The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-07-20
SUIT FOR $1,000
Promissory Note Turns Up
Against MapIeton Man.
Payment is Refused and the Claim Is
Made That the Note is
a Forged One.

county district court, the plaintiff be-
ing Senator Chas. F. Staples, of st.
Paul, and the defendants Thos. P.
Hanna, we'll known and well-to-do
resident of Mapleton, and w. Howell
Tice, a real estate agent of Mime
apolis. The suit is one involving
real estate transaction of large dimen
sions, and is brought to recover the
face value of promissory note for
So, 400 alleged to have been given as
part payment of the commission on
the transaction
Last year Mr.. Hanna and two well
known Mankato gentlemen purchased
a tract of about 4, 400 acres of land in
Wilkin county During the autumn Mr..
Hanna was in St. Paul and was taken
with dizzy spell while standing on
the rear platform of car and fell off,
receiving serious injuries He was
taken to hospital, where he remain
ed for some time. A day or two after
being taken there, he received a visit
from Tice, who represented that he
had purchaser for Wilkin county
land, man named Paul E. Datko, of
Illinois Later, Tice brought Datko,
who after some negotiation agreed to
pay $40, 600 for the land. Datko signed
a contract to take The land and after
some urging paid $500 down, Tice TAX
ing 5000 of it to apply on his commits
sion. Datko had only wanted to pay
800 down.
The doctors told Mr.. Hanna that he
was not in a condition to transact
business, and he told Tice so, but Tice
was anxious to close the matter up and
demanded his commission of So, 600.
Mr.. Hanna did not want to pay the
commission until the money had been
paid for the land. Tice wanted him
to sign an agreement to pay when the
money should be paid on the land, and
Mr.. Hanna agreed to this. Tice then
drew up writing, but it turned out
to be a promissory note and Mr.. Hanna
refused to sign it. Tice proposed that
he would add to the note that it was
not to be paid until the real estate
deal was completed Mr.. Hanna as
sented to this, and Tice wrote words
to the following effect across the back
of the note:
''This note is for commission for sale
of Wilkin county land and is void if
no sale is completed.
Mr.. Hanna then signed the note,
which was for So, 400, payable in a
stated period. Letters were soon after
wards received from Datko, who pur-
ported to be in various places in the
state looking for land. In the last one
he said that he was about to leave for
Washington and Oregon. He express
sed dissatisfaction with the Wilkin
county land He never paid anything
more on the land and the alleged sale
fell through, but it has since been dis
posed of to other parties at good
profit.
In due time note purporting to
have been given by Mr. Hanna was
presented to the National Citizens
bank of Mankato and the Mapleton
bank for discount, but it was not
taken, as the banks suspicioned that
something was wrong. Across the
back was this in writing "This note
is for commission for sale of Wilkin
endorsement on the note which Mr..
Hanna says he signed was missing.
Mr.. Hanna pronounced the signature
to the note forgery, and those who
have seen it say that it is different
from his usual signature He refuses
to pay the note. The note purported
to have been transferred from Tice to
a Mr.. Dodge, who is a real estate
agent of ST. Paul, and by him to have
been transferred to Mr. Staples
Mr.. Staples attorneys are Schalle1
& Whitford, of st. Paul, and he has
commenced an action to force the col
lection of the note. Mr.. Hanna has re
tanned the services of Pau & Pau and
has put in an answer. 1t is not known
definitely when the case will be tried.
Mr.. Hanna loaned Tice $3.50 at the
time of the transaction, and took his
note for the amount. The note was
long since overdue but has not been
paid.
Those who know Mr.. Hanna are con-
WINGED that his explanation of the
case, which is about as stated above,
is true. He has always been careful
in his financial transactions and pru-
dent in all of his acts. 1t is his opin-
ion that the original note was replac-
ed with a forged one, emitting the es-
sential part of the agreement on the
back. Pau & Pau have given much
time to the case and have accumulat-
ed good deal of unfavorable evidence
regarding the methods of Tice and
Dodge, who they are convinced work
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