The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-01
SENG'S ISBENT
RIFT TAKES POSSESSION OF AS
SCISSORS OFFICE WHILE NO.
BODY Is LOOKING
SPENT LAST NIGHT THERE
TO BE READY TO BEGIN WORK
TODAY, AS REQUIRED
BY LAW
HARD THRow-DowN FOR BOB

The New Official wouldn't Say How
OF When He Got Possession, but
He Got There Just the Same
Says He Has Selected His stan
and VIII Start Them to work
This Morning.
Gregory Ritt Is this morning assessor.
both de jure AMI de facto.
Yesterday morning, when most peopls
were vending their respective ways TO
church. Mr.. Ritt, together with his sen.
F. A. Ritt, Henry Yost and one other,
entered the court house and with the con-
sent and probable assistance Of those who
have the care Of the building entered the
assessors Office. Once In they locked the
door and barricaded it with a chair, and
there they remained all day all last
night. and will be there when the Office
is open for business this morning.
A reporter for the Globe raped on
the door last evening, and after a whis-
pered consultation on the inside was ad-
nlitted. He was smilingly greeted 5y
MIR. Ritz, who said he was now assessor
in fact, and would be ready for business
this morning as soon as the Office Of the
register Of deeds was opened And "the
public he said. reed have no fear as
to the validity of the assessment
Mr.. Ritt also said he had appointed his
deputies, but would not say who they
were
Asked what time he entered the office
and how he got in, he declined to say.
The vault was open. Mr. Ritz had possess
sion Of the books and was famiIIarizing
himself with the situation.
Mr.. Seng was seemingly 'iobbed'' nv
some of his city hall friends The night
watchman Morris Shovel told the re-
porter that he opened the outside gate at
S:45 yesterday morning and was relieved
at o'clock by the day watchman, w.
M Campbell At that time no one was
In the assessors Office. On his return to
duty at o'clock in the evening he made
the rounds Of the building on the outside
and noticed that the curtains to the as
SCISSORS Office were closely drawn. which
was so unusual an occurrence that he
went inside to investigate He tried tho
door, 1t was locked. He then tried to
insert his key and found there was a
key in the lock on the inside. Then he
communicated by telephone with one az
ne expressed it, who had some authority.
about the building, and was told that II
was all right and to let them alone. as
any one having key to the assessors Of
nee should be permitted to enter. Acting
upon that he made no further investtes
tlons and could not say how Mr.. Ritz oh
tanned entrance or at what time.
The conditions leading up 10 Mr. Ritt,s
taking possession of the assessors ofics
at the time and in the manner he has
are these; heretofore on the 10th Of
March each year, or as soon after as
practicable Of each year, under the ReII
charter, 1t is the duty of the mavor anf
county auditor to select an assessor. hut
this year those officers failed to get to-
gether, and Robert Seng held the office
as he was entitled to do under the char
ter, appointed his deputies and was pre-
pared to serve another year.
But at the recent session of the leois-
lature law was passed making the Of
nee OF assessor elective this year by the
board of county commissioners. Two
weeks ago the board men elected Gregory
Ritt, who filed his bond and duly uuali-
fed, but Mr.. Seng knew a good thing
when. he had 1t and refused to give I'D
the Office. Several conferences were
held between the two men, but they were
without result. Mr.. Ritt last week began
quo warranto proceedings against Mr.
Seng to compel him to show by what
authority he held the office, but appar-
emily the ways Of the law were too slow
for Mr.. Ritt, and he simply went in and
took possession yesterday. Mr. Ritt is
certainly assessor this morning and the
next move Is up to Mr.. Seng Whether
he will submit gracefully to this manner
of being disposed can only be guessed
at. If he wants to fight the opportunity
is still open to him, but he will have to
do so at his own expense and from the
outside of the office. which is different.