The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-21
GOV. eLoUGH STANDS FIRM.
SAYS HE WILL NOT SURRENDER
HIS NEIGHBORS WHO ARE
RESPECTABLE.
NEW YORK MAY RECIPROCATE.
Intimated That the Empire State
Authorities Will Fight Fire
with Fire Hereafter.


and Eugene F. Merritt, the Duluth
iron miners and prospectors, be re-
turned to the Empire State to face an
indictment-and that, too, in spite of
the fact that Gov Blacks request
came not in the form of a personal
note, but an official requisition armed
with a yard of wide baby blue ribbon
and a big gold seal like the frontis
piece of an oyster can.
About two months ago, it will be
remembered, Gov. Black sent a similar
big paper adorned with much the same
sort of ribbon, asking for the same
people, but afterwards followed it with
a plain bit of yellow paper in the type
writership of a local telegraph Operat-
or, which said the first big paper
didn't co. in spite of the yellow seal.
Since then the Merritts' friends and
the compliments against them have
been very busy endeayorlng to per-
suade Gov Black to their respective
opinions. The case has been gone over
at Albany, and the governor, who
shares with Van Wyck the honor of
directing the greatest common wealth
in the world, finally decided to issue
a second requisition.
This was presented to Gov. Clough
yesterday by County Attorney lie
Seur, of Batavia, Genesse county, yes
terday morning. There were present
beside the governor and the New
Yorker, Senator C. K Davis and J. L.
Washburn, of Duluth, counsel for the
Merritts, not to speak of a party of
Duluthians who practically filled the
governors room.
Mr. lie Seur reminded the governor
that the entire matter had been gone
over by the governor of New York,
himself lawyer, and that official had
decided that there was good ground
for an Indictment. That, he thought,
in courtesy, should be sufficient warrant
for the governor of Minnesota to turn
over his constituents to the governor
of New York
Gov. Clough, however, did not see ii
that way. He averred, and he did it
with that unaffected frankness so char
acteristic of the Gopher state execu-
tive, that he had known Lon Merritt
and his family longer than Gov. Black
had and, while he did not profess to
be much of a lawyer himself, the state
of Minnesota had elected a man as at
torney general who, he believed. did
know the law. The governor further
said he had talked with Mr. Childs
about the matter, and the attorney
general had told him tbat the law Of
Minnesota conferred wide discretion
on the governor in such. cases. Now,
l don't want to stand in the way of
justice" said Coy. CIough, pointedly.
''As far as this matter of eXtradition
proceedings goes, whenever any one.
sends UP here after a murderer or a
robber or anything like that, I'll grant
'em without murmur, but you ask
me to surrender my neighbor, a man
l have known for years, on a proceed
ing which looks to me like a scheme to
collect a debt. and l must decline to
grant the request"
The charge against the Merritts is
grand larceny, the crime alleged to
have been committed in securing So, 900
for investment in a Kentucky coking
scheme properties through fraudu-
lent representations. The Merritts in
sist that they We're not in any fraud,
although the money was lost as they
claim, through no fault of theirs.
In this connection, the officials of Min
nesota cite as an earnest Of good faith
state of Minnesota has been treated as
plainly in similar matters as it now
treats New York, and that, too in the
case OF man who is now a resident
of the state of New York, and engaged
yet in questionable pursuits, on his
own confession. This is j. Royal Nc
MuIran. who recently sued prominent
New York Spectator for a large fee
which he says he was to receive for
a fin which he
ON what the supreme court was going
TO decide in the Bell telephone case.
Whether or not McMurran's possess
sion of the secret was legitimate or
not, Gov. ClOugh looks obviously on
the character of the vocation in which
the exist. Pauli-e is engaged. and. as
he remembers, the emphatic way in
which Minnesota requisition for Nc
Murran was turned down by the gov
ernor of Tennessee, he says to Gov.
Black:
If you want bank robbers. murderers.
or cut threats, come and get them,
but we will protect our reputable cit
liens. If the state of New York in
the future desires to refuse 20 return
criminals to this state, that is their
privilege. Its abuse will bring blame
on them, and on them only"
And even as the governor was fndi-
eating to Attorney LIE Seur, his ulti-
matum, Executive Clerk Angel was
appending the official ribbon to the
papers in the case of Chicago's bond
robber, Red Chris
District Attorney lie Seur was seen
after the proceedings in the governors
office, and expressed himself as feel
ing that the state of New York had
not been accorded proper consideration
and that he himself had received scant
courtesy in the matter. He said that
when the proceedings were begun some
weeks ago that action was suspended
after Gov. Black had been asked for
the requisition papers. Gov. Black de-
cided to hold a hearing to judge for
himself something of the merits of the
case. Mr.. lie Seur says Gov. Black is
lawyer and a good one, and the
hearing which was had before him was
considered from a legal point of view
by the governor as much as from the
point Of view of the chief executive of I
the state. He decided after hearing
what both sides had to say, for the
Merits were also represented by cOun-
sci that there were good grounds for
asking the state of Minnesota to sane
ton the return of the Merits to New
York. Mr.. lie Seur felt on presenting
his request for eXtradition papers.
after the hearing and decision of the
governor of New York. that the re-
quest would have additional weight.
Put he was disappointed. Mr.. LIE Seur
said that before the hearing in Gov.
Coughs office, yesterday morning, the
governor told him that the Merits
were friends of his and he would not
consent to their being taken back to
New York The Batavia attorney
asked for a chance to present the mat,
ter formally, even though, he said
Gov. Clough told him what the result