St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-15
Witnesses in the Alleged Du-
Iuth Wheat Steal Have
a Warm Time.
They Slightly Correct Former
Statements to the House
Smelling Committee,
But in the Main Stand by
Charges Of Non-Inspeetion
Of Wheat,
Which Will Have to Be Fully
Answered by the Ele-
vator People.

COlIlulttc0 Vi Tie legislature ROL GOWN 10
business yesterday morning. All the
members-Messrs. Geissel, French,
Zelch, Moore, Caswell, Barrett, Smith
and SeyatSon-were present. Attorney
Erwin made his nrst appearance as the
representative of the Grain Growers
association. 1t was understood that he
should have every privilege possessed
by Attorney General Clapp or Attorney
Severance, the representative Of the
Duluth elevator companies. The at
torney general delegated to his assist
ant, Mr.. Childs, the examination of wit
nesses. The witnesses called yesterday
appeared before the house committee
at the previous investigation.
MIR. Patterson was the first witness
called.
The evidence he gave at the first in
quiry was read by Mr.. Childs.
Pattinson testified that in January,
1889. he was yardmaster for the Northern
Pacific railroad. but resigned in COM
pliance with a request of General Agent
Hartman. He was conductor and gen
eral freight agent of the Duluth Belt
line until the investigation was begun.
Mr.. sPattinson produced the i letter,
which
Expressed Regret
at the necessity for calling for his resig-
nation. When asked to explain the
letter the witness gave the agent 5
answer to his request for statement
of the reason for his discharge. 1t was
that Mr.. Hartman had to ask for the
resignation to save his own neck. He
was given letter Of recommendation.
The witness continued:
Hartman used to give me orders to have
certain cars loaded with wheat and billed as
screenings and run out on the private track.
They were run there by the night man. L do
not know to whom the cars were billed.
1 first knew of cars being loaded at night
IN January. 1889. | think you will find that
shipments were made all along there. We
set.out at one time six D., S. S. 4 A. cars to
be loaded al Elevator G.. They were billed TO
Guthrie & Sons, Buffalo, N. Y. They were
loaded with nice clean wheat and billed as
screenings. | said to Mr. Lynch that there
must be something crooked and he said there
must be. at one time they got two Of the
cars off the track. The state inspector saw
them and telephoned up to Hartman and
told him he would have TO quit that dirty
work loading cars a. night and billing them
out as screenings. That the inspector mad
been there and suspected something. He
said, We II have to let upon for a while
Theydid let UP for a while. They began
IL.
inspector on those cars
Splitting Wheat.
Mr. Pattinson had a great deal to say
about the Spilling of wheat. The wheat
which fell from the cars was claimed
by the elevators. Besides this, from a
peck TO two bushels of wheat is left in
every car. Some old men and women
and children gathered this up and sold
collected three car loads of this anC
tried to sell it to the elevator com
panies. He was informed that it was
all stolen wheat, and he would be pros
ecuted unless he gave it up. Helost al
he had. A farmer named Adams had
forty cars of wheat he wanted
transferred to West Superior
l told him the charges would
be s. car. He went to Mr.. Hartman
and pretty soon received an order tt
transfer the cars. My supposition Is
that Hartman received $50 or something
of the sort for the transfer, but l would
not swear 10 this.
Attorney Severance croSs-examined
the witness at some length.
Pattinson acknowledged that after he
gave his testimony before the house
committee in the first inquiry he was
engaged as a clerk to the committee
He spoke of calling upon Mr.. Ripley
accompanied by Lynch, and intimated
they were ION to the crooked work Of
the elevators" He denied that Lynch
offered to keep still for money.
When Mr.. Severance completed hi:
croSs-eXamination the witness was re-
lieved for the day. He is just recover
ing from severe illness. He will bt
called again tomorrow and re-eXamineC
by Mr.. Child and Mr.. Erwin.
Lynch Us Razzled.
NJ. Lynch, connected with the North
ern Pacific road at Duluth in 1889 in the
capacity of weigher and seal clerk
was the next witness. Testified t
certain cars billed as screenings, con
tanning wheat. being sent out of the ele
vatOr yards without inspection. In the
busy season the track in the elevator
yard was strewn with wheat Some
times, the wheat had to be cleaned from
the rails in order to get the cars out
He quit the railroad in 1890, and was
now operating in real estate. Witness
crOSs-eXamined by Mr.. Severance: i
was customary to leave cars out Ovel
night with the seals broken. Cars were
some times held out on account of the
grade-a reinSpectiOn being called fol
by the elevator people. Cars had been
held out until the chief inspector ar
rived from st. Paul. He could not state
positively whether he reported to any
one seeing two cars sent out of the ele
yatOr yard without inspection. This
was III January, 1889.
what means had you Of knowing
that they had not been Inspected"
''Well, | thought like this: The car:
being ordered set on private track a
or $50, by time the night men go
around it was possible to get them into
the elevator and out again. 1t would
then be too dark to inspect them"
"Weil, have you any personal knOWl
edge that these cars were not in
spected"'
Yes, | do know"
How do you know?"
Because there was no record on the
inspection books"
"Oh! that is it. You examined thu
inspectors books?"
Yes, sir"
"When did you examine the inspec-
ton bookS?''
Il have not examined them"
''How do you know then that they
were not on the inspection books?n
''They were examined by another
party"
But you say you did not know tn,
number of the cars. How could vol
tell whether these were not inspected o.
not? How would you go to work to d,
it?''
simply because there was no RECORD
of such cars inspected about that time.
How do you know there were no
such cars inspected? You say you dc
not know the number of the cars or tn;
date
There were none of those exam
ined."
But how do you know?"
''Mr. Hall told me so, and there were
no inspection marks on the cars.''
You examined the cars for the in,
spection marks?"
Yes"
''Why?"
"Oh, for curiosity"
After the Election.
He mentioned the matter of non-in
spection to Mr.. Cross in July of the