Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, December 15, 1911, Page 1

Y =~ »- ., room THE BEMIDJI D ILY PIONEER SOCIETY, VOLUME 9. NUMBER 195. BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA, FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 15, 1911. TEN CENTS PER WEEK. JAMES J. HILL T0 - SPEAK IN BEMIDJI Tells Four Men From Here He Will Come to Talk to Farmers Early in January. GREETS CALLERS CORDIALLY Beams His Pleasure and Congratu- lates Them on Wide Awake Spir- it Shown By This City. SAYS “DON'T FORGET COUNTRY” As Soon as Magnate Names Date He Can Be Here Arrangements for « Meeting will be Made. James J. Hill, railroad magnate and empire builder, is coming to Be- midji. This information is brought by Thomas J. Burke, president of the Bemidji Commercial club, who with A. P. White, A. G. Wedge, and F. S. Lycan, talked for 40 minutes to the aged head of the Great Northern sys- tem at his office in St. Paul. Says He Will Come in January. “I will come in Bemidji early in January,” he told the men from Be- midji, “and shall be glad to talk to: your people at that time. I will let you know in plenty of time to make the necessary simple arrangements.” The Bemidji not only a courteous audience with Mr. Hill, who daily turns many per- sons away because his time is so much occupied, but was extremely cordial in his greeting. Praises Bemidji, But Warns. “I am glad to have you come to see me,” he ejaculated as he gave each of his Bemidji visitors a hearty hand- shake, “and I am glad because you folks up there are doing something for yourselves. But I want to warn you not to slight the city at the ex- pense of the country. You have done splendid work for Bemidji, but don’t forget the country.” Te Tells Them Something. The chairman of the Great North- ern’s board of directors then said he was going to tell his visitors from Bemidji, something they didn’t know. He said: I am going to tell you, that of all of the immigration into Min- nesota during the past year, your part of the state got 52 per cent of it. Prolongs the Talk. Several times the Bemidji delega- tion arose and attempted to leave the fearing that to stay longer would be to impose upon Mr. Hill’s time, but in each instance Mr. Hill renew the conversation and by the time the meeting finally broke up he was enthusiastic over his promised trip to Bemidji. Comes on Special. Mr. Hill will come on a special train and it is expected that he will plan to reach Bemidji about mnoon. He will make a public address, prob- ably in the city hall, but these de- tails will be worked out as soon as Mr. Hill makes known the exact date on which he will come. This infor- mation is expected by Mr. Burke ‘within the next few days. A special effort will be made to have a large delegation of farmers from the territory around Bemidji present, as Mr. Hill indicated that he would have a special message for them. It is not known how long Mr. Hill will be in Bemidji but it is presumed that he will remain here for a few hours only and aside from a possible public reception at the Commercial club rooms no special feature, other than the public address, will charac- terize the magnate’s visit. Clark and Underwood to Speak. New York, Dec. 15.—The annual dinner of the New York Southern So- ciety is to be given at the Waldorf- Astoria tomorrow night. Champ Clark, and Congressman Oscar Under- wood head the list of speakers. delegation received | TIPS FOR BUSY HOUSEWIFE What She Can Find on Bemidji Mar- - ket Saturday and What it Will Cost Her. EGGS 40c; BUTTER 42¢c A POUND Bemidji is feeling the “high cost of living” wave which is sweeping over the country at the present time, eggs and butter being especially ex- pensive. Aside from a slight drop in the price of sugar nearly all commo- dities show increased or steady prices. The best graded eggs are being sold at 40 cents a dozen, and the cold storage variety go a few cents I cheaper. These prices have been the {same for the past several months, and will remain so throughout the season. Creamery butter is now 42 cents a pound, with danger of fur- ther increases within the next few days. The price in sugar, after floating around in the clouds, is decreasing, it being 8 1-2 cents a pound at the present time, which is a drop of one cent within the last month. Merchants expect flour to decline within the next month. White flour is now $1.50 for the 50 pounds, gra- ham or whole-wheat flour the same. Potatoes are selling at 50 cents a bushel. Potato prices having de- creased 12 cents a bushel during the last two weeks in the Chicago mar- kets. Vegetables are to be found at rea- isonable prices. Good sized cabbages may be had at 10 cents and 15 cents, !according to size; carrots and ruta- bagaS'at 50 cents a bushel. As to fruit, there is a bountiful supply. The California oranges in market now, are selling at 40 cents and 50 cents per dozen, according to size. Lemons usually high,-are sel- ling at 40 cents a dozen. Grape fruit are 15 cents each. The price of this fruit is expected to fall a few cents in the coming days. Malaya grapes {are 20 cents a pound, the Catawbas at 30 cents a basket or 6 cents per pound. Apples are splendid and the | varieties include Baldwin, Greening, i the Spy, Jonathan, King, an especial- i1y good sized, sweet tasting apple and {the Wollen Twig, much like the King. They sell at $4 and $5 a bar- rel, or $2 a bushel. The common jcooking apples come by the bulk, of {a mixed variety, and sell at $1 per bushel. Prunes are now 15 cents per pound, their usual price. Grades of coffee have advanced 10 cents a pound the past year, owing to the additional export duty from 5 to 10 cents per pound 1mposed by the i Brazilian government, most of the { coffee here coming from that country. Few fresh vegetables are offered to the buyer now as there is little de- mand for them to bear the expense of shipmnt. Fresh celery will be on the market Saturday at 5 cents a bunch, and fresh le.iuce at 5 cents is to be found at some stores. Spec- ial Christmas shipments of fresh let- tuce, onions, raddishes and celery are expected. MONEY REFORM TALKS LATER President Burke Notified That Meet- i ing is Temporarily Postponed. | Thomas J. Burke, president of the Commercial club, has received word from Curtis L. Mosher, secretary of the Citizen’s League of Minnesota, to the effect that the speakers who were to speak in Bemidji on proposed mon- etary reforms had been delayed but that a program would be prepared for Bemidji as soon as possible. “Mr. Bonynge disappoints us by wiring that his work keeps him in Wash- ington,” writes Mr. Mosher, Mr. Bonynge being one of the currency reform experts who was to speak. Other speakers, however, are expect- ed to come to Minnesota soon. Vancouver Has Largest Rink. Vancouver, B. C., Dec. 15.—With the final completion today of the new Vancouver Arena, this city is able to boast of the largest ice rink in Can- ada. The building seats over 10,000 spectators. 210 feet by 85 feet. Lewis Waller is to arrange for an English produetion of “The Garden of Allah.” Thumb Print May Cause Hanging Springfield, I11.,, Dec. 15.—0One : : of the most important and inter- : : esting cases to come before the : Illinois supreme court in which : the docket call began today, is : : the appeal in the case of Thomas : : Jennings, the negro convicted in : : Chicago and sentenced to death : : for the murder of Charles D. Hil- : : ler, a clerk of the Rock Island : : railroad. Hiller was shot in his : : home on the night of September : : 18, 1910, while defending his : : daughter from an intruder who : : had entered a bedroom window. : : In the scuffle the intruder was : : shot through the hand and in : : making his escape he left bloody : : finger prints on the balcony rail. : : The section of the rail was cut : : out and held by the police to as- : : sist in the identification of the : : murderer. Jennings, an ex-con- : : vict, was arrested on suspicion : : and was convicted of the mur- : : der. His conviction was brought : : about almost wholly by the fing- : : er-print evidence. A day or two : : before he was to be executed his : : attorneys obtained an appeal in : : order to have the supreme court : : pass on the validity of the finger- : : print evidence. It is said to be : x The ice surface measures : the first test case of its kind ever : : carried to the higher courts. iBELTRAMl SHOWS BOOST The total taxable valuation of Bel- trami county for 1911 is $6,199,599, being $2,941 increase over the total taxable valuation of 1910, which was $6,196,658, according to the tax rec- ords on file in the office of County Au- ditor George, the valuations for the two years being as follows: Acreage value for 1910, $3,708,- 506; for 1911, $3,771,570; increase for 1911, 63,064. Lot value for 1910, $1,234,132; for 1911, $1,206,251; decrease for 1911, $27,881. Personal property value for 1910, $1,25\4,02‘.0; for 1911, $1,221,778; decrease for 1911, $32,242. . Total for 1910, $6,- 196,658; for 1911, ..6,199,599. In- jcrease in total for 1911, $2,941. In the list of valuations the tax records gives the city of Bemidji a tax valuation of $1,651,184. Of the villages, Spooner leads, with a valu- ation of $274,905. Baudette is sec- ond with $119,211; Kelliher third, with $113,482; Blackduck fourth, with $85,273. Of the townships, the township of Kelliher leads, with a taxable value of $174,047. This township sur- rounds the village of Kelliher. The town of Northern is second, with $166,458. The town of Northern ad- joins the town of Bemidji, on the north. Summit township is third, with $150,492. Summit township ad- joins the town of Blackduck, east of the village of Blackduck, Nebish township is fourth, with §145,422. Nebish township surrounds the post- office of Nebish, eight miles south of lower Red lake. BEAULIEU CASE ENDS SUDDENLY Judge Morris Throws Charges Out of Court at Fergus Falls. The Beaulieu conspiracy case came {to a sudden end at Fergus Falls. The government rested during the fore- noon and the defense at once moved for a directed verdict in favor of the defendants. George H. Edgerton and C. D. O'Brien argued for the motion and Judge W. A. Norton against it. At the conclusion of the arguments, Judge Morris announced that the mo- tion was granted and Gus H. Beau- lieu, Robert G. Beaulieu, Benjamin L. Fairbanks and J. Leechy walked out of the court room acquitted of charge. “I have a very strong opinion about the Clapp amendment and the man- ner in which it was administered” said Judge Morris, “but that is not the matter-at issue here. The ques- tion is, did these defendants conspire to defraud the government by induc- ing Indians to represent themselves as mixed bloods, and there is no evi- dence to sustain any such charge. The Nichols-Chisholm ILiumber company, which the defendants represented ap- pears to have treated the witnesses fairly and to have paid them good prices for all timber purchased. The defendants’ are discharged.” British Commons Prorogued. London; Dec.. 15:—The House of Commons was prorogued today, and will not resume' its session until the middle of February. Evening Classes for Sewing and Business Cources. 3 SOCI;\L CENTER UP TO PUBLIC ! 1 It.'!s up to the public to say wheth- er the school houses shall be used for evening entertainment and instruc- tion. ! This was the attitude assumed by the board of education at its regular meeting Wednesday evening. As a test of the desire to utilize the school houses after regular school hours, the board decided to establish, immediately following the holidays, a inight school. If there is a demand for the night | schoal it will be continued. The night classes will receive instruction in cooking, sewing, bookkeeping, cor- respondence, arithmetic and other studies harmonizing with practical education. As for throwing open the school houses for public entertainments af- ter ‘the social center plan in such successful operation in other places, and first tried out in Rochester, N. Y., the board felt favorable, provid- ing there was any demand for such an experiment in Bemidji. So far there has been no general expression ‘in favor of such a move and the board members feel that un- less the citizens are enough interest- ed to make their wants known that it would be unwise to assume the ex- pense of such an innovation. |1'!AN'D PAINTED CHINA SALE | Bemidji Women Welcome this Timely Holiday Announcement. Sistce the.Barker Drug and Jewel- ry Sfre made -the announcement that they would conduct ‘five sales on the last five Saturdays before Christmas, many of the citizens of this city have inquired whether this store would place on sale any of the well known Pickard Hand-painted China. After much consideration Mr. Parker decided to_extend this looked for opportunity. He announces for tomorrow a 25 | per cent reduction on his entire stock |of the famous Pickard Hand-painted China. This sale opens at eight o’clock in the morning and closes | with the day’s business. ( i~ To date the sales have been de- cidedly successful and the public rea- lizes that Mr. Barker's sales are gen- uine bargain events. PLEAD FOR LAKE SHORE ROAD Bemidji Men Told by Highway Com- mission to Appear in January. A. P. White and A. G. Wedge, ap- pointed by the Bemidji Commercial club to appear before the state High- way Commission at the capitol in St. Paul, have returned and are enthusi- astic over the prospects of a road be- ing built around Lake Bemidji next spring under the provisions of the Elwell bill. The commissioners in- formed the Bemidji men that the lake shore boulevard petition was on file before them and that it would be considered at the January meeting and suggested that Bemidji have a representative there at that time. Cloquet Cashier Short $2,500. Clouet, Minn., Dec. 15.—Northern Pacific and Great Northern auditors have found Ed. Krook, cashier at the Union freight office here $2,500 short in accounts. The books were check- ed six months ago and the money has been taken since then. Krook ad- mits the shortage and says the mon- ey was spent in dissipation. He has ‘been in office here 11 years. The money was taken. from two railway companies and two express compa- nies. Krook is in the county jail at Carlton. A. H. Knoke Dies Suddenly. A. H. Knoke, who formerly resided in this city for several years, and moved to Thorpe, Wash., about two years ago, died Friday night at Thorpe from a stroke of appoplexy. It cost 1,125 lives to dig Pennsyl- vania coal last year. The inventors who are going to get us our heat di- lrect gmm the sun should hurry up. Bulletin. At 4 o’clock this afternoon, the hearing ended and Edward Gearlds was bound over to await the action of the grand jury, bonds being fixed in the sum of $5,000. Attorney General George T. Simp- son, forced to come from St. Paul to Bemidji on a subpoena issued on be- half of the men whom the state has been prosecuting on arson charges, sat for half an hour in the little mun- icipal court room here this morning, an unwilling, and for the most part silent, witness in the adjourned pre- liminary hearing of Edward Gearlds, charged with having been involved in the attempted burning of a build- ing at Blackduck last March. Attorney George Spear of Grand Rapids, despite the protests of Mr. Simpson, had the attorney general brought here for the apparent pur- pose of showing the state’s connec- tion with A. H. Brandt, also known as Duval and Fisher, who was a wit- ness when the Gearlds hearing first was called several days ago and who at times said he had “been in the employ of the state since September under the direction of the attorney general and state fire marshal. Brandt at that time also swore that he was in Bemidji between March 21 and 23 and was present when Gearlds paid “Boston Blackie” $50 for “the Black- duck job.” Despite every effort on the part of Attorney Spear to draw from the lips of the attorney general the state’s connection with Brandt, against whom a charge of perjury was is- sued following his testimony here and who now is a fugitive from jus- tice, Attorney E. E. McDonald, spec- ial prosecutor in the arson cases, built a line of objections sustained in almost every instance by Municipal Judge H. A. Simons, before whom the hearing is being held. In a vol- ley of questions which included in-! sinuations of official protection and| immunity for Brandt who was held up as a cocaine fiend and ex-convict, | but four questions were answered by, the attorney general. The answers were: “I am attorney general for state of Minnesota.” “My residence is at Winona.” “My brother is county attorney for Winona county.” “I was in Brainerd a week ago last Wednesday.” In vain did the Gearlds endeavor such queries as: “Did Brandt make a statement to you in your office?”’ “Did you see this same man any time last week?”’ “Were you not advised that a war- rant had been sworn out for his ar- rest of a charge of perjury?” “Did you communicate with the po- lice officers of the cities of the state in an effort to apprehend this man in his flight?” “Is it not true that notwithstand- ing knowledge on your part that the arrest of this man was wanted that you didn’t do anything to bring it about?”” “Did you not arrange a parole for Brandt?” “Have you done anything at all to| bring about the arrest of Brandt on | the charge of perjury?” “Do you know of any reason why the state should want to protect Brandt?” “Is there any reason, Mr. Attorney General, why you do not wish to an- swer these questions?” To all this line of queries, Attor- ney McDonald objected on the gen- eral ground that they had nothing to do with the preliminary examina-| tion of Mr. Gearlds on the arson charge; that they were often imper- tinent, foreign to the point at issue and that they were immaterial, ir- relevant, incompetent, and not asked in good faith. Finally Mr. Spear said: “That is all I care to ask the wit- The state had no questions to ask ness at this time.” the attorney gemeral and Mr. Mec- Donald appealed to the court to per- mit his return to St. Paul. “He is here this morning at the ex- pense of his public duties,” said Mr. the attorney for to get replies to 1 |TO TEST NIGHT SCHOOLS| ATTORNEY GENERAL HERE AS GEARLDS st o Bineaion poits o 5egn| \MNNESS BUT GIVES LITTLE TESTIMONY McDonald, “and he feels that it is his duty to return to the capitol at the earliest moment.” To this Attorney Spear sarcasti- cally said: “Well, he has been so accommodat- ing and has furnished us such abun- dant information, that I think myself we ought to let him go.” W. H. Gemmell, general manager of the Minnesota & International railroad was in the court room and : informed the court that he had a special train on which he would car- ry Mr. Simpson south as soon as he was excused and the court told the attorney general he would not longer be needed as a witness. “Goodbye, general,” called out Mr. Spear as the attorney general left the court room, “I will see that you get your witness fees and per diem.” “You needn’t trouble yourself” re- sponded the attorney general. “Maybe the eounty wouldn’t pay it,” interposed Attorney McDonald. “If it doesn’t we’ll have to take it up with the Commercial club.” re- sponded Mr. Spear. Rev. J. T. Moody, pastor of the Presbyterian church at Virginia, Minnesota, followed the attorney gen- eral on the stand and gave testimony directly opposite to that given by the witness Brandt He said at the time Brandt swore he was in Bemidji that he was with him in Duluth. The minister went over the time from March 15 until April 3 and told of the whereabouts of Brandt, who was living with him at the time and was positive that Brandt could not have been in Bemidji on the date he al- leged he witnessed the payment of money by Gearlds for the attempted burning of the Blackduck building. In cross examination Attorney Mc- Donald wanted to know of Rev. Moody how he could happen to be so sure of the exact dates in March when Brandt was with him. Teh wit- ness said that there were certain cir- cumstances which made him positive of Brandt’s presence and finally was permitted to tell what they were. “I remember,” said the witness, “of Brandt’s being in Duluth at the time because he forged two checks, and because he became intoxicated and I took care of him.” The witness told of being in charge of the Bethel society in Duluth for 8 years, and that he had attempted to reform Brandt when he was re- leased from the penitentiary. He |said at one time, after Brandt had been on a drunk, Brandt told him he could not stay in his room unless he had cocaine and that he (Moody) obtained cocaine for him. With the conclusion Rev. Moody’s testimony Court adjourned until 1:30 p. m. At that time the defense called Sheriff Hazen. The sheriff testified that he had received a warrant for the arrest of Brandt on the charge of perjury, and that he had talked with County Attorney Torrance regarding the arrest, and that he had gone to St. Paul on the Wednesday following the Saturday on which he got the warrant to ar- rest Brandt. There was objection to the sheriff telling whether the war- rant charged perjury, but the Court finally permitted the question to be ansewered and the sheriff said “Yes.” The sheriff said he was in St. Paul two days looking for Brandt and that of ‘he had expected to get him at the attorney general's office. “You wasn’t in the attorney gen- {eral’s office on Wednesday afternoon when Brandt was given a ticket to Brainerd and $2 in money, was you?” queried Attorney Spear. Attorney McDonald objected to the question being improper and he was sustained by the Court. Attorney Spear called Attorney McDonald as the next witness for the defense, but he succeeded in getting no more out of Mr. McDonald than he had out of the attorney general. Attorney Thayer Bailey acting with :. McDonald as a special prosecutor in the arson cases objected to nearly every question put by the defense— the questions' being along the same line asked Mr. Simpson—and in prac- tically every instance was sustained by the Court. Finally Attorney Spear gave up, saying, “You have told us all you know about the case, have you Mr. McDonald?” which created a hearty laugh from the crowd which filled the court room. et MINNESOTA HISTORICAL - emaraun .