The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-27
WILLIAM #. INDICTED ON THE
CHARGE OF GRAND LARCENY,
SECOND DEGREE.
WAS ARRESTED LAST NIGHT.
JUDGE KELLY SUMMONED. BUT
THE ARRANGEMENT DIDN'T
TAKE PLACE.
This Indictment Charges Him With
Taking Money Belonging to
HuIda Petersen.

The grand jury indicted William +.
! Bickel, the president of the Minnesota
Savings bank, yesterday Of the crime
of grand larceny in the second degree.
| The indictment was returned as ''se-
cret Indictment" but the secret" was
out when Deputy Sheriff Robert placed
! Mr.. Bickel under arrest shortly before
6 p. m. Mr.. Bickel in the custody Of
the deputy, proceeded at once to the
office of the county attorney. After a
brief consultation it was decided to no.
tify Judge Kelly, in order to secure
his honor's presence for the purpose
of fixing the amount Of the bond. "
The Indictment charges William r
Bickel with unlaWfully converting to
! his own use the sum of $268.09 entrusted
to him as agent by Hulda Petersen.
! Miss Petersen was domestic in the
! employ of Mr.. Bickel, who deposited
! her savings in the Minnesota Savings
| bank
1t was $50 o'clock when Judge Kelly
arrived at the court house Mr.. Bickel,
| accompanied by his attorney, Stan
! Donnelly, County Attorney Anderson.
[ Assistant County Attorney Zollman,
! Deputy Sheriff Robert and Deputy
! Clerk Picha, immediately adjourned
from the office of the county attorney
to court room No. 1 on the top floor.
Patrick Conley and ex-Ald Barney
Ryan, who had been secured to go on
B1ckeTs bond, Joined the party, and it
was expected that the arraignment
! would be made and a bond entered
into at once. There was a hitch. how
ever, in the proceedings. Judge Kelly
insisted that Deputy Clerk Sundburg.
VINO acts as clerk in his court, be Sc
cured. Couriers were sent out to find
Sundburg, and the judge retired to his
chambers. Attorney Donnelly had an
interview with Judge Kelly and 1e-
! quested that the arraignment proceed
with Deputy Clerk Picha.
Judge Kelly, who in the meantime
had held consultation with County
Attorney Anderson, thought it would
be just as well to await the arrival of
Mr. Sundburg, and the party proceeded
to make themselves comfortable in tha
court room. At 9:45 County Attorney
Anderson had short talk with Attor-
ney Donnelly, and announced thar
Judge Kelly having gone home. tne
arrangement would have to be post
poned until this morning. 1t looked as
II MT Blckel would have to put in the
night in the county jail His attorney
was the person to have charge of thu
prisoner until he was formally ar
ralgned in court and County Attorney
Anderson admitted that this was. cor,
rect.
Mr.. Bfckel and his attorney, accom-
panied by Deputy Sheriff Robert. went
/ TO the Jail in search of Sheriff Wag-
eher to ascertain if arrangements could
not be made to allow Bickel to spend
the night in company with a deputy
at MS nome instead of being given a
cell in the jail. The sheriff was not AT
nome but messenger was sent to find
MN, and in few moments returned
There was a whispered conversation
and Mr.. Bickel and Deputy Robert left
ostens1bly for Bickels home
During the wait for Judge Kelly and
ms clerk Bickel appeared to be in a.
very cheerful frame Of mind He ex-
pressed the opinion that he was being
made "a mark" of in being indicted.
as to the particular charge on which he
had been indicted, Bickel did not care
TO talk. He stated, however, that the
grand jury system was all wrong In
that 1t only allowed the evidence
against a person to be heard, and al
lowed no explanation of facts to be
made. Out of every 100 persons VINO
would read that he had been indicted
~ per cent, he said, would believe that
4
done his best to keep the bank omen
and protect the depositors, but the
closing of the Germania and the ADa
MAMMA had forced him to close the
institution. His enemies he said had
done nothing since the bank closed hut
circulate statements about what he had
done with the funds of the hank All
the stories told about the condition Of
| the bank, he said, were false and The
| trlal OF the case on which he was in
| dlcted would prove his assertion to he
| correct. -
Mr.. Bickel will be arraigned in co,r+
TINS morning and County ATTORNEY An
ue[Soh gave 1t out last night that bail
! IN the sum of So, 600 would be asked for
on this charge. Report had it last
night that two more indictments
would be returned against Bickel To-
day. County Attorney Anderson de-
clned to talk and would neither affirm
nor uehy the report. 1t was stated on
good authority. however. that there
! would be searching Investigation
made by the grand jury into the af-
Ialrs OF the Minnesota Savings bank.
OF which Mr.. Bickel was president.
Attorney Donnelly, who has been re-
| tanned by Mr.. Bickel, when asked as
to the charge, said it could readily he
cleared away: Hulda Petersen, who
| was employed as a domestic in the
| B1ekel family. gave to Bickel several
drafts or money orders for collection
| me collections were made but when
the young woman called at the hank
| she did not have her bank book with
| her A day or so afterward she smoke
| to Bickel and gave him her book TO
! enter the deposit in. Mr. Bickel did so
and signed his initial after the entry
| After the bank closed the woman sold
! or assigned her claim and when her
pass DOCK was taken to the receivers
once IT was found that her account in
the ledger had been overdrawn $50 and
there was no record of the $268 90 to
| her account. On this state of facts
the Indictment had been found by the
| grand jury. Mr.. Donnelly stated thar
the cash account of the bank showed
that there was considerable cash on
! hand, over and above the amount of
deposits, and this sum undoubtedly
! covered the money which belonged to
| the PETERSEN woman, but had not been
! credited to her ledger account
MRS. Bridget Cummings, matron at
! the central station, was before the
grand jury yesterday in connection
! with another case against Mr.. BickeI
III IS claimed that after the death of
| her husband, Michael Cummings, who
| was a personal friend of VIM. F. BickeI
the widow deposited with Mr. Rickel
some $780, and after that at odd times
various amounts aggregating $500
| more. After the bank closed Mrs
| cummings visited the office of the re-
| ceivers. but was surprised to find that
the BOOKS Of the bank did not contain
ner name as depositor for any
amount Mr.. Bickel. when asked a hout
this matter. last evening. said he had
receipts from Mrs. Cummings for ali
! money handled belongings, 70 s,ar