The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-02-05
G. NJ. DuttOn Bound Over to the
Next Term of the District
Court,
To Answer to the Charge Of OBJ
tanning a Signature under
False Pretences,
And also to the Charge of For
gerry in the Second Degree.

have been plying their nefarious
schemes with considerable success re-
Gently. hesharpers with oily tongues
and pleasant manners go. to farmers
and before one knows it they become
victims. Believing that they can get
something for nothing they "bite"
and after time they awaken to the
fact that they are out sum of money.
AS has been said in local paper,
''their scheme is ingeniously devised
and so well guarded that there is lit
tie or no opportunity for legal redress.
These men claim to have established
an agency for the manufacture of this
fence in this country, to supply all the
agencies which they may establish.
Then they go to farmers, tell them Of
the popularity and ready sale of the
fence, its cheapness and durability as
compared with others, and offer to
appoint them agents for its sale, pro-
vided they will give in return an 'obli-
CATION to pay the commission of 10
cents per rod on the first 500 rods sold,
which is the compensation OF the gen.
eral agents for their time and trouble
for travelling through the country to
attend to this business. When the
terms are thus agreed upon COM
mission is drawn up and issued to the
newly appointed agent, guarantying
to supply him with all the fence he
can sell at given price, and allowing
him commission of Is cents per rod
on all sales made, reserving, however,
the commission on the 800 rods for
themselves. Then the agent is re-
quested to give his obligation for
his commission, which amounts to
Sl2O, and it is drawn in the form OF a
| promisory note, the form common to
our national banks being used, and
when signed and delivered by the
maker, it has all the appearance and
forms OF regularity and is usually dis
counted at the banks.
The officers of this county have been
on the watch for this kind of swim
oilers for some time, and recently
Sheriff Glynn arrested a man who
gives his name as G. NJ. Dutton. He
was brought up before Judge Porter
a week ago and bound over for eXami-
nation yesterday morning, when he
appeared with VIM. Plymat as his
counsel.
The county attorney is assisted in
the prosecution by Hon. A. r. Pau.
The court room was crowded with
persons who are interested in the
case
The complaint charges G. M. Dut.
ton with committing the crime of
obtaining the signature Of Fl. H
Studt by false pretenses. The states
main witness claims that on the 14th
of January he entered into an agree
ment with the Reliance Fence Co., Of
! Minneapolis, to handle goods for them
but that Dutton unlawfully, knowing
ly and designedly did falsely pretend
that certain instrument was du
| plicate agreement. 1t now turns out
that the document was a prOmisory
note for $l20-
H I'll. Studt, a resident of Mankato
township, was the first witness called
and after being duly sworn testified
4 as to a conversation he had on the
18th Of January with G.. NJ. Dutton
He met him at his farm and talked
to him about wire fence and it's
benefits. DuttOn wanted him to
become an agent for the company
he represented. Consuming tc
1 the scheme, he was asked to sign a
written contract to that effect. He
wanted him to sign two papers, one
to be sent to the home Office in Min
neapolis and the other was to be held
[ by them. He said on the witness
| stand that he understood he was sign
! ing contract as an agent.
W. G. Hoerr, cas- hier of the Citizen IS
National bank was called but had
only stated his business, when he va
Gated the chair to give Mr.. VIM. Ply
mat an opportunity to testify. In
substance he told how Dutton came
to him at Mapleton, his home, and
wanted to sell note signed by II. III.
Studt. He purchased it of him for $50,
the night before he was arrested. He
sold the note few days ago to one,
Little, Of Mapleton.
Mr.. w. G. Hoerr was then recalled
and said: About two weeks ago a
man by the name of G. NJ. Dutton
came into the bank with note sign
ed III. Studt for the amount of S12O. |
He wanted me to make him an offer
for the note. He showed me the note |
but / declined to make him any offer.
Knowing that Mr.. Studt signs his
name III. III. Studt" and the note
only had one "H." / told him that
was the reason could not accept it.
He explained to me that Mr. Studt
had signed the note but if there was