The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-08
EX-SHERIFF CHARLES f. CHAPEL
GETS A VERDICT AGAINST
THOMAS f. CONROY.
SOME INTEREST Tackled ON.
INTERESTING TRIAL THAT RE-
CALLS POLITICAL EVENTS OF
THE PAST.
EX-SHERIFF WASN'T SLEEPING.
He Was Simply Leaning Money
Secured by a Note of the Munic-
ipaI Court Clerk.

On the 10th day of March, 1894, Thomas
F. Conroy, clerk of the municipal court,
gave his promisorry note for $500 to
Sheriff Charles E. Chapel. The note
was made payable four months from
date. In return therefore Sheriff Chapel
handed Conroy his check for $500. In
November, 1896, Sheriff Chapel demand
ed payment Of the note. Mr.. Cohroy
refused to pay it, claiming that it was
void, as he had never received any con-
sideration for it. Mr.. Chapel sued Con-
roy. Yesterday the case was tried be-
fore Judge Willis and jury, and the
/ jury gave ex-Sheriff Chapel verdict
! for $685. the additional sum repre-
senting interest due
The trial was amusing in the eX-
! IRENE 1t was also reninisc mt of the
| political campaigns Of 1894 on the Re
publican side.
! Mr.. ConrOy's defense was outlined IN
| his answer to the complain published
/ by the G | o b when that pleading Was
! filed some weeks ago. Mr. Conroy went
into the details yesterday when called
! to the witness stand.
AS soon as the jury had )een Sc
/ cured, Stan Donnelly, the attorney for
! eX-Sheriff Chapel, offered Conroy's $500
/ prOmissOry note in evidence. There the
plaintiff rested. John L. T0Wnley, for
/ the defense, at once called Mr.. Con-
roy to the witness tand Mr.. Conr.
told his story, which was substantially
as follows:
In the early spring Of 1894 J. S. Van
diver was editing a weekly newspaper
/ known as the st. Paul Review At that
time Mr.. Conroy and Sheriff Chapel
were warm friends According to Mr..
Conroy, Vandiver had threatened to
publish some damaging disclosures con-
corning Chapel, which would seriously
affect his prospects for denomination
and reelection to the office Of sheriff
in the fall of "a. Conroy and Sheriff
! Chapel talked the matter over three or
four times. COnroy advised Chapel that
! it would be cheaper to pay Vandiver
/ $500 at once than to wait and be oblig-
ed to pay him three or four times that
amount later on. So finally it was ar
ranged that Chapel should give Conroy
! $500 to be paid over to Vandiver. In re-
turn for Chapels check to Conroy.
! Conroy gave Chapel his note for 5000.
What was that done for?" asked
Mr.. Donnelly on oss-examination.
THE note was to be used as club
over Vandiver's head" answered Mr.
/ Conroy THAT note might have been
/ dated 1899 if / had wished 1t was
! never intended that the note should be
! paid
How club?" asked Mr.. Donnelly.
Why, club" replied Conroy You
see -Vandiver had got money from
/ Chapel before, but this time Chapel
wanted to fix things so as to stop Van
diver from repeating his demands for
money!
But all this happened nine months
before the fall election, didn't it?''
Yes, about nine months
You wanted to run for county audi
tor, didn't your
The witness admitted the soft i'm
parchment. Court then adjourned for
the noon recess.
Mr.. Conroy resumed the witness
chair in the afternoon and Mr.. Don
nelly continued with the cross-exami-
nation. He questioned Mr.. Conroy
concerning the city campaign during
the spring of 1894, which had begun at
the time of the transaction with Sheriff
! Chapel. Conroy admitted that he was
candidate for justice of the peace on
the Republican ticket during that cam
paign. Sheriff Chapel the witness
also admitted, was not a candidate for
any city office. He was simply looking
/ forward to a denomination and re-elec-
ton to the office of sheriff, the ensuing
fall
But this was in March," remarked
Mr.. Donnelly. How long, in your
judgment, does a campaign last?''
ut all depends upon the candidate -
answered Conroy.
But YOU were a candidate at the
spring election yourself, and were as
much interested in the game of politics
as Charley Chapel, weren't you?"
"Oh, l don't know" replied Conroy
with smile. Chapel was at it all
the time and l only in spells
A general laugh greeted this.
Mr.. Conroy was then allowed to step
| down, Whereupon MIR. Townley called
for ]. S. Vandiver. The clerk called
-. S. Vandiver," but there was no re-
! sTC~@O
Mr.. Deputy Sheriff see if you can
find Mr.. Vandiver," directed the court.
| The deputy scrutiniZed all the specta-
tors and then stepped out into the
/ corridors but soon returned after a
| fruitless search for the missing witness
The sheriff cannot find Mr. VAN
diver" said the court to Mr.. Townley
IF you will present your proof of ser
vice of the subpoena, / will issue an
attachment to bring him into court"
Mr.. Townely then explained that ne
wanted to put Mr.. Vandiver on the
stand to testify that Mr.. Conroy had
| given him the check for 5000 obtained
by Conroy from Chapel. and that the
| endorsement u. S. Vandiver'' on the
back Of the check was written by him.
self and that he had obtained the
money called for by the check. In the
absence of Mr.. Vandiver. Mr.. Townley
was permitted to call Deputy Sheriff
Giberton, who identified the endorse
ment as that of ]. S. Vandiver, with
whose handwriting he was quite
familiar.
Mr. Donnelly, on behalf Of the plain
tiff. then moved to strike out all the
testimony of Mr. Conroy to the effect
that it was understood between him
and Chapel at the time the note and
check were executed and exchanged,