Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-07-19

A FORMER MINNESOTA SENATOR Is
IN TROUBLE AGAIN.
sItpxo j. whitemnn of Duluth ANA
once a Well KNOW Member OF the
Minnesota Legislature C1nfcSses
Tint He Is a Forger.

! DOT Oh the. AlDhtSota cNi"NNf
a multo-millionaire and worth several
| hundred thousand dollars IN MS own
right, is now locked IL a feioHs cell at
the central station in this city.
! The announcement of bis arrest was
made Saturday morning and his identlty
was suspected at that time, bus ne re-
fused to confirm the impression until last
| night, when he confessed to detective
| Baker that he was the Whlteman VINO
Hcurished six or seven years ago In Du-
luth. He said he once had everything
| within his grasp, but that now all he
had in view was a long term OF impris-
| onment in some penitentiary. His sis
ter is the wife of a banker at Dansvile,
| n. Y, and it is through her that he has
not been brought up with a sharp turn
long before this. He said that his sister
/ had paid on an average of $l,OOo per
month to keep him out of prison.
1t is possible that he canrot be held IN
| Detroit, where his offense consists In
drawing a check that James II. Dewitt
! passed on Quartus r. Graves, of the
| Cadiallac hotel. He says he did not
draw the check in Michigan, even if
Wewitt did pass it here, and that the
| IeJTOlt dulUDIltltS CdIlot oih NAM
Arrangements are being made to turn
| him over to Chicago, where he is wanted
badly. His picture was k and has
| been forwarded to Inspector Shea in
| Chicago, and he will be gladly welcomed
| there with a pair of handouts on his
wrists. He asked what his photograph
was being taken for and was told, where
upon he said he would get a life sentence
| if he was sent there.
Detective Baker says Whiteman and
his allies passed something like $4,000
| worth of bogus paper on the Corn Elk
chr Bank of Chica 20, and that he
Understood the Bolrd of Trade bank was
burdened with considerable of it. Of
| course it is not known to what extent
titeman is involved in this way, as
il seems he has beer at the head of a
gang of forgers that has worked all over
the United Statc<. His part of the work
has been to draw checks and his ac-
c, mplices cashed them.
Now he blames his dead father for
| his downfall, and insists that his fatal
| habit of gambling, which has become a
mSnia, is the result of the old mans in
diligence. When Whiteman was given
absolute control of his fathers estate he
went to Duluth to grow up with the
country, and incidentally to treble and
quadruple the money at his command.
His wealth gave him entree to the select
circles, and he associated with men who
were making millions. He gambled in
wheat and with cards; he dissipated Law
ishly and recklessly; he went the pace
that kills and was killed. He sought
political honors at the hands of the peo-
pie and was elected to the Minnesota
senate for one term Of four years, from
1886 to 1890. He was the author of the
election law in force in Minnesota before
the adoption of the Australian law.
At last his sister applied to the probate
court of Dansville and asked that he be
removed as executor of the estate. He
opposed the petition, but was defeated,
He was ordered to file n heavy bono oil
give up the trust. He could not raise the
pond and was compelled to resign. Ii
was discovered that he had spent all OF
his own money, something like 100000,
and $4,000 belonging to his sister,
Rather than prosecute him his sister &C,
cepted his notes for the amount, and last
Christmas burned them up as a Christ
mas present.
When he began to fall he descended
rapidly. The friends that he had count.
ed upon in Minnesota proved transient,
and when he turned to them for help
they gave him the cold shoulder. He
was forced to give up his political po-
sition there and turn his back upon the
field of his former prowess.
He went to New York city and got
mixed up with such men as James X.
DE Witt, who is also the scion of wealthy
parents and a graduate of West Point.
Whiteman gambled until he could hardly
buy a square meal or raise the funds for
a stake" and then resoG' d to the tao,
tics that have at last landed him in a
cell. He was sitting in the lobby of the
Cadiallic hotel Friday afternoon, and
bore the appearance of a sharp, thrifty
business man. He was fashionably
dressed, and his smooth face gave no
indication of the depth of his depravity.
He had just leaned back and was pre-
pairing to read a paper when Detective
Baker touched him on the shoulder and
then took him to Jail. From that time
he refused to say anything until Satur-
udy uiSht, anu tneH his confinement De-
gan to tell on him. He confessed his
connection with De Witt, and said he did
not draw the check in Michigan, and
therefore they could not hold him. but
the detective learned there were other
checks in Dtroit that had been forged by
Whiteman, and accused him of having
written them.
Il am a moral and physical wreck
he said to the detective. Gambling has
ruined me. 1t is a mania with me, and
every cent / get in my hands goes over
the card table. During the past nine
months / have made out of this nefarious
business $4,000, and to-day / have not
u cent of it. l have cost my sister an
average of $1,000 per month, and she has
paid up more than one of these checks
How about those checks at the Corn
Exchange bank in Chicago?" asked the
detective.
They will be taken care of. My sister
will put up the money
lie says he does not want TO 20 "a
Chicago, and seems in mortal terror OF
being brought to vccount for something
more serious than passing Confederate
money and forged checks.
soldiers Homestead Certificates.
Washington, July Ex-senator Mlrtin.
lrnV. Il -. 80 -