Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, December 23, 1905, Page 1

a» ‘ * Napids Vou XIIIL—No, 26 G RAND Rapips, Irasca CounTy, MINN., SatuRDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1905. Last Days of Toyland Our showing of Holiday Goods is still in good shape for your selection of gifts for the little folks, No use trying to tell you of all of them—you must see for The children have been looking at them for a couple of weeks—and yourselves. everyone has selected something that is wanted. You you want at the right price this year, . In Mechanical Toys there is nothing that pleases a boy better than an engine or a mechanical toy of some kind, We have them, Engines tbat run by steam of all sizes; this { will please every boy no matter how old he is— | even his fatber himself can play withthemat | times—and we have them atall prices from.......-.. 75c to $8 Never-stop See-Saw Never-stop See-Saw,amuses old and young alike, small- est child can operate it, is nimost perpetual motion. 50c each. Games— Gawes of all kinds for chil- dren of al) ages, fron the 3- pear-old to the three score wardrobe— at, each, from... and ten. Card games here at be and 10¢. Puzzles, Sliced Animals, Authors, Checkers, Bean Bags, etc., 10¢, 15¢, 25¢, 35¢ and 50c. Toy Dishes— Toy Dishes in profusion of styles in pewter, tin aud china; prices run from 10c to $4 50 a set. Doll Folding Go-Carts— Doll Folding Go-Carts are all the rage this vear, and we have av abuudant selec- tion in various styles—so all can be suited—at from 50c to $5 each. Japanese Orna- mented B xes— The new ware put out in such profusion by the Japs during the war period—and such jow prices that you will wonder how it can be done. We haye a very large assort- ment of beautiful and ed ~all with locks and av from 25¢e to $2 each. Perfumes, Gift Books, Cz dies and Nuts, Guntt Specialties, Handkerchiefs, Comb and Brush Sets, Bibles, Prayer Buoks, Copyrighted Books, Novelties, Fancy Col- lars, Neckties, etc. Toy Trunks—tThe greatest values to be had, just like the large ones used—and all nicely finished and fitted. are sure to find just what The real thing for the doll’s ....50c to $1.50 Make Your Friends Happy—If You Buy Here Our Prices Will Make You Happy, Too. Itasca Mercantile Company —As there are a lot of things you'll be sure to want Xmas tume and everybody is buying them, In the hardware line we never were so well fixed for Xmas as now. We have Roasting Pans and other Tin -Ware for cooking with, carpet sweepers tu make rooms as neat as wax, and dozens of other things you want and can’t do without. Get them now and have them ready. WJ&HD POWERS 4 SLEWSVSIVSVSLSLVSSSISS SISSIES #* Pioneer MeatMarket | THOMAS FINNEGAN, Prop. Fresh and Salt Meats We Carry Onty the Best that Can be Had. Our Special Brands of CANNED GOODS are the best offered to the public. Poultry. Game, Etc. Butter. Eggs. Cheese. THOS. FINNEGAN "op osite Bostottice. t The Palace Restaurant DAVE CHAMBERS, Proprietor, When you can’t get what you want to eat at Dave Chambers’ ‘Palace Res- taurant” it’s because the markets don’t keep it. The Sunday Dinner £ Is always preparetl” with the idea of pleasing pat- rons .who remember the good things at home on Feast days, 0.4... 5s ae DAVE CHAMBERS, Prop. Leland Ave., Grand Rapids. LANDS. Farm, Timber and Meadow Lands in Itasca, Aitkin, Cass. Crow Wing, Lake, St. Louis, Cook and all northern counties. Send for free map of Minnesota. with full list of lands and descriptions of northern Minnesota. Prices—%% to 815 per acre. Easy terms. 6 per cent. Will exchange clear lands for mortgaged or foreclosed Farmenge care Send in full riptions of your pro| erty Walt se ecanPtor Pine and Hard- wood timber lands. Want good retail agents in all parts of the northwest. W. D. Washburn, Jr. 201 Guarantee Bid’g, Minneapolis, Minn, | WR, SPEAR’S REVENGE | GETS IT ON GEO. H. PFREMMER AT ITASCA COUNTY’S EXPENSE, ONE OF MANY PERSECUTIONS The Story as Related by Mr. Pfremmer Shows the Prosecuting Atturney to Be Utterly Unfit for Position Which He Holds. One of the cases tried in district court this week was that of the State of Minnesota vs. Geo. H. Pfremmer, a Nashwauk business man. The case was called, a jury empaneled and the state's witnesses examived, and then Mr. Spear, county attorney, moved that the case be dismissed and the ac- cused be released from bonds. The court promptly acted upon the sug- gestion. The case was one in which Mr. Pfremmer was charged with the offense of selling liquor without a license at what is known as the Great Northern camps pear Nash- wauk, Spearalleged that the defend- ant was guilty of the offense charged, inasmuch as he had supplied liquor to the party that conducted the place, one ArthurGreen. Green and Pfrem- mer were arrested on September 16 last. Green has been in jail since that time, while Mr. Pfremmer was released on bonds. Green pleaded guilty to the charge, and was to be Speer’s principal witness against Ptremmer. Frank F. Price was the latter’s attorney. In the cross ex- amination of Green Mr. Price at- tempted to show that Green had been promised immunity from prosecution if he gave evidence against Pfrem- mer. The fact, however, could not be established, as Green denied it. There was no evidence introduced that would connect Mr. Pfremmer with the place except that he had sold liquor to Green just as any wholesaler would have done. When the state bad exhausted its supply of ‘withesses no Case had been estab- lished against the defendant and a dismissal followed as stated. above. Several wituesses were examined. The alleged cause of this prosecution and the big expense that was neces- sarily incurred to the taxpayers of the county is best related by Mr. Pfremmer himself: “T am chairman of the board of supervisors of the township of Nash- wauk, and have been for two years past,” said he, “and Mr. Spear’s prosecution of me may be traced to our official relations in the past. Spear had been retained to act as township attorney ata salary of $300 per year. He received the same yearly salary from the village of Nashwauk, making $600 in all. During that time there were a number of blind pigs running at different places in the township, and the good citizens generally were constantly kicking to the board to take action sgainst them and drive them out of business. Several times we called Mr. Spear’s attention to the matter and finally he took action. He was fierce. He had notices printed and mailed to the township clerk together with in- structions to serve them on any per- sons suspected of violating the liquor laws by selling without a license. On these notices was a threat to prose- cute unless the\suspects ceased the illicit traffic. The idea was so ridicu- lous and the motive so transparent that I did not hesitate to tell Mr. Spear what I thought of his methods as a prosecutor’ These notices. he ‘\directed, should be signed by the authorities of the township. In this way, I suppose, he expected to be re= leased of all responsibility. and there- by would make no enemies of the elusive ‘piggers’ that might count against him when election day came around. His contemptible tactics had a tendency to obliterate our friendly relations. “Again, we needed a township road and found that it was necessary to get an easement from the Great Northern railway company of certain lands in order to establish a legal highway. This wo did. Mr. Spear appeared before the board and ad- vised us that 1t was the county’s busi- ness to get the easement, and that we should return the instrument to the company. By so doing, he ad- vised us, the county would be com- pelled to maintain the road after we had built it. We followed his advice and the instrument was returned to the railway company. Spear returned vo Grand Rapids and took action to prevent the payment of work done on Two Douuars A YEAR. the road because no right-of-way had been secured. This dirty trick was another cause of widening the breach between us. “Another cause was in relation to the issuance of bonds by the township of Nashwauk, The people desired to issue $15,000 in bonds for road ims provements. ‘The matter was turned over to Mr. Spear to handle through- out so that there would be no legal technicalities to interfere with the issue when the bonds were ready for sale. He delayed the matter for months and we were unable to get any satisfaction out of him or to even get the papers out of his possession. Finally we told Mr. Spear that unless he teok prompt action his salary would be witheld. This seemed to stir him up and he turned over the papers. When the bonds were offered for sale on his preparation no bond buyers would have anything to do with them because of the manner in which they had been prepared by Spear. This caused more trouble, and as chairman of our township board I had most of the trouble. It was necessary to put the matter into the hands of a competent attorney, and the whole matter had to be gone over again. This caused an addi- tional big expense to the township that we did not take kingly to. By this time Mr. Spear was my avowed enemy and eyidently took advantage of his official position to put me to all the trouble, expense and disgrace that he possibly could in order to get even with me. On the 16th of last September he caused my arrest on the charge of which I have just been acquitted by the court. It was Saturday night when I was brought over here. I had plenty of money with me and offered a cash bond for my release. This was denied, and I was forced to put in two nights and Sunday in the county jail. Spear was getting even with a vengeance. But he could not keep me in after Monday, because I was prepared to furnish bonds in any amount that might be required. Spear knew from the start that he had no evidence against me, but he was ‘persecuting,’ as they say, and probably he feels that it was county money well spent while he was taking me away from my business, making me disgorge to my attorney and witnesses, sui the people may not agree with him. “A matter that I would like to have you correct is the statement made some time ago by Spear’s paper, the Independent, that I was the party who wrote to Governor Van Sant two or three ago asking him to cause an investigation into the law- lessness of Nashwauk at that time. I wish to brand this as an infamous falsehood. I never wrote to Van Sant and 1 have repeatedly proven this fact, but still there are those who wish to brand me as the man who tried to give his own town a black eye.” Mr. Pfremmer expressed a regret that he was not permitted to put his witnesses on the stand. If he had done so, he said, Mr. Spear would have listened to some testimony that he would not care to nave made public. APROFITABLE TERM PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF GRAND RAP- IDS MAKE EXCELLENT PROGRESS. NEW FEATURES INTRODUCED Savings Bank Department Proves that the Innovation Was Well Received —Commercial Course and Night School New Departures. The public schools of Grand Rapids closed yesterday for the noliday sea- son. Teachers and pupils will enjoy a two weeks’ vacation, resuming work on the 8th of January. Since the opening of the term in September last the schools have made unusual progress and every department has moved along with regulation aad good order. At the beginning of the school year an attempt was made ty enlarge the scope and usefulness of the schools. Yo that end a School Savings bank was established, a commercial High schoo! course was introduced, and a night school started. It is gratifying to note that of these enterprises two show greater promise than was an- ticipated for them. At once the business course appealed to many of the boys and girls who were inclined to leave school, and especially has it Continued on Fifth Page. ‘THE GOUNCIL MEETS DISCUSSES ELECTRIC LIGHT AND WATER AUCOUNTS. SUPT. GARRIS GETS ORDERS To Nip Connections of Parties Who Re- fuse or Fail to Pay for Services Rendered—Village Books Still Locked Up. The village council held a meeting Wednesday evening at which all members were present. Recorder Graffam had prepared the minutes of several previous meetings as best he could with the assistance of Councii- man Becker. Some of the past trans- actions of the-council had not been fully recorded or had been lost, and hence it was a rather difficult matter to satisfactorily prepare an official journal. However, Mr. Graffam had a very complete report under the cir- cumstances and the minutes were adopted as read with two or three amendments. The minutes of one meeting had been prepared by Mr, Freeman, Mr. Spear’s $10,000 expert, to whom the books of former Re- corder McAllister had been turned over for inspection. It was the most laughable and ridiculous document that could possibly be presented bear- ing on the subject. In making a special effort to say something that. would reflect on McAllister the ex- pert laid great and repeated emphasis on the fact that the former recorder was unable to tell the council to what- fund certain moneys should be cred- ited, and this ip the face of the fact that the books were then, and had been for several days, in the hands of Mr. Freeman aud could not be seen. by the recorder. The council passed the Freeman report up without com- ment except to instruct the recorder to put it in proper shape for record. The council has concluded to put all consumers of electri¢ light on the meter system beginning February 1. This is a matter that bas occasioned no small amount of discussion by the: council and taxpayers generally. The- flat rate system became very popular during the year 1904, and it seemed that it was only necessary for a cus= tomer to do a certain amount of kick- ing in order to have his meter cou- demned and secure a flat rate. This plan was carried on to such an extent that about half the consumers in the village were using electricity without stint on arate that has proved to be a losing proposition to the taxpayers. This system is to be changed and every consumer will pay for just what he gets. 1t has also been resolved that users of village electricity and village water must pay their bills or yet off the trolley. Heretofore the village has accumulated a large number of de- linquents on its books and these ac- counts must be paid at once or elec- tric and water supplies will be shut off peremptorily. If this rule had been enforced in the past the Herald-Re— view would not now be drawing inter- est on money that rightfully belongs to the village. _ The meter system and the monthly settlement system are both com- mendable and should be rigidly ea- forced in every instance. The yillage books, which had been turned over to Freeman, have not yet been returned and it begins to look as though they are to remain for an indefinite period in Freeman’s truok, and Freeman is in Wisconsin on a va- cation. When Recorder Graffam called at the county treasurer's office, where J, S. soleand Freeman have been keepiuy the village records, and requested that he be given the books that he needed in connection with the issuance of cerlain liquor licences, he was informed by Mr. Gole that the books were locked in Mr. Freeman’s trunk and could not be produced until the expert returned. It ap- pears that the council and the village attorney are up against the imperious mandate of the county attorney and they must await his pleasure to pro- ceed with the next order of business, Those who are competent to know say that, three days’ work by one ac-. countant would post. the books up to date, and yet they have now been in the hands of two men for four weeks, at what expense nobody knows, and still cannot be surrendered to the proper authorities. Bring your raw furs to Ben Levy— adjoining Hotel Pokegama. The highest cash price paid for raw furs,