Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1900-12-21
SMOTH AS SILK.
Evidence in the Carver Case Tends to
Show that the Silk Business is
Fairly Good.
Testimony Of Mrs. Carver as to the
Nature OF their Work Canvass
ing for Magazines.

Says they were Employed by F. p.
Burch, and Worked for a Salary
from Him.
Evidence that is being taken in the
Carver case before Judge Tibbils tends
TO show that the officials Of this coun-
ty have fallen upon a sWindling
scheme of no mean proportions and
one in which a. large number of good
women along the line of the Northern
Pacific railroad have been taken in by
a party of five persons operating in the
name of the Butterick Pattern COM
pany. The arrests which were made
by States Attorney lien and Sheriff
Bogue several days ago will probably
save a number of people their hard
earned dollars and prove that in the
line of con games, there is nothing too
old or too new to work with.
Mrs. Carver, the wife of J. FL. Car
ver, who was the man arrested here,
was on the stand in the trial OF the
case this morning She is a medium
sized woman of good app pearance, bru
nette in tpye, fairly we'll dressed and
she maintained a. fairly easy demeanor
on the witness stand According to-
the statements she made there were
five persons in all engaged in the bus
iness of canvassing Tor Delineators,
with four yards OF silk thrown in as a
premium. They were Carver and his
wife, II. III. Hawley, one Lee and one
Birch This latter, she claimed, was
the manager of the business, and she
and her husband were merely working
for him and under his directions. he
instructing them what ito do and what:
Ito offer. She said all remit ttances for
sllbscrip ions aside from expenses.
were to be sent to Birch at Chicago.
care of the general delivery. This,
she said, had been done by Carver
and she named several towns from
which remittances had been made.
One Of $12 was made from Staples, and
Others from other places one being.
made from Mandan. The couple now
here were arrested at Mandan while
at work there, and a number Of re-
ceipts which have come over from
Mandan tend to show that they were
successful in getting subscrip ptions
there. All the towns along the line
appear to have been canvassed. Some
of the party worked one town while
others worked Others. Mrs. Carver
stated that she and her husband had
not been at Jamest stown, and reports
which come from there tend to show
that the Down was eanyassed but by
other parties. IIaWley worked at
Bismarck for a time and some of the
receipts turned in to the officials here
bear his signature
1t also developed in Mrs. Caryef'ss s
testimony that she had written to
Birch since her hilsb band had been ar
rested and that she knew that he was
ait Billings. She and her husband
met him here last week when on his
way thro the city # Notwfthsta
ing that she knew that he was not in
Chicago, her husband had continued
to remit to him ait Chicago, she stating
that they were merely following in
st17lctio ions. Another matte that came
out was that after the arrest of her
husband she had destroyed some let
tiers and torn some pages out OF a
book. She said the letters were
merely private matters and she
ldhought they would be better de-
stroyed, The pages she had born out
I.cf the book, she said, contained her 4
expense account, which she kept every
day, although her husband paid her
bills.
From the deYelo lopments made in the
case So far 1t is apparent that the
towns along the road have been pretty
i wei canvassed and that there are sew
erml hundred housewives, ct least, who
4 have a years subscrip ption 70 the De
alinea,bor paid nor and nnurnerajble
4 yards Of silk on The road.
Mrs. Carver testified, in substance
thaa she had been married 70 Carver
4 about year OF q little over That
4 I'm the latter part Of November las1
they entered into an greement with
Lone f, b. Burch. 81 St. Paul, 20 traye
4 and solicit subscriptions for the nlagai
! zine in question for the sum Of $50 Y
4 month and expenses Bnrch, shs
said, represented himself as A genera
q agent for the company and was puttirs
ont canvassers through the country