The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1891-06-25
WHEAT INVESTIGATION.
WEARY GRIND STILL CONTINUES
IN COMMITTEE.

Il
ST. PAUL, June 17.-C. A. Severance,
attorney of the elevator companies, re-
sumed the eross-examination OF Watch
man Close and very soon there was
sulphurous atmosphere in the vicinity
of the lawyer and witnesses. When
pinned down to the facts, Mr.. Close
grew restless and very forgetful, and
couldn't remember events that happened
year ago, while his memory concern
ing tho secret shipments OF wheat IN
1885 were pemarkably clever.
Boiled down his testimony simply
amounted to statement which
he heard from the other parties.
Close said he supposed that he was dis
charged ON the orders of Mr. Ripley,
and all the reason they had to discharge
him was because he sent his son to
watch one night II consider that it
was mean trick to discharge man
for his first offense, said the witness,
~and Mr.. Ario, who was employed there
at the same time had the same opinion.
MIR. Close corrected his testimony of
Monday IN saying that there were &C, 600
bushels of burnt wheat in the bins, and
thought $4,000 would be more correct
estimate He had been told since, he
said, by Ario and Erie Olson that the
latter figure was about correct, and he
guessed it was.
A Witness in Contempt
ST. PAUL, June 18.-The elevator in
vestigation opened its morning session
with Witness Scott on the rack. He
was under cross fire from Lawyer Sew
erance, and went through severe
sweating process while he corrected and
changed his direct testimony.
Scott admitted several times that he
had told untruths when he was formerly
examined. Step by step he was led
along the fatal admissions OF his direct
testimony until the witness, becoming
desperate, cried out, vehemently:
ri VIII not answer these questions any
further, and I want to say to this COM
mittee right now that this matter should
not be gone into because it concerns my
private affairs, and / DO not care to
answer any further.
This created ripple of suppressed ex-
element, and the appeal of the witness
to the committee occasioned some dis
cussion among the members. Mr.. Bar
rett could not see the use of going
into the matter at greater length at this
time. Chairman Giessel was inclined
10 coincide with this view, but John
Day Smith insisted that the witness who
had been brought before this committee
for the purpose of showing irregularity
and violations of the law on the part of
certain citizens of the state should be
compelled to answer all questions put
to him. The question which Scott re-
fused to answer referred to his CONVEX
sation with Mr.. Irons about the reasons
why he wanted to leave, in fact was
compelled to leave, st. Paul.
Continuing his refusal the witness
was placed under arrest for contempt.
Testified to an Elevator Combine.
ST. PAUL, June 19.-At the opening
of the wheat investigation Mr.. Bjorge
called attention to speech which he
had made in the legislature last winter
calling attention to the grain shortages,
but Mr.. Severance drew from him the
admission that at the time he made the
speech none Of the wheat ON which he
claimed shortage in 1890 had been re-
ceived at the Duluth elevator at all, but
had been sent by Mr.. Hartman, who
acted as a commission man for BjOrge,
to the Superior elevators. Mr.. Bjorge
admitted that he was not scale expert,
duu bll6b no sU10 llOVOX llftu CAPcIt GA
anime his scales, yet he believed them
never complained when the grade of
grain shipped to Duluth had been raised
from No. / northern to No. hard.
w. ID. Bangs, agent for the Mime
sofa and Dakota elevator company at
Hendrum, had been engaged in buying
wheat for this company for three years.
The first year $4,000 bushels were
handled aud there was neither an over
age or shortage. The second year 1000
bushels were handled and there was
about 100 bushels shortage. Most of
the wheat was sent to Minneapolis the
first year and to Duluth and Superior
the second year. Mr.. Bangs then went
on to testify that there was an agree
ment between the local buyers at Hem
drum that each elevator should handle
fair portion of all the wheat bought.
MIR. Bangs further said that he had
received no notice from Duluth of any
shortage during the last year He never
heard of any combination to keep down
the prices of wheat, but admitted there
was an agreement among number of
purchasers not to buy any more than
proportionate share of the wheat of any
one district. He did not know that if
part of the elevators closed that they
shared the profits of those that contin-
ued to do business. Canning's elevator
was shut down once, but that was for
the purpose of making clean up.
F. Moffet, of Hendrum, was the next
witness. He did some of the buying for
Mr.. Canning, they together having a
small elevator at that place. He got his
prices anywhere, sometimes from the
telegraph operator. The firm was into
an agreement with other buyers not to
buy all the wheat in any one place, but
he did not understand that the agree
ment sted to prices. They shipped q
good uoM OF their wheat to Duluth, and
in the early fall of 1859 and 1890 he lost
a good deal by grades, but never had
any cause to complain Of the dockage.
The witness then produced his records.
Attorney w. w. Erwin thinks that
he is entitled to a slice of the $40 900
appropriated for the Investigation. The
legislative committee was discussing
the'advisability of adjoprning oyer un-
til fall upon the termination of that
part of the testimony relating to the
Duluth elevators, which they expected
would end this month, and Attorney
Erwin entered an objection on the
ground that he could better afford to
attend to this case during the summer
months when court business was slack.
If the committee was willing to pay his
attorney fees, he would NOT object to
the postponement, but otherwise he
would not favor the proposition. The
| COMMITTEES then adjourned till Tuesday