St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-27
Alleged Attempt to Steal All
the Property Of the
Newspaper.
Connection of the Grain Boom
ers With the Paper Re-
pudiated.

p6Il6Clly WlllluS W lain anu ulu 81 uu-
reServedly.
1.-The readers of the GLOBE would
like to know what the circumstances
were that have led to the publication of
two States during the last three weeks.
Can you explain it?'' he was asked.
Certainly; but l have not thought it
advisable to make any public statement
of the matter, on account of my interest
in the paper, In the reform movement,
and because of the hope l entertained
until now that an adjustment might be
had that would be fair to all parties
concerned"
''Will you state now what necessity
there was for publishing two papers,
both claiming to be the State?"
There was dispute as to who owned
the property. Muller, the former man
ager of the paper, made pretended
transfer by a bill of sale to parties out
side of the Alliance Publishing COM
pany without consulting any of the Off
GERS or stockholders. l claim that such
a transfer is plainly bogus. No man
ager of corporation ever had such au-
thoritY as that"
"Wil you say who those outside par
ties were?'
"Yes; there was one Hugo Mattul-
lath, a grain speculator; j. w. Fernald.
an unknown man from Detroit, Mich,
said to be grain speculatOr also, and
2. NJ. WOodman, lawyer, of Minneap-
oils"
"Have any of these parties any inter
est in the promotion of the object for
which the State was established"'
Yes; the same interest that fox
has in fat hen."
ION what ground do they set up
claim to the paper?"
''On the grounds of purchase from
Muller
"What has become of Muller?"
''Well, he folded his tent like tbs
Arab and silently stole away, probably
to practice elsewhere the role of re-
former"
"Have you had any business relations
with Mattullath and these other
partieS?'
None whatever. l was elected ed
itor of the State and secretary of the
Alliance Publishing company at meet
ing of the stockholders held last Febru-
airy. l served in the capacity of editor
until April p, when was obliged to
cease my active duties as editor, and re-
sumed work at my trade OF civil engin-
eering, owing to the fact that the in
come of the paper. according to Null
ler'S statement, was not sufficient to
pay all editors salary. From April %
until Aug. % j was not actively con-
nected with the paper as editor. Dur
ing this interval Mr.. Muller, without
consulting any of the officers or stock
holders. entered into various arrange
meuts and executed various business
deals wholly beyond his powers
and duties as manager of a
10 rNrT-
Yate arrangement with Hugo
Mattullath, by which Matrullath was to
furnish certain moneys on condition of
being permitted to use the columns of
the State for the purpose of 'bull-
ing" the wheat market, and in PUT
suance of this plan large extra edi-
tons of the paper were distributed all
over the country urging the farmers to
Hold their wheat" Before this print
ing of extra editions ceased the money
of Mr.. Mattullath seemed to give out,
and the paper was plunged into debt,
seemingly beyond eXtncatiOn. While
this condition of affairs lasted Muller
executed a pretended bill Of sale for
the whole property to outside parties.
These parties, in company with Muller,
organized new corporation and called
1t the State publishing company for
the purpose of printing and publishing
the State. The incorporatorS were
George NJ. Muller, II. Mattullath, j. w.
Fernald and P. NJ. WOodman. This
new company Immediately took posses
sion of the property of the Alliance
Publishing company and proceeded to
publish the State and manage the prop
erty as though it were their own.
"All these things were done by Null
Ter and his cOnfreres without notifying
any of the officers or stockholders of the
Alliance Publishing company. No pro-
vision was made by the new concern to
buy the outstanding stock held by
members of the Alliance Publishing
company, nor was any proposition
made to secure the old stockholders
against the debts which Muller had
contracted, except vague promise
that if Mr.. Mattullath succeeded in sell
ing enough stock of the new company
he would %pay them, and If he did not
they would remain. of course, unpaid.
''In this emergency 1, as secretary of
the Alliance Publishing company, con-
suited as many of the stockholders and
friends of the paper as could be found
and, with their consent. served an in
junction on Fernald. Woodman and
Mattullath, restraining them from inter-
fering with the property in any way.
Mr.. Muller fed to parts unknown be-
fore papers could be served on him.
Having thus. by legal process. re-
strained them from further interference
with the property L proceeded to make
arrangements for getting OUT the paper
as usual; but the new concern, while
under injunction, stole from the office
and Secreted in some place to me un-
known the subscription list, the column
rules, the heading. the chaSes and a
large quantity of type. In order TO pre-
vent the further theft of the Alliance
| cOmpany'S property. / had the locks
| changed upon the doors and locked up
| the Office and went home. While alb
| sent they induced one of the employees
| to enter through window in the base
| ment and take away more OF the type.
| L became alarmed lest they should steal
| the whole outfit, so loaded as much of
| it as could into wagon and removed
| it to a place of safety. Indeed, private
| information came to me that they in
| tended to hide away the property.
''Since then they have issued a paper
| purporting to be the State, and have
| issued the State for the Alliance Pub
| fishing company. 1t would affect our
| legal rights if we lost an issue of the pa
| per, and | have, therefore, continued to
issue it mainly at my own expense
/ II have had several conferences with
| the new concern and offered TO arbitrate
| for the purpose of securing some ar
| rangement by which the outstanding
| stock might be paid for and the old
stockholders protected from all claims
| against the paper, but have failed to Sc
| cure anything but Mr.. Mattullath's
| statement that if he can sell stock
enough in the new concern to pay the
| debts he will do SO, but will pay nothing
| for the stock of the old company. OF
| course this is not a business PROPOSE
| ton, and really amounts to nothing as a
business arrangement. 1t practically
means that the parties mentioned shall
take the assets and leave the liabilities
! for the Alliance Publishing company"
| IF Mattullath and his associates have