Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1896-12-17
DODGE NOT WORRIED
About That Minnesota Grand
Jury Indictment.

The Minneapolis Times Of the l4th,
says:
The indictment OF the Wright county
grand jury of j. II. Wendell of that
county and Col, W. E. Dodge Of this city,
awakened great deal of interest among
the legal fraternity and the public gen.
orally, on account of the high standing
of the indicted gentlemen.
When Times reporter called at COL
one] Dodee's residence yesterday after
noon he found that gentleman as serene
and unruffled about the matter as one
could possibly be. He had evidently not
lost wink of sleep, nor had his appetite
been apparently affected in the least de-
gree. When asked about the matter he
talked unreservedly and freely stated IN
substance as follows:
"The general public are so we'll in-
formed upon the subject that it is hardly
necessary to enter into details at this
time. I will only cay that efforts were
made three times to secure this lndlct-
ment before the grand jurles OF this
county. In every case the effort failed
and the vote IN each instance wsa unanl-
nous for 'no-bill.' These three grand
;urles we're composed Of gentlemen OF
The highest standing in this community.
They were all we'll known business men
and far above the average run OF men
usually found on juries. After consider.
ing ali the evidence which Mr.. Larrabee
and his associates had to present, they
called in witnesses for the defense and
heard the testimony on that side also.
as they have the power to do. When
they had carefully weighted all the evil
dence they fully exonerated me from all
in the charges made and, con-
trary to all expectation, at least to the
OF those who we're endeav-
oring to connect me with the matter.
they indicted Billings, who was one OF
the fellows that had testified against me-
The matter, says Mr.. Dodge, was then
by the Minneapolis Bar
which exonerated him fully
adopting the report Of the committee
appointed to look up the charges. He
also says the Wright county grand jury
heard only one side and did not follow
the course pursued by the grand juries
of this county in calling witnesses for
the defense and posting themselves on
both sides Of the matter. Mr.. Dodge
claims the whole thin. is spite work and
to nothing.
According to the Times, Attorney
who Is pushing the proceed
lngs, "stated he was satisfied that the
same testimony that was offered against
Howard would apply with equal force
against Dodge and Wendell, aud the
Wright county grand jury had taken the
same view of the matter as himself. He
CLAIMED to be acting in the matter purely
for the public good and not through
pique or spite or for any purposes of re-
venge. While not claiming to be posing
rs a philanthropist or to be acting the
Iole OF q public benefactor, he neverthe-
less felt it to be bis duty, as well as the
duty Of every public spirited citizen to
leave no stone unturned that would AID
10 purifying and correcting abuses in
trials by jury and in maintaining the law
and elevatinR the tone of the public
morals.
liam firmly convinced" said be last
night, "that We have at last got these
gen tlemen where they will not be able to
slip away from the consequences OF their
acts" Mr.. Larrabee is considerably
wrought up over what he considers the
aaerant abuse Of the public's rights in
many trials OF cases against corporations
and he 10 particularly outspoken IN refer
snce to the trial that led up to the
present indictments. Mr.. Larrabee also
states that he vas endeavorlpQ to secure
indictment only by the present
grand jury OF Wright county, because he
thought it best to catch one fish at a
Time. While somewhat surpr,sed at the
indictment OF Dodge and Wendell also,
yet it was not altogether unexpected in
view Of the testimony that was pre-