Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-11-03
E.AIR BREAKS DOWN.
Sensational Disclosures Crush Note,
ST Lnnia Mo-

Sensational disclosures Crush Nofet
ST. Louis Man.
If the testimony of James T. Robert
before the grand jury is true, there is i
St Louis a man who for the last seye
years has been living dual life. Tha
man is James Lawrence Blair, son of til
late Gen. Frank Blair, who saved Mis-
souri, to the Onion, lawyer and reformel
and until recently general counsel @
the worlds fair.
When Mr.. Blair was informed of tn
charges against him Saturday afternoo
at his country home near Kirk wood h
suffered q total collapse. He la1 stoo
for two hours on his porch aud dictate
a statement of his case before the gran
jury. Following the close of the state
ment he was asked if he did not wish /
discuss the report that his alleged mis-
conduct was the result of an effort t
shield others. Mr.. Blair replied tina
he would not volunteer any information
as to what may have been done in thi
particular. There was moment of 81
lence following tii.is remark.
rs thai ali you want to say to tn
public:' be was asked
gasped for breath. His eyes rolled an,
his body tremble3. He was facing tn
house, and directly back of him wer
the stone STEPS. The crutch which ha,
partly supported MIN fell to the floor
and, throwing his hands in the air wild
ly, the attorney fell backward, goinl
headlong down the steps. His hea,
struck the stone pavement with tremen
dous force. A physician was summoned
and late at night Mr.. Blair regained con
seriousness.
The charges supposed to involve Blair
but not mentioning his name, have beef
circulated in st. Louis financial an(
newspaper circles for more than a month
but none credited them, nor was AM
reference to them published until aftel
Mr.. Blair had applied for warrant fol
Editor Brokmeyer on the charge of Grim
inal libel, though Mr. Brokmeyer haC
carefully kept the name of the supposed
wrong doer from the columns of his pa
per-
The charges made by James T. Rob
erts who, as stenographer, had access t.
private books and papers, are in brief al
follows:
/. That deeds and mortgages aggre
eating $4O3,0 900 were forged.
2. That $4,000 was obtained from
the firm of Dick Brothers & Co. of Phil
adelphia.
3. That $63,oOo was obtained from tn,
Blow estate in ST. Louis on these papers
4. That notarial and other necessary
seals and stamps were counterfeited.
Roberts says these transactions tool
place more than three years ago. Thu!
the statute of limitations would be op
erative if any of them came within the
law.
James L. Blair has been one of tn,
fgureheads of business and social st
Louis for years. Handsome, popular, {
member of nearly every club in the city
a keen lawyer, an eloquent orator, public
spirited, and apparently a man of the
highest and most aggressive principles
he has stood for what was believed t.
be the best and most noteworthy in the
citizenship of conservative old st. Louis
AT his beautiful home he entertained
lavishly. At Y. NJ. c. A. meetings he
lectured on Business Morals" "Integ
rity in Business" and kindred subjects
In the counses of the worlds fair direc
torate his voice was often heard and his
advice usually respected. Although mo-
politician, his influence in this sphere
of action was as broad as it was in tho
social, commercial and moral life of the
city.
Blair's hand was always to- be seer
in works of public moment; his voice wal
always heard for reform, for publication
of public and private morals, for a strict
er code of honor in business, for a higher
plane of personal life.
Mrs. Blair. besides being president OF
the board of lady managers, is a hand
some and accomplished woman, presi-
dent of the St Louis Confederation OF
Women's Clubs and president and direc-
tor of the Choral Society, the pre-emi
nent musical organization of the city.
James T. Roberts, Blair's occuser, is
a stenographer and lawyers clerk by pro
fessicn. Three years ago he went to the
office of a dancing professor named Simp
son, quarreled with him because the lat
ter was trying to persuade Mrs. Rob
erts to go on the stage, and in the end
shot Simpson dead. Roberts was acQuit
ted on trial. Blair stood by him III this
trouble.