Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-09-19
Mrs. Inxmundson Oh the Clayton Town
Order.
AUSTIN, Sept. I'd, 1878.

tore the Oct, 1919, appOrtlOnment, OeVcr
0. Guam, then town treasurer OF the town
of Clayton, came to Mr.. InSmundson
and said I'D. B. Coleman, ot our town.
holds road order Of $ll4.52 for work
done on the roads, which Is due and
should be paid. Have you any money
for our town you could let me have; If SO,
it will be 4 great accommodation to him,
l have a part but not enough. MIR. Ing
mundson, ascertaining from the Auditor
that there were several hundred dollars
much as he wanted" He said, "Let me
have $44.52, for which l will give my re-
celpt rs Town Treasurer, and l will be
up in few days with the order and get
the balance~ This he did in four days
after, and got the MISUNDERSTANDING left
the order as a voucher, instead of his re-
ceipt as Town Treasurer This order, at
the tiWe it was left here, was not cancel
led III any way. And u. B. Coleman's
own testimony before Judge Page, at the
time Mr.. Ingmundson was arralgned be-
fore him, proves conclusively that Sever
O. Guam had never credited himself with
having paid that order until it was sug-
scsted to him by u. B. Coleman. At the
time the Town Board were having the fl
nal settlement with Guam, and it was as
crrtaneu that he was coming out behind
with the funds, Coleman said to him:
"Where is that road order that you paid
me of $l1453 You have not charged
that to the town; do so. and it will max I
you that much better off," Guam replied:
Il have not charged that order because
| have not got it l left it with Ing
mundson as a voucher for the money he
let me have to pay you with" Thus
showing plainly that Sever 0. Quam-de.
faulter though he was-was the "soul of
honor" compared with Pages friend and
counsellor, D. Is. Coleman.
That order was charged to the town at
that settlement, and credited to Guam,
though, whether the transactio was done
| by Guam, himself, or by Coleman, is
known only to the initiated few who III
| those days manipulated to their own sat-
| istaction, the books and accounts Of that
| unfortunate town.
Afterwards wien Soren HARRISON,
(Quam's successor,) came to draw the
money for the town, Mr. Iugmundson
presented him this order as so much
money already paid to the town. Haral
son said: The Town Board instructed
me not to take that order, until had seen q
lawyer, and found whether it was right to
or not" Mr.. Ingmundson replied: "All
| right, who do you wish to see?' "Mlr.
Cameron is the man they told me to see ;
come with me and we will go to his Of
fee" They went together, explained
the matter fully, and Mr.. Cameron told
HARRISON that he was bound to take that
| order as part Of the amount due the town.
With this, HARRISON was perfectly salts
fed, returned ard took the order with the
balance due the town. This is the whole
| history OF the affair from the beginning
to END, was about to say, but pardon
me, tot under the reign of Sherman I, it
seems that the lend is not yet" I must,
however, confess 10 being little surpris
ed, that after all The breath that has been
expended on that famous town ORDER"
and all the explanations that have been
published, both in our local and state pa
pers, and in the journals of the impeach.
ment case, any further ''rising to explain''
should be deemed necessary Probably
as good legal talent as there is in the
stale, have given it as their opinion that
MIR. Ingmundson, in that transaction,
performed his duty according to law, and
| was therefore, not guilty of even tech.
nical violation of law
Sherman Page, warped and blinded as
he is by his prejudices, knows this also,
and nothing but his insane desire to
"crush Out'' every body whose elfrespect
and manllness cannot be made subservi-
ent to his will, is the only reason (?) for
his repeating these falsehoods. Again,
how preposterous to suppose that the
County Treasurer should be held re-
sponsible for every town or district treas
urer in the county. These treasurers
come here and draw their money for
their town or district as the case may be.
Is it reasonable to suppose that the Coun-
~ Treasurer must know whether these
men are honest men. or if not, are their
bondsmen responsible? He not only
knoaos nothing about it, but it is absolute
ly none of his business; as long as he
performs his duty according to law it is
not his province to 60 further. What
shall l say in regard to his charge of
"buying the grand jury" 1t seems to
me too ridiculous to deserve sober Sc
cond thought? Would it not be we'll to
demand of him the name of one grand
Juror who was ever approached as much
as by single question in regard to their
proceedings.
On the other hand, his counsel, Mr.. J.
w. Losey, said in his speech at the I'm.
peachment Trial. That it was brought
to the knowledge of thelJudge, through
their Foreman, Andrew Knox, 9that
there were some members of that Grand
Jury, who were disposed to delay m alters
in tthe 1ngmundson matter-or, in other
words, there were men on that Grand
Jury and gOodly number too, it seems,
who could not be forced into indicting a
man whom they did not dream guilty of
any indictable Offense. Now, while &C.
cusing Mr.. 1ngmundson OF holding com.
munication with that Jury of March
Term. 1871" why did he allow his coun.
sci to be so indiscreet as to admit, what
we all we'll know before, that every day
during that term of court he was closeted
with the Foreman, and was as familiar
with their doings as if he had been a
Juror instead of Judge. "Heaven save
the mark"
AS a natural consequence, | have been
deeply interested in these matters from the
beginning, but never expected to ap.
pear in print; but my husband is an
invalid, forced to go to another climate
in hopes of regai:ing his health, and
should deem myself recreant to my duty
if failed to tell the facts to his friends
when requested.
| Sherman Page escaped conviction las
lspring through sympathy tor his wife
and child. o senators who voted through
sympathy, could you but realize what
Injustice you did the hundreds of wives
and children in Mower County. whose
hearts are wrung by the tyranny of thai
man. I think you could not fail to teel
that no penance iyou could impose upor
yourselves could ever expiate that sin
call it mistake, it you choose.
"But history repeats ITSELF" and these
things cannot always last. Sooner OF
viii have to suffer the consequences o.
his unlawful and tyrannical conduct.
Yours Respectfully,
Mrs. I. INaMUNDsON.
| You need not neglect your business
L when frOy1h1r,6 with a cOn0h 0r cold il