The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-23
HE'S IN DREW'S FIX
ALDERMAN DICKINSON CHARGED
WITH AGREEING TO ACCEPT
BRIDE.
SENsA -loNAL INDICTMENTS
SHOWING THAT THE GRAND JURY
is DETERMINED TO PROBE
THOROUGHLY.
Charged With Procuring Illegal
Loans of City Cash From
Treasurer Hangar.

BY the action taken yesterday Min
neapolis citizens are convinced that the
grand jury is determined to probe to
the bottom of alleged crookedness in
municipal affairs Two arraignments
were made yesterday which caused
something of sensation. Aid. Charles
E. Dickinson, of the Twelfth ward, was
arraigned on an Indictment charging
bribery before Judge Simpson, in the
criminal branch of the district court.
He pleaded not guilty, and Immediately
furnished a bail bond in the sum of
$4,000, with Fred L. Smith and Louis
Harrison as sureties. The indictment
specifically charged that May %, 1895,
the accused entered into an agreement
with Thomas E. Bishop whereby $500
was to be paid to the alderman as the
price of his labors for the passing of
a resolution giving the Penny Press
the city printing, that measure being
then pending before the city council.
The main witness in the case is Mr..
Bishop himself, who was called before
the grand jury in the early part of the
second sitting.
The charge against Aid. Dickinson
Der Of the council not under suspicion
for bribery. The state claims to have
a strong case against him, for agreeing
to accept a bride, with Thomas E.
Bishop as the contracting party. There
is little new in the procedure against
Mr.. Dickinson, the indictment being
under the plain charge Of bribery, but
it is limited that the grand jury is not
by any means through with the public
officials to date. If many more are
rounded up, the present term Of court
will see enough trials of officials to last
through the season.
Henry F. Brown, retired lumberman,
gentleman farmer and politician, ap
peared before the bar of justice to
plead to an Indictment charging him
with having procured A. c. Hangar,
then city treasurer, to make him an IL
legal loan of 81 800 of the city's money.
Brown was at the time one of Hau-
gan's bondsmen and in a position TO
bring pressue to bear upon him.
Mr.. Brown appeared in court with
John Atwater and Frank M Nye as his
attorneys, and entered a plea of not
guilty. His case was set for June Is,
his bail of $500 being furnished on the
spot by Clinton Morrison and Charles
A Pillsbury. The fact of Haugan's
loan to Brown has been no secret since
Haugan's retirement from office, but
the criminal aspect OF the case has
never been limited at.
The case against Henry F. Brown is
peculiar, and many wonder how it is
possible to indict for an action like
his. 1t is claimed by the defense that
Mr.. Brown borrowed a large sum of
money from Mr.. Hangar, under the
supposition that he was a wealthy
man, and that 1T was his personal
money. The state, at the behest of
the grand jury, claims, however, that
When Mr.. Haugan gave the money it
was the money of the city, and that
Brown simply held it as bailee from
Hangar. This forms the basis for the
hrst charge, which is larceny as bailee.
The second charge in the Indictment
claims a procurement, connivance. or
advice, upon which Hangar took the
money from the city, and under this
| charge, the accused becomes a prin-
| ciDal because an accessory. These
two charges form the Indictment, and
| are the ones which the accused will
be forced to combat 1t is held in some
quarters that the grand jury is giving
prominent men a lesson, to the effect
| that they will be more careful how
they mix up with public funds when
they come to borrow money a lesson
| which will show that they are liable
to indictment in case of shortage for
being principals in the act itself, if
| there has been a shortage.
The grand jury worked until s
o'clock, and then adjourned until
morning. There is still plenty of work
before it, and from good authority it
comes that there are many more
startling bills in preparation for the
future
Ex-COunty Attorney Frank M. Nye,
when seen yesterday and asked for his
opinion of the charges against Mr.
| Brown. had the following to say:
IF Mr.. Brown committed a crime in
| borrowing $1,000 from the city treasurer
and giving his note for it, hundreds
| of our best citizens have committed
! like crimes in the past few years The
| transaction was open and above board,
! made in the usual course of business,
| and Mr.. Brown was a the time and
still is abundantly responsible finan-
cially, although cramped at present.
He has large amount of property.
! much of which is unincumbered, but
| like many others firds it impossible to
get ready money just at this time.
| The city has for many years sane
toned the loaning of public money by
the city treasurer, just as this loan
| was made. and If this transaction, like
| many others of a similar nature, has
any more legal disgrace attached to