Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, April 26, 1911, Page 1

bow Minn Historical Bos. et PAUL Braud Rapids Herald-Neview. MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY. VoL. XXL—No, 43 GRAND RapipDs, IrascA County, MINN., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, t9It LOGGING FOREMAN MEETS FOUL PLAY Vincent Murphy Found Dead in the Woods Near Stanley With Two Bullet Holes in Back. VINCENT WOOD HELD AS SUSPECT Arrested By Sheriff Riley, Brought to Grand Rapids and Lodged in Jail—Hearing Thurs- day Afternoon. Vincent Murphy, of Minneapolis, a jogging foreman in the employ of the International Logging Co., was found dead in the woods near Stan- ley Friday morning with two bullet holes in the back. Sheriff Riley and Coroner Russell immediately went to the scene of the crime and Vin- cent Wood was arrested as a sus- pect on a charge of having caused Murphy’s death. The body was tak- en to Herreid Bros.’ ; undertaking rooms at Deer River and Wood was lodged in the county jail to await examination. Stanley is a small logging town, in Wirt township, on the banks of the Bigfork river and Wood and his sister-in-law, Ella Wood, conduct- éd a boarding house and saloon, the only one in town. Vincent Murphy, whose home was in Minneapolis, came up on Monday to take charge of the logging operations of the In- ternational Logging Co. and while waiting for supplies for the spring drive, the wanigan was tied up at Stanley and Murphy and his clerk, Zade Cochran, took up quarters at the boarding house. On Wednesday evening two shots were heard in the woods near by, but nothing was thought of the mat- ter at that time. Zade Cochran oc- eupied the room adjoining that oc- eupied by Wood and the woman, on- ly a thin board partition dividing them, and later in the evening, ac- cording to the story he tells, he heard Woods enter the adjoining room. Ella Wood soon questioned that no one need be afraid of you.” He still maintained he had “fixed” Murphy, but the woman evidently took no stock in his story. The con- tinued absence of Murphy alarmed the men employed and it was thought he had met with foul play. A search- ing party was then sent out and his body was found lying in the woods. Suspicion at once fell on Wood and when Sheriff Riley was notified he came up and placed him under ar- rest. An autopsy, held by Coroner Rus- sell, assisted by Dr. Schmidt, devel- ‘oped the fact that two bullets had ‘entered the body, both from the back, evidently from a large calibre revovlver, so it is very evident Mur- phy was fired on from ambush. Vincent Wood and his brother and wife, Ella Wood, went to Stanley last fall to take charge of the board- ing house and saloon and things went smoothly for a time, but the hus- band was afterward kicked out and Vincent Wood and Ella Wood con- tinued to run the resort, living to- gether as man and wife. There are |no reports that Murphy made ad- vances toward the woman and, hay- ing only been there three days, it is preposterous to think such was the case, therefore the cause of the mur- der is unknown. Ella Wood was a sister of Allen Whitt, who was shot and killed by David Cochran, a Deer River attor- ney, about five years ago, and who was acquitted of the deed. Her sis- ter-in-law, Whitt’s wife, was a some- what notorious character and was known under the names of Mary Whitt and Mary Rosin. Vincent Murphy was a cousin of Mrs. George H. Price, of Minneapo- lis, and was a well known logging BREAK GROUND FOR CATHOLIC CHURGH Contractor Jackson Has Force of Men and Teams Excavating for Basement. EDIFICE 19 BE COMPLETE OCT. 15ST Will Be in the Gothic Style of Ar- chitecture of Menominee Press- ed Brick and Will Cost Com- plete, $15,000. Contractor Edward Jackson, of Bemidji, was given the contract last week for the construction of St. Jo- seph’s Catholic church, his bid being $15,000, which includes plumbing, heating and electrical wiring, and de already has a force of men and teams excavating for the basement. This work will be completed the last of the week and the mason work will be commenced next week. The plans call for an edifice, 57 125 feet with an unobstructed base- ment running its full length, the wails of which are to be ten and one-half feet in heighth. The tower, or spire, of the church will be 116 foreman. He made his home at Min- meapolis. Mrs. Murphy, accompan- ied by her brother-in-law and sister, Mr. and Mrs. A. J. McPherson, came up from Minneapolis Monday morn- ing and the body was shipped to that city for interment Tuesday. The examination of Wood, which was commenced before Justice Kearn- ey Saturday afternoon, has been con- tinued to Thursday when it will again be taken up. Made Fast Time. J. J. Young, of the Graham-Young Co., and Mr. Pretzny, of the Range Cornish & Roofing Co, made some remarkably fast time between Hibb- ing and Grand Rapids Tuesday fore- noon with their Indiana motor cycles. The distance from Hibbing to Grand Rapids, by road, is considered forty- him concerning the shots fired earli-,;four miles and the gentlemen made er in the evening, and he replied, saying won't come sporting around here any more. take it as a joke, replying: “That's a good one. I'll have to tell Mur- She laughed and seemed to | The gentlemen’ the trip in the remarkable fast time “T’ye fixed that Murphy. He] of two hours and ten minutes. This included a short stop in Nashwauk. were both here to make bids on the construction of the new Cohasset schoolhouse, the phy when he comes in to breakfast | contract for which will be let today. Babies grow and so does money in the bank. constant; and, taking place night and day alike, you can provide for your baby by putting money in the Both growths are bank and letting it grow with him. Capital $25,000,00 President, F. P. Sheldon. First National Bank RAPIDS. MINH. GRAND | . MIN OFFICERS Cashier, C. E. Aiken. Ass’t. Cashier, J. G. Peterson DIRECTORS F. P. Sheldon. D. M. Gunn. A G. Wedge. W. C. Gilbert. Cc. E. Aiken John Beckfelt H. D. Powers. 5,000,00 Vice-Pres., A. G. Wedge. Jr feet high, while the buttments along the sides of the building will be 27 feet high. The auditorium will be forty-two feet wide and will have a seating capacity of about 500. The gallery will be 25x42 feet and will certainly accomodate a good sized choir. The sacristy will be 25x20 feet. The church building will be of the Gothic style of architecture and will be constructed of Menominee press- ed brick with cut sandstone trim- mings and with the buttmente will sive it a very pretty effect. The erection board is to be con- gratulated on its business sagacity fnd cathedral construction and at present is engaged on the construc- tion ‘of a cathedral at Crookston and a Sisters’ school at Duluth. He has built many church buildings in this diocese and is considered one of the best contractors for this line of work engaged in the business. His here and he expects to have the ed- ifice completed by October 1. “IS NOT GUILTY” THE COURT SAYS In Directing the Jury to Return Verdict In Case of State Against W. C. Yancey. The case against W. C. Yancey, charged with embezlement of public funds as recorder of the village of Grand Rapids, was terminated late this afternoon, when the state rest- ed and on motion of Geo. Spear, at- torney for the defendant, Judge Wright instructed the jury to return @ verdict of not guilty. The battle has been going on since Friday last, but it was evident throughout that the state’s case was weak; the in- dictment, drawn by Frank F. Price, ex-county attorney, was attacked by Yancey’s attorneys, but Judge Wright withheld ruling it out of court until today. The indictment, drawn as it was, left County Attorney McQuat no grounds to work on and the inevi- table outcome followed. The Herald-Review does not pre- tend to know the merits or demer- its of the state’s case, as to the facts, but it docs know that Itasca county is to the bad several thou- sand dollars as a result of Price's operations as county attorney. Mr. McOuat, on behalf of the people, made every possible effort to get the matter properly before the court, but owing to the entangled condition in which the case came to him his efforts were futile. It is a matter of congratulation to know that this winds up the public. business turned over by Price to h's successor in office, in letting the contract to Mr. Jack- jcount. Charley Warner is a good son. He makes a specialty of church} man for Aitkin county and the whole (idlaalie of orth es ay interest northern nesot im! son, Clarence, has charge of the work| LEGISLATION FOR THI DISTRICT Some of the Measures Introduced By Senator D. M. Gunn That Became Laws. SAYS WARNER CID GOOD WORK The Member From Aitkin Gounty Highly Spoken of by Senator Gunn—A Big Man In The House. “2 consider the people of this dis- trict particularly fortunate in the election of C. H. Warner as a mem- ber of the state legislature. From the opening to the close of the ses- sion he was recognized as a leader in the house and he has made a rep- utation as a forceful champion of what he considers right that comparative- ly few enjoy. He is, in my opinion, the best posted man on land and land laws in northern Minnesota, if mot in the whole state,” said Sena- tor Gunn to a Herald-Review repre- sentative. “Charley Warner was the author and leading advocate in the house of several important, bills of stéte wide import,” said the sen- ator, “and while he was not uni- formly successful in his efforts to secure certain legislation, he gained and retained the high personal re gard! of his fellow members through- out the session. His standing was such that he found no difficulty in securing the passage of bills relat- ing to his own district and as a re sult many measures of much bene- fit to,fnis section have been made into Wyre. ‘Warner's effectual co-op- eration with me was the most grati- fying feature of the late session. He understands the needs of this section and his good influence, ability and loyalty to the people whom he rep- resented combined to make his work district to keep in the legislature, and I hope to eee him returned at the next election.” Senator Gunn is by no means en- tirely satisfied with the senate’s ac- | tion on reapportionment, and other important matters. As the senator- ial member fromthe Eighth congress- ional district on the reapportionment committee, Senator Gunn is conced- ed to have been one of the very etaunchest advocates of the Congdon house bill and one of the most influ- ential genators in that body. He lab- ored early and late to secure’ the passage of a law giving just repre sentation to northern Minnesota, and, as the Minneapolis Tribune puts it, if all the senators from northern Minnesota had been as loyal to the cause as D. M. Gunn the fate of the Congdon reapportionment bill would have been different, In epite of the confusion that pre-} vailed in both the house and senate and the great difficulties encounter- ed at every turn to secure legisla- tion during the session, Senator ®unn secured the passage of no less | than eighteen bills through the sen- ate and which became laws through 'the aid of his colleagues, Represent- atives Warner of Aitkin and Fergus- on of Carlton, in the house. One of the important bills intro- duced and passed by Senator Gunn was that relating to the appraisal and sale of state lands held under the swamp land act of congress by the state on which settlement has/ been made by bona fide homestead- ers. The act gives settlers who filed on such state swamp land as govern- ment homestead the first right to purchage the land at not less than $5 per acre ati the first sale held in which the land in question is listed; and if the land is sold to another party because the settler fails to buy, then the settler is to be paid for the improvements he has made on the land. As it is understocd that by relin- quishing his government filing, the settler will still retain his full home- stead right with the government, and Two Dollars a Year $5 per acre, as a rule, (though under the law appraisement may be high- en), and only, 15 per cent of the to- tal is required as cash payment and the balance in 40 annual payments, the settlers who can afford to buy, or those who cannot, aré not com- ing out so badly, considering the plight the government did place them in. It would be much more satisfac- tory, of course, would the federal gov- ernment have congress pase an act appropriating a like aggregate amount of land to reimburse the state of Minnesota, and leave the | settlers to enjoy the right to their homes unmolested and without ex- tra cost; but as the present U. S. administration shows no disposition to make amends for its error, and as the state cannot afford to give away its lands, the bill passed would seem to be the only just and reason- able way out of the dilemma to both parties. Another act of legislation by Sen- ator Gunn that will be of benefit to homesteaders in northern Minnesota is senate file 696, which provides for the appraisal of school and other state lands fixing the minimum price | therefor and relating to the rights of settlers thereon. A bill relating to the sale of timber on state lands, defining trespassing thereon, prescrib ing penalties therefor, and relating to damage for trespass by actual set- tlers made in good faith, is also one of Senator Gunn's bills which be- came a law. This measure provides that in cases where settlement has been made upon lande prior to the certification of such lands by the general government to the state, and ‘timber therefrom has been taken to make ithprevements on the land, the same may be settled for at its ac- tual value instead of double value, 8 was required under the old law.. In another bill Senator Gunn se- cured an amendment to the 1909 law requiring purchasers of state lands to reside upon, improve, etc., the same after the purchase as a part of the culitrdct given to purchasers. This provision made the sale of lands in this section almost prohibitive to a@ large number of purchasers. The amendment is @ good thing both for the state and buyers. Next week the Heraid-Review will | give a general review of the legisla- tion that was passed relative to the | general and this district in particu- | J, J. HILL TALKS PUBLIC CONTROL Says’Control of Railroads Is Alright But It} Must BefIntelligently} fAdministered. onal PUBLICITY FOR THE CORPORATIONS Says That When ,Public Becomes Conversant With Facts, Feeling 3 Against Big Concerns, Will {Pass Away, Janes J. Hill, the Great Northern Northern Pacific railroad magnate, sees in publicity of corporation mat ters and intelligent public control of the corporations themselves, a long step towards the sclution of the pres- ent era of business stagnation. “And the United States needs @ saviour”, says Mr. Hill. “The people have demanded not only the best but improvement on the best, and they will now have to pay according- ly. If they dom’t pay in money, they | must pay in prosperity. The business \of the country increases 15 per cent every year; the facilities for handJ- ing this new business increase only 1-6 of that. The difference in the ratio is too great and a balance must be struck, sometime, else there will be a complete breakdown of service or prosperity. “Why don’t the facilities for handl- ing business increase more rapidly? Because the men behind those facili- ties are afraid to spend their money for extensions and improvements.” Mr. Hill has long been an exponent of publicity of corporation affairs and looks upon that as one of the means of bringing corporation and public to gether. “The people are entitled to know what the public service corporations are doing and the conditions under which they transact business”, he says. “I have believed im, and have advocated, publicity of corporation reports for many years. When the public becomes conversant with cor- poration affairs and is convinced that (Continued on page eight.) lar. | Dear Amy: and is as happy a4 a aik--and nowadays wi designs to chose from, shably, 40 S'm going t ®, S,-You Luy the Les able prices from as it ig also understood, that settlers buying ‘the land on which they have | ;80 filed and made bona fide settle-' ment will be charged not more than r. You ought to see Jane's new rugs! has Lought elegant ones for the whole house that good tasteful Augs any woman not to buy pretty dohn has crawled on my Augs until they are E. REUSSWI FURNITURE and UNDERTAKING She JY do think give any home an th the elegant Hrench queen. and American ones and the artistic Oriental there is no excuse for Baly rugs. © get new ones. Yours as ever, Lou £ Augs and at Aeason- G