St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-15

andum furnished.
WAS it not at your suggestion that that
clause was put in the contract that the
value of the bills payable and receivable
should be left to Mr.. LOWRY"
ut was put in the contract may have"
What did you state to Mr.. Murphy of the
Indebtedness over and above the bonded
debts?'
There was nothing said. 1 didn't intend
to make any statement. The cashier said
the accounts receivable would exceed those
payable by S150,000. 1 stated to Mr.. Lowry
that the debts were not in excess Of 500, 600
outside of the $3.50, 000."
did not Lowry guarantee to Murphy that
they would not exceed that"
81 don't know"
You didn't know whether Murphy was
able to pay, did you?"
mo, didn't care. / was relying on Mr..
Lowry"
Didn't Lowry guarantee to you that MUIR
ply would fulfill his contract?"
II don't recall it,
HAD you not carried along all the ac-
counts receivable without charging off all
the bad debts?"
81 don't know
Weren't some of them against insolvents
from whom you had received dividends and
given releases and yet they remained at
their full face value in the books?"
81 didn't know it personally, IL it was
tue"
Did not Mr.. Lowry turn over his shares
to Mr.. Murphy?'
81 knew nothing about it. didn't have
the 5,001 shares
''The contract says that you were to de-
liver over to Mr.: Murphy the 10000 shares
of stock, doesn't it?"
THE contract bears that inference"
There was to be schedule made up after
ward, was there not, showing the Indebted
ness of the company"
Yes; there Was.'
Witness went to Kansas City the following
Thursday after the sale and returned in a
week. Witness denied that Murphy claimed
that the debts footed up to $3.50, 900.
w 1phf dn1yp 10 fhn friY,
to Chicago, in which he had previously
sworn that Mr.. Lowry had stated that he
would like to have drawn a check to pay
Blethen.
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE.
"Did Mr.. Lowry and you not tell about that
deficit to Mr.. Murphy, and did not you offer
to pay $4,000 for it and agree to hand over
various securities to Mr.. Lowry, to make 1t
good?"
mo, sir, never
But Judge Koon produced a letter which
Mr.. Biethen had forgotten. The letter con-
tanned the list OF securities, mostly stock in
various institutions, valued at $14260, accord
ing to the writer. The letter distinctly stated
that If Mr.. Lowry would accept it all and let
me out of this terrible pit 1 would deem it a
FAVOR from past friendship The letter fur
ther made an offer to sell the Blethen home
stead to Mr.. Lowry. the writer stating that
he had been offered $50, 900 for it.
Now, what did you send that list Of stock
for?"
II had been to Kansas City, and had an OPP
portunity to make deal there, which needed
$15, 900. That is what it meant
I'm any letter, Mr.. Blethen, that you have
ever written to Mr.. Lowry have you ever told
him that he agreed to give you SIS, OOO?'
mo, sir think not
Another letter was sprung on the witness,
which contained direct proposal to turn over
the securities mentioned to balance the Muir
ply claim
Mr.: Blethen, in which the latter is taken to
task for the slipshod way in which he had
run things. The letter stated that Mr.. Murphy
was making great complaints because he was
being called upon to pay claim after claim, of
which he had known nothing.
Another letter from Blethen to Lowry was
sprung on the witness, in which he made a
proposition to take the Evening Tribune. in
such way as to let the writer secure the
paper, and have his debts settled, change the
name OF the paper. 1t said 81 trust you will
premise made to me when you undertook the
sale OF the paper; to let me out as nearly whole
as possible Inc latter part was In quota
lions, and over his own signature.
Now, didn't you go to Mr.. Lowry's office
that day for some other purpose than to seek
an apology. Is it not a fact that you heard
that Mr. Murphy was about to see you for the
claim on the bills, and was it not in order to
call him off that you went to sec Mr. Lowry ?''
Il think not, for 1 wrote Mr.. Lowry a letter
regarding that. and talked to him, but not at
that time.
letter from Mr.. Blethen to Mr. Lowry. in
closing copy of one written to John M. Miller
by the witness, were identified by witness.
Now, since you have read these letters, was
not the only thing discussed at that interview
this threatened suit by Mr.. Murphy, and that
growing out of that and your fear of the suit
you caused that statement to be made, showing
just what you expected and what you had
taken out?''
mo- sir it was not
The letter which Mr.. Blethen had written to
Mr.. Lowry, but thought he did not send was
introduced by the defense and read by Judge
koon. The letter was written on the day the
witness was to and did have the interview
one, going over the whole history of the
claims of Mr.. Blethen at that time Again the
quotation was made that Mr.. Lowry had
agreed to make sale and "get Blethen out
as nearly whole as possible
In the letter to John NJ. Miller, the writer
explained all the deals regarding the notes,
etc. but not word as to any claim against
Mr. Lowry. 1t admitted there was a deficit
it all. -
The letter threatened to take legal steps to
regain possession of the property If Mr.. Muir
pny or the others tried to enforce any collec-
ton Of a claim.
Didn't Mr.. Lowry promise you that Muir
ply should not sue your
That is true l never heard anything about
it again.
Il find no allusion in this letter which you
say covers all the points to be discussed in
that interview, regarding any charges he has
made against you Now, if you covered the
principal points, why didn't you put that in?''
81 don't know
Now, If Mr.. Lowry had promised to pay
you $4,000. why didn't you put that claim In
the letter."
II was trying to compromise the matter as
best could"
Did you ever in your life tell Mr. Lowry or
W. write to him telling him that he owed you
Witness evaded the question, and Judge
koon asked il Mr.. Lowry had not agreed TO
get the witness out "as nearly whole as posi-
That's right
Now, If he had stopped then, there would
nave been nothing you could have based a
claim upon?'' "
That's matter for argument"
You never testified before at any time dur
ing the trial until read those letters that he
mad made the agreement you have Just sworn
to. Did you ever base any claim at any con-
versation to his agreement to pay YOU the
SIS, 000?" P' ~" tue
Before the question was answered a recess
was taken until Monday morning at 10 o'clock.