The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-17

one he had read shortly after the
publication.
Mr.. Butler referred to the article al
legged to have been libelous. He again
inquired from the witness if he knew
who the editor and proprietor was.
Mr.. Durment objected on the ground
that the sources of Mr.. Dunn's knowl-
edge were clearly of a hearsay char
acter
The court was Of like opinion.
Mr. Butler produced and had intro
duced in evidence an affidavit made by
Mr.. Paradfs, in which the latter said
ne was the editor and proprietor of
the Midway News.
copy of the Midway News of Nov
~, 1897, bearing the name over the edi-
tor1al column of Ed Paradis, the de-
PENDANT, as the editor and publisher
was also placed in evidence, and was
admitted as an exhibit without objec
ton. The examination Of Mr.. Dunn
then proceeded
correspondence was unlimited by Mr..
Butler showing that Mr.. Dunn. after
having certain articles published in
the Midway News drawn to his atten-
ton. had written to Paradis inviting
him to examine the records of the state
auditors office, and to satisfy himself
that his charges against Mr.. Dunn
were unfounded and also giving him
a special invitation to be present at
the sale of the states pine stumnage
on Oct. 81, 1897.
The witness, Mr.. Dunn, stated that
these invitations were not accepted.
and Paradis failed to appear at the
sale, or to examine the records. Mr..
Dunn then described at length the
manner in which the state sells its nine
Stumpage. %!
The witness was now taken in hand
for examination by Mr.. Durment,
the senior council for the defense. who
asked series of questions relating to
the administration of his office, and
particularly as to the sale of pine Mr..
Dunn, in his answers, said that, since
ne had been in office, he had collected
$50, 700 from persons who had trespassed
on state pine lands, and that less than
one-tenth of this was for tresspass
committed since January, 1895, on
which date Mr.. Dunn assumed office
Mr.. Durment next devoted his attan-
ton to the record of appraisals of state
pine, which was placed in evidence
and he attempted to prove by the wit
ness that certain technical violations
of the law had been made in connec-
ton with the last timber SALE He took
up each entry IN the book, and. while
evidently laboring under the disadvan-
tage Of not being thoroughly conyers-
ant with the intricacies of the lumber
business or the states method of sell
ing pine, he succeeded in bringing out
the fact that the law Of 1895, which
governs the state auditor and the state
timber commission, Is very rigid in its
requirements, and leaves practically no
loophole for any official wrongdoing.
He also succeeded in irritating Mr..
Dunn, and several sharp exchanges
apologized when reproached by Pierce
took place. for which Mr.. Durment
Butler for quarreling with a witness.
Mr.. Durment's object apparently was
to endeavor to prove that the sale held
last October was, in some particulars,
not conducted in strict accordance with
the letter Of the law, and his efforts
in this direction were only suspended
by the adjournment of court at 5 n.
m. until this morning at 10 o'clock.
AS Mr.. Durment expressed a wish to
examine the stumpage records of the
state auditors office, in order to better
inform himself of the detail of the sys-
tenn, Mr.. Butler, on behalf of State Au-
ditor Dunn, offered to lay all records
open to him and to afford him all The
assistance he might require to make
any examination he might wish.