St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-31
col. ktEFER IN A HOLE.
He Did Not Issue First Papers
to Nelse j. Ness, Alias
Johnson.
DEPUTY O'B2iEN DID 1T.
Kiefer'S Affidavit Contradict
ed by the Records Of
the Courts.
DEPUTY 0'B2IEN DID IT.
is NESS The MAN JOHNSON?
No Mes N. johnson Found in
the Directories of Those
Years.


member that few days ago Nels j.
Ness, one of the candidates for county
commissioner upon the Republican
ticket, appeared before the district
court OF this county and asked to be
admitted to full citizenship. alleging
that he had taken out his first papers
and declared his intention to become
citizen in 1880. LII support of this claim
Ness produced the first papers issued
to one Mes N. johnson, and asserted
that he at that time was known as Mes
N. johnson. His statement was sup
ported by an affidavit from A. Il. Keifer.
now candidate for reelection TO Gun
greSs, who at that time was clerk of the
district court, stating that. ''as such
clerk of said court. he issued to one
NelS j. Ness. under the name Of Mes N.
johnson. his first citizenship papers,"
An examination of the records of the
Keifer did not issue any such papers,
but that the first citizenship papers of
Mes N. Johnson-whoeyer he may be
were issued by James O'Brien. then
deputy clerk. Mr.. O'Brien yesterday
made the following affidavit:
State of Minnesota. County of RAM
sey, ss.-James O'Brien, being duly
sworn, says that during the year 1880
and for a long time prior thereto he was
deputy clerk of the district court of the
Second judicial district of the state of
Minnesota. in and for the county of
Ramsey. That he has this day inspected
the records of said district court, par
ticularly that portion Of said record re-
lating to the issuance of first papers to
aliens, and that the first citizenship
papers issued to Mes N. Johnson, and
being the same papers referred to III the
affidavit of A. r. Kiefer in the matter
of the application of Nels }. Ness
to be admitted to full citizen
ship, and that said first papers
SO issued to Mes n. johnson are entirely
in the handwriting of this deponent,
and that the same were personally
issued to the person calling hiMseif
Mes n. johnson 10y this deuonent. as
appears from said records. That it fur
lther appears from said records that A.
X. Kieter did not issue said papers, but
that the same were, as aforesaid, made
out, issued and delivered by this tie.
p0ment at the request of S. Lee Davis,
as further appears from notation on
said record. That as to whether said
Mes n. johnson is the same person now
known as Nels J. Ness this deponent
has no information or belief.
Subscribed and sworn to before me
this 30tn day of October, A. ID. 1894.
JAMES U'BRIEN.
WILLIAM G. READ,
Notary Public, Ramsey County, MINI.
The first Inquiry into this matter
should be "How did Col. Kiefer come
to make all affidavit such as he dido"
The records show that the papers were
issued by Mr.. O'Brien. yet Col. kiefer
in his affidavit states that he himself
issued them. The GLOBE regrets that
the eXigencies of the campaign have pro-
duced such recklessness in Col. Kiefer.
His long period OF officeholding, as
we'll as the numerous campaigns he has
gone through when he was not elected,
shonld have taught him more caution.
1t is scarcely possible that Col. Kiefer
is willing to say that he has personal
knowledge as to the circumstances at
tending the issuance of Mr.. JOhnSon'S
first papers, because it must be con-
coded that III 1880 Mr.. johnson was a
very insignificant person. having at
that time only been in this country two
years and not long enough to have
definitely settled under what name he
wished to be known.
But graver question still is whether
or not there is any foundation at all for
believing that the gentleman now
known as Nels J. Ness ever masquer-
AIDED under the name of Mes N. john
son. An examination of the city direc-
tory for the years 1878. 1879. 1880 and
1881 fails to show the residence in this
city Of any such man as Mes n. john
son, while the directory Of 1888 shows
'Nelse q. Ness, stonemason, res. Her.
man bet. Kate Il Cory, 9th ward"
1t is proper 10 injuire, therefore, if
from 1875 until 1882 Mr.. Ness was resi-
dent of this city under the name of
johnson, why his name does not appear
in the directory, and il somewhere
about that time he changed his name to
Nels }. Ness why it appears in the city
directory as NeIse G. Ness. Was Mr..
Johnson shedding his name grad
ually. or hau he formed the
habit of changing his name
so completely that he became FESTIVE
for any length of time? The public
should receive some assurances from
MIR. Ness that he is cured of this habit,
as, in case of his election,it might cause
grave complications to have Smith or
Brown or Jones voting in place of Mr..
/ Ness. At present it looks as though
Mes N. johnson were some transient
voter.
+ 1t is further significant. as appears
from the affidavit of Mr.. O'Brien, that
the papers issued to Nels N. johnson
were issued upon the request Of s. Lee
Davis, a well-knOwn Democrat of this
.,kD
told how he came to change his party
with mis- name.