St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-04
HELD IN BONDAGE.
Stensgaard Remanded to Jail
for Trial at the Next
Term.
Experts Put to Work on the
Signature Claimed to
Be Forged.
They Declare the Body Of the
Deed and Signature in
One Hand.
Spacious Argument and
ShreWd Answers, With a
Cross Examination.
and


fed that he had received a postal card
from an alleged Uihlein, of Minneapo-
lis, requesting him to make abstract of
the property in question. When the
same had been made. F. l.. Draper
called at the abstract Office, paid for the
instrument and took it away. Stems
gard was recalled and questioned con-
corning an interview which he had with
Capt. Bissell, of the title Insurance
company, in the court house just prior
to his arrest. Stensgaard claims that
the following agreement was handed
him with the promise that if he signed
it the company would not prosecute
him:
Know all men by. these presents, that I,
Louis T. Stensgaard, of st. Paul, Mimi,
in consideration of the sum of 500 paid
to my satisfaction, the receipt whereof is
hereby acknowledged, do hereby release and
forever discharge the ST. Paul Real Estate
Title Insurance company, its successors and
assigns. from all liability of every nature TO
me or any person claiming by, through or
under me, under or by reason of the policy
of insurance of said company numbered
2.23S upon the title to block %, Auerbach d
Hands addition to ST. Paul.
Witness my hand and seal this 18th day
OF June, A. ID. 1889"
In submitting it. Mr.. Willis claimed
that it clearly showed the motive of the
prosecution. F. l.. Draper was next
put upon the stand and Intercepted by
Mr.. Willis. His story was nearly repe-
tition of Stensgaard'S as far as it per
tanned to the negotiations with the pre-
tended Uihlein. He failed to produce
letters which he claims to have re-
ceiyed from Jihlein, and in this
he contradicted himself many
times. When Judge Egan cross
examined him he became greatly tlut-
tered and confused, frequently saying
things which showed him to be man
Of no conscience whatever. He did not
remember when he first met Uihlein,
and faltered when he was asked to give
a description of the pretender. He
managed to utter some complicated and
unintelligible idea Of Ulhlein's appear
ance, but from the fairest point of view
it was
AN AWKWARD ATTEMPT.
At times he became quite reticent,
and pondered over questions before
venturing an answer. His entire evil
denee sinks him deeper into the mire,
as well as making a stronger case
against Stensgaard. l.. IL. Draper,
ldtHeI VI llft dCCuScu Il. L. Dldpti,
testified that his son had writ
ten the body of the deed, and that he
saw Stensgaard pay the pretended
Draper was suffering under the ordeal
of Judge Egan's searching ex-
animation, he virtually admitted
that the Ulhlein introduced to
Stensgaard in his office was not the
genuine MIR. Uihlein, fact which he
we'll knew when he made the introduce
ton. This is a eliminating admission
dropped by the witness. which it will be
hard for him to overcome at the trial.
Draper weakened under the eXamin-
alton and allowed himself to be led into
the uttering of the most damaging con-
fessions. He is tall, dark, loW-browed,
Notwithstanding fellow, and the very
picture of a slippery crook.
At O'Clock in the evening Judge
Burr resumed the hearing of StenSgaard,
apparently sick of the long. tedious
affair. Col. Bissell was again placed
upon the stand, and contradicted all
that Draper had said regarding promise
of immunity from the Title Insurance
company if he would peach on the rest
of the gang. The state then took up the
matter of proving that the Uihlein deed
was a forgery. Col. Bend was called to
the stand as an expert to testify as
as to his opinion concerning the forgery.
He declared that the person who wrote
the body of the deed also signed the
forged signature. He gave good and
sufficient reasons for his opinion. claim
ing that the essential characteristics of
the several signatures were
ONE AND THE SAME,
FL
attempt at Disgusting the grantor'S name
edges that he filled the body of the deed
and if the same person signed it, Draper
is the forger, with Stensgaard as AN ac-
complete. Mr.. Miller, teller of the
First National Bank, was also called,
and testified that the entire instrument
had been written by the same
hand, as well as the pretended note for
s., 500, which Stensgaard claims he gave
Uihlein on the night of the trade. D.A.
Monfort corroborated the foregoing tes-
timony regarding the similarity of the
writing in the deed, and gave as his
UNQUALIFIED opinion that the signature
to the deed was none other than the
work of the person who wrote
the body of the spurious inStru-
ment. Mr.. Becker, also teller in the
Merchants national bank, recognized
the four names of Uihlein TO bethe CHI
Biography of the same person. These
gentlemen are acknowledged experts of
auto graphs and signatures in general,
and were called to the Office, of the
county attorney yesterday morning.
Each was handed the forged deed and
asked to study the writing in TIE body
and the signature of the pur-
ported grantOr, to form an opinion
and reserve it for expression in court.
AS will be seen, when they came to-
gether last evening and were placed in
the witness box, they all had formed
! the same conclusion, namely, that the
person who filed in the body of the
| deed must have written the name OF
| August Uihlein to the bottom of it,
When this testimony was all in the
| state rested its case, and the defen Sc,
| represented by j. W. Willis, made the
| final argument to the court for the dis
misfal Of the prisoner. MIR. Willis
made good argument, ShreWdly avoid
| ing taking direct issue against the es-
sential features of the charge. He spoke
over an hour and then left Stensgaard to
THE TENDER aLERCIES
of Judge Egan. The county attorney
ulSudlHeu W dISu6 SltCu Il pdlpdDit
piece of villiany TO all sensible men,
deeming it a presumption on their ig-
norance and sanity, but out Of respect
to the bench he would simply state his
| points why the prisoner would proba-
! bly, be convicted and where the state
| had eonclusively proven that he was in
collision with the forger of the deed
and where he conspired to do up the
! Title Insurance company for $500
The judge spoke briefly but with great
force, and at II 80, leaving the case
with the court, the state saw Stansgaard
bound over to the October term of the
| grand jury in the sum of $1,000. So far
the prisoner has been unable to give
bonds. and as it is not at all likely that
he will be more fortunate in the future.
he will doubtless linger in the bastile
until the day of his trial, some time next
| winter.
A. S. Northrop; who was mentioned
as implicated in the crooked work
charged against the entire gang. is, as
far as at present known blythe state,
not connected with the affair in the
least. Chadwick, who is charged with