The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, August 6, 1919, Page 1

IBUNE (pt iene er Steer eae RN! LAST EDITION rep THIRTY-NINTH YEAR, NO. 178. BISMARCK, NORTH DAKOTA WEDNESDAY, AUG. 6, 1919 PRICE FIVE CENTS INSIDE FACTS ANTEDATING BOWEN KILLING SHOW FUTILITY OF BOSS’ CAMPAIGN T0 DISCREDIT LANGER Thorough Investigation Made Revealed Unsavory Condition Which Did Not Redound to Credit of Those Making Complaint— Mortgaged Cattle Mysteriously Disappear—Government Quiz Supports Findings of Thorough Inquiry Made by Attorney General’s Office. Last Thursday evening, July 31, M. K. Bowen, member and worker of the National Nonpartisan league, was shot and killed by Bert Tay- lor, who with D. R. Offley (both leaguers) had called at the Bowen farm near Beach. ‘Since then the Townley kept press has endeavored to discredit Attorney General William Langer, charging that the mur- der Occurred because Langer was negligent in duty, and further charg- ing that he permitted politics to enter the affair and did not conduct The following news story with history of the case investigations, chronogolically reported gives the of the whole affair. the events which transpired previously. in for a roorback. The scenario opens with Assistant ‘Attorney General Albert E. Sheets, Jr. talking: “We have spent nearly $1,000.00. The department of justice of the Unit- ed States government has had a man there for six months because it was considered possible the poisoning of cattle might have been done by those seeking to embarrass the government and shorten the food supply. Paul E. Thuett & Co. of St. Paul, who hold a mortgage on Bowen's cattle have made an analysis. We took the best:speci- mens (Bowen could send but the N. D. Agdicultural college and Dr. Crewe, state veterinarian have examined them and all these sources have failed to find a trace of poison. if you can produce one specimen or one iota of evidence or trace of poison, or that there has been any poisoning we will spend $10,600 of the state’s money get- ting the men who put it out.” Martin Blank, editor of the Town- ley paper at Beach, had called at the attorney general's office and made in- sinuations that the department was ignoring the cattle poisoning condi- dition in the Golden Valley county ranching district. He threatened to “show up Langer” if something was not done. His visit was early in May and was made after M. K, Bowen (who was shot and Killed last week iby ‘Bert Taylor) had made charges that politics had entered into the affair. The above statement was the answer he got. Reads Like Real Wild West. Examination of the records of the case and the incidents which culmin- ated last Thursday in murder, pro- duce a story that'reads like a wild west story in the cheaper fiction mag- azines. There.are crooks and cattle rustlers who might. well be wearing the black flowing mustaches of the movie bad. man; ranchers who toted gats and rifles and who made great threats of killing each other; a situa- tion where “someone will shoot first and straight;” financial backers in the background who were losing money; detectives and dead cattle; not to say anything about a political fight where- in the State Boss endeavored and is endeavoring to “get” the young attor- ney general's hide. To the west there is a great expanse of fertile luxuriantly grassed rolling land ideal for cattle raising where the only break is the division line be- tween !Montana and North Dakota. Carlyle and Ollie, Mont., Golva and Beach, N. D., have risen from the foundational success of the ranchers. To this land of success came M. K. Bowen from Iowa. He entered into the cattle business, leased consider- able land and was fairly successful. Then he: plunged on a big scale, ‘bought more stock and became heav- ily indebted to Paul EB, Thuett & Co., St. Paul, who held mortgages on his cattle, Taylor Former Employe. He employed on his ranch one Bert Taylor. Now his murderer. Just as in the movie plots, there was a rival rancher and his name was D. R. Offley, now held for conspiracy in murder charges. Differences arose over the range and stock which soon developed into a feud between Bowen and Offley. In the spring of 1919, Bowen came to Bismarck. He charged that Offley was trying to put him out of busi- ness. He related various incidents to the attorney general. Then he re- turned home and shortly afterwards he reported the death of another cow, presumably by poisoning. Bowen's Story. Assistant Attorney General Albert E. Sheets, Jr., was sent to Beach and met Bowen there, and the latter re- lated a wild west tale which is em- bodied in the report of Bowen's side of the case made by Sheets, filed with Mr. Langer March 19, and which was in part as follows: “fhe fall of 1917, Offley made threats to put Bowen out of business. In the spring of 1918, Bowen lost 112 head of cattle through poisoning. He notified the, United States depar:ment of justice at Fargo, and an investi- gation was started which resulted in no poisoning evidence. The United States officials believed it possible that German agents were endeavor- ing to embarrass the government and diminish the food supply during war time. “Mr. Bowen told me that he had ex- amined the stomachs of various ani- mals and found they were completely burned away. In some cases the sec- ond stomach was hard and crisp and the inner walls of the intestines and the mucuous membrane so decompos- ed by the particular form of poison- ing used that it peeled off in shreds similar to noodles. “I would call attention to the fact that this story did not coincide with the report of the United States agents who could find no trace of poison. Taylor and Offley Confer. “Bowen declared that during this time (the spring of 1918), one Bert Taylor was working for him. Taylor and D. R. Offley had many confer- ences together of a secret nature and (Continued on Page Six.) This article does not deal with the murder but facts as gleaned from the records It lets Governor Frazier AMERICAN PLAN FOR LEAGUE NOT EVEN PRESENTED Secretary Lansing Admits That Text Was Withheld From French by Wilson THE SHANTUNG PROVISION Made to Produce Open-Door Pol- icy in China, Declares Diplomatic Chief Washington, D. C., Aug. 6.—Secre- tary Lansing told the senate foreign relations committee today that the American plan for a league of nations was “not pressed” at Versailles and never was presented to the full peace) conference. The secretary appearing at a public hearing of the committee said he did not know, whether a copy of the Amer- ican text still was in existence. He presumed, he said, that the draft was made by president Wilson and added that a copy might still be in; the President's possession. Discussing the Shantung provision ‘of’ the! treaty, ‘Secrctary Lansing ‘said the Lansing-ichi pact made to obtain by Japan the approval of the open door policy in China was entered into by the American government with- out the knowledge of the secret treaty between Japan and her allies for a transfer of German possession in Shantung in China. Wilson Asked Secrecy. Mr. Lansing said it was true that President Wilson had cabled the peace dential minutes of the proceedings of the commission on the league of nations be not furnished to the French senate. Secretary Lansing said he person- ally would oppose fuprnishing the senate a copy of the transcript for the discussion ‘before the league of nations section of the peace confer- ence on the general principle it m‘ght prove “irritating” to other nations. CORN JUMPS WHEN PRICE OF WHEAT IS MADE SECURE Boost of 9 1-4 Cents Per Bushel Recorded on Chicago Board Today Chicago, Ill, Aug. 6.—An instantane- ous upward jump of 4 1-2c to 9 1-4ea bushel was the response of the corn market to the announcement that the government would maintain the guar- anty of $2.26 on the price of wheat. Wildness to buy was as evident today as the overwhelming rush to sell on previous days. New soaring of prices extended to other commodities and corn. Oats quick- ly shot skyward 2 cents to 51-4 cents, lard 65 cents a hundredweight and perk $1.60 a barrel. NORTHERN PACIFIC LAND HOLDERS WILL PAY BIG MONEY TAX Attorney General Certifies to Various Counties More Than Million The Northwestern Improvement Co., which is composed of officials of the Northern Pacific Railroad Co. who took over the lands granted the rail- way by the government and who later disposed of them to speculators and others, will pay taxes in North Dakota under the moneys and credits act on $1,242,672.27. Attorney General Langer yesterday notified the. county auditors of the following counties to place on the as- sessment rolls the amounts noted: Grant, $328,931.28; Morton, $3,- 108.43; Hettinger, $8,710.36; ‘Stark, $°7,936.42. Slope, $7,965.81; Billings, $210,992.52; Golden Valley, $129,- 786.15; Dunn, $136,728.18; McKenzie, $387,125.17; Oliver, $1,361.40. These amounts represent the sums due the Northwestern Improvement Co. on contracts for the sale of these ‘lands in the several counties named. commission requesting that the confi-| © FARGO SHOPMEN STILL AT WORK; STRIKE SPREADS No Walk-out Called by Officials of Gate City District; Trains All Run MANY POINTS AFFECTED Workers Quit in Minnesota, Wis- consin, North Dakota, Mon- tana, Washington Fargo, N. D. Aug. 6—No strike has been called by the railroad shop- men of the Fargo district, but organ- ization leaders have been asked for instructions for holding the strike bal- lot which local unions have been no- tified will be conducted by the shop- men. The threatened strikes have not in- terfered with the operation of the transcontinental lines running thru Fargo, off'cials of the railroads stat- ed last night. Officians of the shopmen’s union in the Northern Pacific shops in Dil- worth, Minn., stated last night that notification had ‘been recetved that a strike vote would be taken, but no instructions had been received as to the time or method of taking the vote. B. M, Jewett, chairman of the executive committee of the American Federation of Labor, which is repre- senting the shopmen in Washngion. has ‘been wired for instructions, and is expected to answer today. A strike in the Dilworth shops will hold up repairs on rolling stock thru the ter- minal, and affect 100 car men and 50 machinists . ‘OUT AT MANY POINTS. ‘St. Paul, Aug. 6.—Railroad shop- men at many points throughout the northwest today joined the 8,000 shopmen on strike in the twin cities. |. Northern Pacific shopmen at Billings, Helena and Livingston, Mont., and Jamestown, N. D., quit work today on orders received from union head- quarters in St. Paul. ‘Strikes of northwestern employes at several points in South Dakota were reported. Virtually all railroad shop crafts in the Duluth territory are tied up and employes on the Great Northern railway ore docks at Super- ior have given their employers until tomorrow night to grant wage de- mands. ‘Northern Pacific shopmen at Sta- ples, Minn., refused to go out until orders came from national headquar- ters, but 1,300 quit at Brainerd. The Northwesternshops at Winona were tied up today. The Sopmen’s union headquarters last night gave out a list of places in the northwest where, they said, all shopmen have quit: Minnesota: Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Brainerd, Proctor, Two Har- bors, ‘St. James, Willmar. Wisconsin: Superior, Ashland, Spooner, Altoona, Fond du Lac, Itas- a. North Dakota: Devils Lake, Mi- not, Jamestown. Montana: Great Falls, Cutbank, Butte, Havre, Helena, Whitefish, Wolf Point, Eowen, Livingston. Washington: Spokane, Everett, Seattle, Hillyard. Officials of all the transcontinentai railways passing thru the,twin cities held a meeting to discuss the situa- tion in the offices of the Chicago, St Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha railroad late here today. No efforts have yet been made to replace the striking workmen. The striking shopmen of the twin cities met in Minneapolis last night tc discuss their wage demands. A. F. Whitney, vice president of the broth- erhood of railway trainmen, address- ed the meeting. PACIFIC FLEET IS BEING MOBILIZED San Diego, Calif, Aug. 6—The Pa- cific fleet under command of Admiral Ilugh Rodman is being assembled at a rendezvous off the Mexican coast, seventeen miles south of San Diego, Farmers Threaten to Hold Products to Thwart Strike Indianapolis, Aug. 6—In a telegram to President Wil- son, the Indiana Federation of Farmers Association rep- resenting more. than 100,000 farmers, sent “veiled threats of a revolution” and declared that if the railroad strike continues, it seriously con- sidered advising all its mem- bers to hold all farm prod- ucts until the strike ends. STRICKEN ENEMY Demands Served Upon Hungary Said to Be Far in Excess of Armistice Plan FEAR FATE OF NEW REGIME °. BANK OF DAKOTA HAS $4,068,948 IN QUICK ASSETS Resources of State Institution Swelled $2,000,000 by Bond Purchase RESERVE ACCOUNTS LARGE Two Hundred Thousand in North Dakota; $300,000 Carried in Twin Cities Swelled by the receipt of the $2,000,- 000 representing the purchase price of its own state bonds, bought by the bank with its own deposits, the footings of the Bank of North Dakota at the close of business last night stood at $4,068,- 948.386, making this state institution one of the biggest financial repositories in the state. Public funds represented in certifi- cates of deposit aggregated $175,800; redeposits of public funds were $901,- 26; funds in transtt were $233,- The bank carries approximate- 00,000 with repository banks in the pital city and Fargo, and it now lias a reserve of $300,000 with Twin City banks, with which it is desired to. es- tablish reciprocal ‘relations, providing, as one Bank of North Dakota official put it, “these banks play the game on the square.” Overthrow of Recently Created Government May: Mean More Chaos for Country Paris Aug. 6.—The Rumanians have served an ultimatum on the Hungariay government, according to messages reaching the peace conference, The ultimatum, it is stated, makes demands far in excess of the armistice terms and give the Hungarians until 8 a. m. today to comply with them, It is greatly feared in conference cir- cies that the Rumanian action will re- sult in the overthrow of the new Hgn- garian government, French circles state that the Rumanian army is not under the command of Marshal Foch, the allied commander in chief, the Ruma- nian general refusing to accept orders from the French, Must Reduce Army. In their ultimatum the Rumanians demand reduction of the Hungarian army to 15,000 men and surrender of 50 per cent of the harvest animals and farm machinery and 50 per cent of the railway supplies. ‘The ultimatuny which was forwarded to Paris also demands a large propor: tion of the Danube shipping and equip- ment and supplies for an army of 300,- (0 men together with rations for the Rumanian forces pending a peace set tlement. REQUISITION CARS. Budapest, Tuesday, Aug. 5.—Ruma- nigen military authorities have requisi- tioned all automobiles here, including those of the Hungarian ministers, Gen- eral Holban, of the Rumanian army, has been appointed commander of the zity und has ordered that the red guard police be disarmed. Tramears were stopped at 8 o’clock in the evening. A few workmen who were unable to re turn home at night have been shot while attempting to pass a Rumanian The Bank of North Dakota now has| petrol. a staff of about fifty people whom it is working overtime until midnight every | day. os catch | tv the necessity of feeding Rumanian ess, The| soldiers quartered here, day in the week in an effo) up with its transit b e bank’s fixtures arrived’ today? and the big room in the Missouri Valley Motor building which provides the institution with a temporary home fast is taking on an atmosphere of: bi tixtures are all of mahogany; and. ma- hogany veneered partitions set off the various private offices from the princi- pal counting room, A French regiment is arriving here There is a food shortage due BOLSHEVIKS SUPPRESSED. Trieste, by the Associated Press, Aug. 3—A group of Bolshevik appeared on ness. The |.she streets here today and attempted to start rioting. ‘The disturbers, however, were dispersed by police with the as- sistance of the population. As a result “f the demonstration 700 arrests were The equipment used in posting, book-} made. keeping and transit work is of the most modern type available. The book- «eeping machines, adding machines and other twentieth century devices are op- erated with individual electric motors, and there is every facility for the ex- seditious and ‘accurate handling of the “remendous amount of business which ‘the bank expects to conduct. No farm Joans have actually been made, but the bank has a number of applications on hand, and appraisals aow are being made. MEXICAN REBEL LEADER QUITS Guillermo Meixueiro Surrenders With Seven Chiefs Mexico City, Tuesday, Aug. 5.—Un- official reports received here today that Guillermo Meixueiro, a rebel leader, 0 has been carrying on an insurrec- sion in the state Oaxaco for more than five years, has surrendered with seven ef his principal lieutenants, There has been no confirmation. of the rumor. SMALL HAIL LOSSES. - The state hail insurance depart- ment yesterday was advised of slight ‘ya!l losses in Oliver county and near Menoken, in Eurleigh county, the first of the week. IN RUSSIA: WHERE THE CZAR DIED STEELE MAN SAYS HE WAS PAID $500 TOMAKEGETAWAY Minneapolis, Minn., Aug. 6.—Alfred Potts, swindled out of $1,000 by a fake horse race wire tapping scheme in Min- neapolis, July 10, who failed to appear before the grand jury July 29, today was taken to St. Paul to see if he could find two men he said had given him $500 and spirited him out of the city. Thomas Gleason, investigator for County Attorney W. M. Nash, and De- tectives A. E. Crummey and L. C. Glarum accompanied Potts on his trip to St. Paul. They had learned, they said, that just prior to the last session cf the grand jury two men had taken Potts by motorcab to St. Paul, where $500 was handed him. The motorcab later was traced to St. Cloud, where, it is said, the men placed Potts aboard a train and sent him to Steele, N. D. “We'll bring the other $500 Co you,” Potts said they told him. At Steele he was found Saturday, and from there brought back to Min- teapolis. The Hennepin county grand jury will meet Aug. 11. Potts has promised to remain Within reach of the county attorneys’ office until the grand jury acts upon the complaint sworn to by Potts that John Christianson, out on $5,000 bail, is one of the three men who he alleges swindled him, EKATERINBURG.—This is the house in Ekaterinburg where the former czar of Russia and his entire family were killed by the Bolsheviki. Peggy Hull, Newspaper Enterprise Association staff correspondent, who brought this picture, found undisputable evidence of these murders, that of a tutor who:was with the ex-czar’s family up to the time of their death and the evidence in the hands of a Czech general who when the picture was taken made this house his headquarters, /RUMANIANS MAKE\INDUSTRIAL FREEDOM MUST BE VHARD TERMS FOR} RESTORED TO AMERICA, CHIEF OF RAIL ENGINEERS DECLARES Stone Declares Autocratic Control Must Cease—Wages Under Present System Bear No Relation to Cost of Living—Labor, He Asserts, Is as a Group Prevented From Bettering Its Lot-— Stands for Public Ownership of Carriers, Washington, Aug. 6.—Labor now demands that America be- come the home of industrial freedom as it has become a land of political freedom Warren S. Stone, ‘grand chief of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, said today in appearing before the house interstate commerce committee in support of the demand for public ownership and operations of railroads. Declaring that American democracy was controlled by an autocracy in industry, Mr. Stone argued there should be no lower- ing of the cost of living as long as consumers had to pay exhorbi- tant profits on their own earnings in purchasing the necessity of life. Labor’s belief in the Sims bill embodying the railroad em- ployes plan for solution of the railroad problem was declared by Mr. Stone to be profound. In this plan, he said, the workers raised the banner of democ- racy and advanced to “a new crusade with the faith of pilgrims.” MERRY FIGHT ON QUESTION OF OUR STATE FINANCES Townley Men Claim Kositzky Is Throwing Monkey Wrenches Into Machinery IMPEACHMENT THREATS More Talk of Filing Charges Against State Official Be- fore Legislature The state of North Dakota is practi- cally broke, with only $2,000 in its gen- eral fund, The state of North Dakota is not broke—it has more than $400,000, the largest amount in years, in its general fund. fi State officials will go without their salaries for the next three or four months, and current accounts will be allowed to slide... « State officials and employes will re- ceive their salaries promptly, and the state will meet her bills when due. The state has no source of funds; collections at this time of year are al- most nil; there’s no solution for North Dakota’s present difficulties, The state has back of it the Bank of North Dakota, with the authority and the funds to finance the state govern- ment, if necessary. Everything’s love- ly, except for this man Kositzky, Well have to look into his case, He's throw- jug monkey wrenches in the machinery. There we have the anti-Townley and the Townley views of North Dakota’s present financial situation. State Auditor Kositzky insists the state is within $2,000 of being broke, this very moment. He declares that to- Gay he found it necessary to cycel $13,000 of warrants already issued, ‘Che people to Whom these warrants would have been paid must wait, he says. Fortified with an opinion from ‘ae attorney general, to whom he appe#.ed for advice, the state auditor today transferred from the general fund $75,- 000 to the state hospital for the in- sene, $8,800 to the institution for the feeble-minded, and $2,000 to the tuber- culosis sanitarium., These funds are represented in fees paid by the several counties for the maintenance of charges at. these institutions. Heretofore they have been retained in the general fund until the institutions found need for them, and salaries and other expenses have been paid from them during the simmer months. Convinced that this practice was illegal, the state auditor yesterday appealed to the attorney gen- eval for his opinion, and Mr. Kositzky was informed that the law supported the stand he had taken. The transfers were therefore made; $13,000 in war- rants already issued were canceled, and (Continued on Page Three.) GRAND FORKS GIRL GOES TO JAMESTOWN INSANE HOSPITAL Confessed Pyromaniac Blamed for Many Fires to Receive State Treatment Grand Forks, N. D., Aug. 6.—That Miss Ruth Erickson of Grand Forks, confessed: pyromaniac, is a proper per- son for treatment at the State Hospital for the Insane at Jamestown, was the Cecision reached by the county insanity board at an adjourned meeting held in the court house this afternon. Miss Erickson has been committed to the hospital and will be taken there ws soon as a representative reaches the city who will accompany her to Jamestown, This closes, for the time being, one of the most sensational cases that has arisen here in years. Miss Erickson was arrested and charged with sending fake fire alarms to the fire department and in following up the fake alarms it was brought out that she was con- nected with various fires in this com- munity, The whole affair culminated in a signed confession of Miss Erickson ad- mitting that she set a series of thirteen fires in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks covering a period of two years. Wages All Consumed “For whatever the worker re- ceives in wages,” Mr. Stone said, “he must spend for the necessity of life. In addition he is always compelled to pay the employer an excessive profit on his own wages. “The cost of his living is de- termined by the sum he earns plus the profits he is charged on his own labor. And as a group labor is forever prevented from bettering its lot because of the profits exacted by the employe, the hope of a finer life is never realized. So long as consumers are forced to pay exhorbitant profits on their own earnings to a third interest there is no solu- tion to the industrial problem. Dominating Interest “We find that this third in- terest absolutely controls and dominates the management of industry. It fixes the wages and controls the working conditions. It fixes the price of commodities without regards of the needs of society or the necessity of pro- ducers or consumers. We have a democratic form of ‘govern= ment but an autocratic control of industry.” EVERYONE TAKES BIG PROFIT OUT OF SHOE-TRADE Government Discovers Why Pedal Wear Is Costing So Much Money Washington, D. C., Aug. 6.—The high price of shoes was declared to be due to excessive profits taken by every fac- tor in the shoe production industry in a report by the federal trade commis- sion to congress made public today. ‘Ihe packers were charged with be- ginning the pyramiding of prices by unwarranted increase in price of hides, the supply of which they are said to control. On top of this increase, it was charged, the tanners have taken “exceptional profits,” while the shoe manufacturers have demanded “un- usual market” and retailers have charged prices that are “not justifia- ble.” The commission reports covering the four-year period from 1914 to 1918 is a result of an exhaustive inquiry begum more than a year ago, it was sald, EQUALIZERS WILL MEET AGAIN FRIDAY TO DISCUSS TAXES Board Compelled to Adjourn Yesterday for Lack of County Returns The state board of equalization, fol- lowing a brief session Tuesday, when it met as required by law, adjourned until Friday morning to await devel- opments. As a result of the confu- sion in tax statutes which allows county auditors until the last Monday in August to get their returns in, there were very few reports from counties for the board to work upon yesterday. August 26 has been set as the date for hearing county auditors. Tax Com- missioner Wallace urged that tax as- sessors from each county also be called in. State Auditor Kositzky dis- sented, claiming this a needless ex- pense, but the Wallace motion pre- vailed. August 27, 28 and 29 will be set aside for the hearing of indlivdual complaints, of which it is anticipated there will be an abundance, JOHNNY BULL GOING AFTER PROFITEERS London, Aug. 6.—Great Britain, pro- poses to establish a central authority to deal with profiteering, it was ay- nounced by Sir Auckland Geddes, min- ister of reconstruction, in the house of commons today, - < ES carat