The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-23
HAVE FOUR JURORS
RESULT OF THE PRELIMINARY
DAYS WORK IN THE BICKEL
CASE.
FEW VENIREMEN ARE CALLED.
OVER AN HOUR SPENT QUESTION
ING A. j. ALTNER, WHO WAS
EXCUSED.
DEFENDANTS PLACID EXTERIOR.
1t Is Expected the Taking of Tes-
timony VIII he Reached Some
Time Today.

The trial of William T. Bickel on the
indictment charging him with the grand
larceny from the Minnesota Savings
bank Of $563S in cash and over $500
in notes began yesterday forenoon be-
fore Judge Lewis. The result of the
days proceedings was the selection of
only four jurors Three of these were
chosen after 4:9O D. m.
Court Room No. l, on the top floor,
which is the scene of all the criminal
trials, was we'll filed when the case
was called at 10 a. m. William +.
Bickel, the defendant, was on hand
with his counsel, Pierce Butler, who
sat in front of him at the right hand
side of the table The former cashier
and trustee of the Minnesota Savings
banks bore an undisturbed exterior.
Whatever may be his inward emotions
or conjectures, they are not indicated
by his impassive countenance, save
that he does not appear to regard this
trial as a mere formality.
Judging from yesterdays proceed
ings, Assistant County Attorney Zoll-
man will aid County Attorney Ander-
son in the conduct of the prosecution.
At the outset it was agreed between
Jtlc prosecution anu tic dcISllSC biiS1I
triers should be selected to pass upon
the challenges Of jurors Agreeable to
this arrangement, Judge Lewis named
James R. Hickey, A. Macarthur and
Howard Wheeler as triers.
Then began the process of jury get
ting. slow and Wearisome one it
proved to be. County Attorney Ander-
son asked few questions, but allowed
Mir Butler to quiz the jurors called in
the most exhaustive manner Mr.. But
Ter took his time, putting his questions
with much deiberation and repeating
them with a frequency that finally
caused the county attorney to object.
The proceedings opened in prOnIis-
inc way for the first man called proved
acceptable to both sides and accord
iugly took his seat in the jury box
He was A M. Hull, who is superin-
tendent of the advertising department
Of the St Paul G o b e. In answer to
MI Buffers questions Mr.. Hull said
that he was not acquainted with Mr..
Rcl.el or any of the, makers of the
notes enumerated in the fndietment-
which Mr. Butler had just read in
open court. Mr. Hull also testified
that he was in no way connected with
depositOrs in any of the suspended
paper accounts of the Bickel indict-
mcnts but had formed no prejudice
one way or the other.
The county attorney asked Mr.. Hull
two or three questions, and neither
side offering a challenge he was ac
cepted l-s4 ~. rs s,,o--..u
G. s. Lotus, a clerk in the freight
department of the St Paul & Duluth
Railway company was called next.
Mr.. Butler said that he had no ques-
ti0ns to ask Mr.. Lotus. This excited
the suspicious of the county attorney,
who at once took turn at Mr.. LOTUS
Was Mr. LOTUS client of Mr.. But
Ter? He was. The county attorney
thought that ought to disqualify him
from sitting as a juror in the case,
but the court thought not Mr..
LOTUS had lived in. St. Paul eleven
months and fourteen years in the state.
Though a client of Mr.. Butler he was
confident that that fact would not in
fiuence his verdict. Then Mr. Lotus
made the surprising announcement
that he had read nothing in the news
papers of the Bickel indictments. Mr..
Andersons challenge was found not
true, but the county attorney got rid
of Mr.. Lotus with a peremptory chal-
lenge At this point court adjourned
until 2 p. m.
After recess, A. j. Altner was called.
Mr. Butler kept him on the stand for
an hour or more. Altner was asked if
he had his second papers. He said he
had, but Notwithstanding his sworn
statement court adjourned for ten
minutes to enable Altner to procure
the papers from his place of business,
which he did. But in the end he was
excused for bias. August Lettau,
Fred Hasinger. Sherman Finch and
Patrick Brown were examined without
satisfactory results, but shortly after
4:30 p m. and before 5 o'clock, three
more jurors were secured. They are
T. D. Loveland carpenter Francis
S. Daggit, a bookkeeper in the employ
of the Robinson-Carey company, and
James Mccain (coloreO, assistant
head waiter at the Minnesota club.
When court adjourned John S. Ken
nedy was on the stand ~ 'i'' ~