at Blackduck, and said he was about the first there after the alarm of fire. John Benner of Bemidji took the stand and Attorney Daly of the de- fense frequently objected to the lati- tude allowed the state in the exami- nation of the witness. Benner said he met Dumas, and the doctor had asked him to go to OShkOBh to see Martin Behan and get “evidence.” “Instead of picking up any evi- dence,” sajd Benner, “I picked up a lot of whisky sours.” '