The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1897-03-18
REDWOOD FALLS, MINNESOTA
ECHO OF THE FORGERIES.
The Sheffel-Alexander-Stage Mort
gage Settled out of Court
by Parties Interested.
B. Davis and Ex-president Beard
Give Conflicting Testimony
IS. Davis Missing.

The case of Frank B. Sheffel VS..
John B. Alexander ct al, involving the
forgeries of Frank I. Gleason and the
witnessing of the forgery by Ex-Presi-
dent Beard, has been settled out of
court, the settlement being based up
on the giving of an entirely new
mortgage by Sheffel to Cord. 81. Stage,
the latter materially extending the
time for paying the mortgage.
The settlement was reached in New
Ulm last week, just before tbs time
scheduled for it coming to trial be-
fore Judge Webber. Both sides
seemed anxious for settlement, and
when it was proposed that new
mortgage be executed, with a longer
payment clause in the same, and both
sides to pay their own costs there was
considerable of chewing" but the
proposition was finally accepted, Shelf
fePs attorneys contending that it was
much better for him, because the case
would go to the Supreme Court, and
pile up material costs, in case he won
in the lower court or in case his side
decided to appeal.
The Scanlan case was also up for
trial. It was the case of Mary Scan
Ian VS.. John B. Alexander, Gleason,
Davis ct al. involving, like the Sheffel
case, the forged mythical signature
and the witnessing of the same-in
which both Beard and Gleason play
ed conspicuous part. In this case
The GAZETTE was used in evidence and
admitted by parties to the case for the
purpose of showing the time when
John B. Alexander, the payee in the
mortgage, was first discovered to be
fictitious person, and admitting that
The GAZETTE first conveyed the news
by which all parties to the action we're
informed of Alexander being myth.
Upon the introduction and admission
fudge Webber remarked to S. L.
Pierce, attorney for Grimmer, the in
nocent purchser of the mortgage:
"Mr. Pierce, you have got some in
formation out of Julius and The GA
,x,,r,, of@or oil
Mr.. Pierce did not like Judge Web
ber's little acknowledgment of The
GAzErTE's effort to show up the gang
of forgers, apparently, and did not re-
ply.
During the taking of the evidence
in this case Bert Davis testified that
he was present when Scanlan received
the money for giving the mortgage
and that the full $1,000 was paid over
to Scanlan. This was right in the
face of the fact that both sides had
admitted that only $1,000 had been
turned over, and that the point in
question was whether the retaining of
500 by Beard and Gleason constitut-
ed usury. Speaking of the case the
New Ulm News says:
"A somewhat complicated case was
before Judge Webber Tuesday and
Wednesday, from Redwood county,
entitled Martin Scanlan against A. j.
Grimmer, and involving a $1,000
mortgage which Mr.. Grimmer had
bought of N. Henningsen, both of this
city. The mortgage was originally
given to a fictitious person named
Alexander, and is now attacked on the
ground of usurious interest. Both
Henningsen and Grimmer we're inno-
cent purchasers. The case was ad-
journed to March 23d. Sawyer and
| Dolliff (the latter from Redwood
county, appeared for Scanlan; S. L.
Pierce of st. Paul, for Grimmer, and
John Lind for Henningsen."
It may not be generally known that
the forged power of attorney on which
this business was all conducted is in
| hands of a well-known citizen of this