The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-01-19
Two Men Arrested for Alleged At
tempt to Enter Coe Commits
sion Co.'s Office.
They Have Been Looking for Leak
in Chamber of Commerce
Quotation Service. r.
Chamber Officials Deny Any Respon'
sibility for the Course Men
Seem to Have Pursued.

the Chamber Of Commerce, wer arraisned
in the municipal court this morning on
charges Of attempting to burglarlze the
office Of the Coe Commission company
in the Bank of Commerce building. The
men waived examination and were held
to the grand jury each under a $500 bond.
Their cases will a tonce be taken up - I
| the grand jury. which is now in ses-
| sion. ...
The case is the latest development in
the Chamber Of Commerce bucket-sehop |
| war, and when the men appeared in court
| this morning interest was at high pitch. |
| H. V. Mercer attorney for the men, asked
! for separate and immediate trials and
moved that certain letters and papers
taken from the men upon their arrest be
returned to them on the ground that they
could not be used as evidence, inasmuch
as that would be forcing them to give
| testimony against themselves.
| The matter Of trials in tibet municipal
court was quickly disposed Of upon an
agreement that If the men would waive
examination their cases should at once be
| taken up by the grand jury. The motion
! for the return of the letters and papers
was denied by Judge Dickinson, and the
| letters were taken possession Of by the
county attorney.
Feeling at Chamber Of Commerce.
The president Of the Minneapolis
Chamber of Commerce and the chairman
err. refuse to stand for the action of
| Messrs. Tyler and Baldwin, If it Is true
that these men were trying to break into
ti.e office Of the Coe Commission COM
pany when they were arrested yesterday.
These men were hired by the Chamber as
expert line to come here and find out
how it is that the quotations Of the
i Chamber are being obtained and used by
firms that have no membership in the
Chamber. They had no instructions from
the Chamber. The directors made no ef-
fort to direct their efforts or guide them
in anyway. They were to find out the
secret line OF communication. That was
all. Neither the president of the Chamber
nor the chairman Of the committee be-
lieves that the men were really trying to
force an entrance to the Coe companys
office, and insist that II they were their
action was a personal matter entirely.
Neithe the president rthe chairman
Of the quotation committee denies the
authority OF the letter written to Tyler
i and Baldwin. and found on the person Of
e Tyler when he was searched at police
headquarters. One letter. bears the sig
nature of James Marshall, president Of
the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce.
the other the signature of G. F. Eve,
chairman Of the Chamber II Commerce
committee on quotations. The letters
disclose the existence Of an agreement be-
4 tween the men and the officers Of the
CiloliADcl, 50 tudI ClleIS Is ITO question IQGC
they were in the employ Of the chamber,
and to that extent the chamber is re-
sponsible for their actions. If it is true
that they were trying to force an entrance
to the office of the Coe Commission COM
pany they have involved the Minneapo-
t lis chamber in a bad mess. and incidental
ly have been the means of ADVERTISING the
Coe company and. the new Independent
Y Grain and Stock Exchange extensively.
The Fight Bitter One.
Whatever the members of the Mime
apolis chamber may think Of George j.
8 Hammond. there is no doubt that their
Y good opinion Of his ability as a fighter has
= been strengthened. 1t Is now almost two
years since the Minneapolis chamber be-
gan the fight against bucket shops, which
9 has with the eliminat ton Of some of the
r smaller concerns, simmered down to a
: direct fight between the chamber and the
: Coe Commission company. Despite the
e decisions Of the courts that the quotations
: OF the chamber are property, despite the
cutting off Of private wire service by the
= chamber, despite the fact that the cham
9 Der has exhausted every means to prevent
$ the use of their quotations, they are
e still ''leaking.'
: Determined at all hazards and at an,
q expense to find out how these figures we're
y being obtained, the chamber opened the
y sixth round in the battle by hiring two
II mon at salary Of $4,000 each to come
es here and get at the root Of 1t.
re The men came. Private detectives
n electricians. telegraph operators, line men
!. familiar with eVerp turn and twist Of tn,
= quotation system. they came to town AM
IS began work. In their efforts they entered
S the corridor Of the building occupied b,
= the office Of the Coe Commission com
n pany. Mr.. Hammond and his lieutenant
ID came on the scene and the men were cap
al tured. and on their persons were foun
letters from officers Of the Chamber Q
Commerce, so wcrded that. superflcially
they might be taken to indicate that tn
Chamber of Commerce was responsible
a. for the conduct of the men.
But the officers deny empha tically tina
they had any knowledge that the me
IL were about to invade the Bank of Com
Of mercc building. .
Mt No one on change believes for a mo
of ment that the officers we're in any way i'm
rt plicated in the attempted raid, if Their
az was any such attempt. Later develop
;, v ments will bring out whether the me
were really trying to force an entranc.
+o or whether they were merely lookin
), about the corridors for wires.
- But it was conceded in the smokin
~ room of the chamber this morning that j
eu the strenuous measures the chamber ha
- | been Outdone. The managers have bee
- cutgeneraled. The giving of an ambig,
H. Gus letter, however innocent it might b
IL in fact, to a courier whose duties wou
skirt the enemy's confines, was genel
alship hardly worthy of a Grant or
Napoleon. It was Tallyrand, the create
diplomat of his age, who never wrote lie
t. ters. 49,, .s, = e..
None Of the Officers of the chamb
would say this morning whether til
Id chamber would undertake to defend tt
men or not, but it IS not likely the me-
ed will suffer through lack of good leg
ce. talent for their defense. -. -
OF Mr.. Ewes Views. -
&C. G. F. Eve said this morning: y IL
M 1.-The matter. in brief, Is just like thi
81 This chamber has done more to build
~ =. Minneapolis than any other Institute
ki::e here. There is a. certain evil connect
with the grain trade, that is, the e,
| of the bucket shop I need not go in
" a lengthy analysis Of the bucket she
p 1t is place where they advertise to b
ow- and sell grain or stocks. but they do n
the buy or sell them. The proprietor TAX
are are the commissions of his customers, repo,
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