St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-01
.ROSKINS' COMMITMENT.
RABEAS CORPUS PROCEEDINGS BE-
FORE THE SUPREME COURT.
HIS COMMITMENT IRREGULAR


Grounds Upon Which His At
torney Eases His Petition
Donnelly's View He Would
Have Made Him Different-The
Globes Decision.
When the state supreme court begins
its January term tomorrow petition
for writ of habeas corpus will be pre-
scented in behalf of Frank Hoskins by
his attorney. Henry Johns. of this city.
Mr.. Hoskins is the editor of the ALI
ance Advocate at Henning, who was
recently committed to the insane asy-
lum at Fergus Falls.
In the case of Mrs. Blaisdell. who was
recently ordered committed to the asy-
lum, the supreme court dismissed the
insanity proceedings because it ap-
peared by the commitment. papers that
the certificate and recommendation was
made by two examiners in lunacy in
stead of the finding of insanity by
jury as directed by statute.
Mr.. Johns claims that his client was
similarly committed, and under the de-
cision already rendered should be re:
leased. Mr.. Johns petition will say:
That said Frank Hoskins is not com
mitted or detained by virtue of the final
Judgment or decree of any competent
tribunal of civil or criminal -jurisdic-
ton. or by virtue of an execution issued
upon such Judgment or decree that the
cause or pIetenSe of such confinement
and restraint, according to the kDowl-
edge and belief OF the petitioner, is
pretended order OF commitment alleg-
ging said Frank Hoskins to be insane.
which said pretended order of commit
ment was made and issued out of the
probate court for the county Of Otter
Tail and state of Minnesota, OH or about
the 22d day of December. A. ID. 1898.
That the imprisonment and restraint
of said Frank Hoskins as hereinbefore
mentioned is illegal, Tor. the reason,
among other things, that the pretended
order and warrant of commitment
''shows upon its face that the party
alleged to be insane and ordered COM
mitted was so found by the probate
judge on the certificate and recon-
mendation Of two examiners in lunacy'
instead of finding of insanity by the
jury after due examination, as directed
by the statute;" all of which iliegallty
herein complained Of fully appears
from an examination and inspection of
the exhibits hereto attached.
Second-That the Imprisonment and
restraint of said Frank H0Skins was
and is unlawful, illegal and void, for
the further reasons that the same was
procured without due process of law.
and in furtherance of conspiracy to
deprive Hoskins of his liberty. the right
of free speech and to abrige the liberty
of the press, in violation Of section three
(3) of article one o. of the constitution
OF the state of Minnesota, inaSmuch as
said HoSkinS was for q number of years
past, and now is. the editor of the cal
lance Advocate" newspaper printed
and published at Henning, Otter Tail
county, Minnesota, and. i'll such capac-
ity, published his views upon the con-
duct of certain banks III said county
during the late financial stringency.
The petition further sets forth that
E. E. Corliss, who prosecuted the case,
was not the county attorney, and not
authorized to act in that capacity. The
petition concludes by asking that
HoskiEs be brought before the court
and restored to his liberty. @'.'' ~.
Ignatius Donnelly in the Representative.
Frank Hoskins in the. Insane
Asylum.
Frank HoskinS, of Henning, Otter
Tail county. editor of the Alliance Advo-
cate, attacked the bankers of Fergus
Falls in his paper; he said their banks
were unsafe, and that they themselves
were swindlers, perjurers, thieves. etc.
He was indicted for criminal libel. He
appeared in court and quoted the Bible
against usury and usurers. The idea
of any man using the Bible as an au-
thority in any Minnesota court was
esteemed so absurd that it was at once
claimed that HoskinS was insane. He
was brought before the judge of probate
and trial had of that issue. HoSkins
selected two doctors to examine him
one of them being DR.. Buchanan, Of his
own town. who is probably the most
learned physician i'll Northern Mime
sofa, and personal friend of HoSkinS.
Hoskins claimed-so the daily papers
Say-that there were extensive con-
SpiracieS to ruin him, and sent for fif-
teen or twenty witnesses to prove them,
but the witnesses all went back OH
him." and poor Hoskins was sent to the
Fergus Falls insane asylum, upon the
verdict of his own two doctors.
Now l have no great love for Hos
kins. and no occasion for any. He will
be remembered as the man who made
such wild and savage attack OH me in
last winters annual meeting of the State
Farmers Alliance. He,haS abused me
as savagely as Fish, for years past-in'
fact, the mental constitution of the two
man is a great deal alike-Fish being,
however, the profounder rascal of the
two. And yet it does look to me that
this incarceration of Hoskins as a luna
tic is a kind of persecution. He is
eccentric; he is a crank; he is violent,
eXcItable, unjust and unreasonable; but
that does not constitute insanity; if it
did great many OF the worlds bright
est intellects would be in danger. He
was indicted for libel. He should have
been tried for that offenSe. 10 switch.
| him off to the insane asylum looks
| like an attempt to dodge the
real issue. ard whether he is crazy
| or not such treatment will very likely
soon make him so. The poor devil
| should have q fair chance for his life
and liberty. If l had had the making
| OF Frank | would have introduced
| great many valuable improvements in
| him-and Fish shouldn't have made
at all-and yet don't like the look IF
| this business. 1t appears to Inc as if
| power, wealth, social position and
| political influence had all united to
crush a poor. struggling. impoverished
wretch; break up his business, and
| blast his life with amending shame and
suspicion.
1t is due to the State Farmers Alli-
ance to say that although Frank called
his paper 1.-The Alliance Advocate" it
really had nothing whatever to do with
our organization. He refused to sup
port the PeopL Is party ticket last fall,
and advocated the election of the ne
publican candidate for congress-. 1t is a
wonder that this was not brought up as
one of the evidences of his insanity. 1t
would have justified the action taken!
L. d.
The Globes Decision Final.
Fergus Falls Journal, Dec. %.
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