St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-14
UNDER GROSS FIRE.
BLETHEN AND HIS STATEMENTS
ATTACKED BY THE DE-
TENSE.
BIG JUGGLING OF FIGURES
SOMEWHAT CONFUSING TO THE
EDITOR - DELEVAN SMITH
TESTIFIES.
BIG JUGGLING OF FIGURES
BUSY DAY FOR DIAGNOSES.
Young Democrats Have Rally
Debs May Lead the Labor
ties.

The Blethen-Lowry suit was on for
trial again yesterday morning, with
considerable interest n anifested in the
manner in which Judge Koon would
handle the defendants side of the case
in ss-examination.
Judge Koon handled his man we'll
Mr.. Blethen had a gooa memory for
everything. He had prepared himself
with letters, of which he had kept
copies. The plaintiffs counsel had
served notice upon the defense to pro-
duce all letters pertaining to the bust
ness Of the two men in the case, but
some of them for some reason had not
been placed in their hands.
These letters formed the strong part
Of the defense Judge Koon would
first fail to find a letter, and then he
would make the witness testify to 1T,
and afterwards he would confront the
witness with the letter, to show the
jury how far off he was in his mem
Dry. Then the tormener began to jug
gle figures with Mr.. Blethen in an at
tempt to confuse him. Mr.. Blethen
had stated that he had lost by the
great fire. By dint of much pumping,
Judge Koon made 1t appear that Mr.
Blethen had not lost anything like
what he claimed by the fire, for he
had secured something like $4,000 in
insurance. Added to that, he had been
allowed on the old presses enough to
make the new ones come at less than
half.
Blethen admitted that, while the
Tribune company had given Mr.
Blethen stock to pay for the building,
it had been obliged to allow him to
indorse the name Of the company on
notes for the same purpose.
When he took the Tribune it was
practically, if not wholly, out Of debt.
Letter after letter and telegram after
telegram were shown the witness. He
admitted that he had adopted policy
for the paper Of his own accord, had
incurred the Indebtedness without any
knowledge of Mr.. Lowry, and that he
had refused to let the Smiths into the
Tribune because they wanted to take
the majority of the stock and control
the paper. Blethen stated that he
never wanted to sell the Tribune, and
that it was Mr. Lowry who had made
him do so. Judge Koon produced a
letter from Mr. Blethen to Mr.. Lowry,
in which Mr. Blethen himself proposed
to sell the Tribune, for the reason that
something had to be done.
Judge Koon had not completed the
cross-eXamination of Mr.. Blethen
when court adjourned.
WITNESS NO. 2.
In the afternoon Delevan Smith, of
Chicago, was allowed to testify by con-
sent of counsel, in order that he might
return to Chicago and look after his
business there. His testimony was cor
roborative of that given by Mr.
Blethen.
Judge Kerr took the witness for ex-
animation and had one telegram up his
sleeve to fling at the witness. His OBJ
ject was to show that Mr.. Blethen had
been the party with which the Smith
had been in active correspondence and
that it was from him and not Mr..
Lowry, that they had secured all their
figures. The judge succeeded in MAX
ing the witness contradict himself in a
few statements of minor importance.
Alden j. Blethen took the stand again for
further cross-eXamination and stated that
when he bought the Tribune he was to nav
100000 cash and the balance in deferred pay
ments. He explained that of the $780, GOO he
took I'D $3S, 600 Of notes in place of cash and
assumed them
Judge Kerr offered the records of the direc-
tors meetings Of the Minneapolis Tribune
company for Sept. 90, 1890, and Jan. 81, 1891
The records showed the taking of the building
by the company and the authority to issue
bonds thereon to the sum of $3.50, 600. The
second meeting authorized the making OF
notes with the Tribune company's indorse.
ment.
Mr. Blethen testified that the. stock put
up was his own, and up to that time he had
no record of transfer of the stock Up to
JAM 16 he had not given Mr.. Lowry state
ment Of what he owed.
A recess was taken at this point until 10
O clock a. m.