The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-03-17

I NAl'l QtiAAl4ilA.
No sir.
'.l>id you ever see bryant, Page
and Wynn III Your banks
"Ihev may have been there, but
| have no recollection OF ii.
Letcher denied absolutely ali
knowledge Of i%uceuidaly conversation
With these alleged conspirators in his
bank.
Ibid YOU ever have any conveisa-
lions about burning the Montpelier
~ploperty?'
NO sir. l never did
"Did YOU help burn that store?:H
NO sir; i did not
Are you acquainted with Homer
Mouisou2'
II am; his father. Or. Morrison.
was our family physician in West
Unity :"
Witness denied that he ever told
Morrison he was building the Mont
pelier store for Pratt Y Wynn,
II never talked with him about
any OF my business. Never told him
that John Page and ! burned That
Montpelier property"
Ibid you know Delos Pratt?a
mot until met him in Califor-
Inia.'h
Letcher admitted having received
letters flom Delos Pratt, in one OF
j which Pratt said he was a stranger
TO Letcher, but regretted the trouble
about indictments.
AFTER the letter came my attorney
and | took the first train for Fruit
dale to see Pratt. Pratt went with
US to San Francisco TO see Attorney
Burchard. The Pratt letter has been
lost.
The Pratt AFFIDAVIT which Pratt
was prepared in Burchard office.
"Didn't Pratt say there he never
lsaw you before was asked.
"He did" said Letcher.
clad you any interest in the Pratt
& Wynn stock at Montpelier"
mo sir
"Did you know Wynn and Ira
Bryant?"
YES"
"Did you send a letter to Bryant
by your man Donaldson in 1902"
"Don't remember it. May have
done So
did Donaldson ever say to you he
had told Wynn that people said Wynn
had burned that Montpelier build
mo"
Wituess said he did not know VIM.
Mcintyre, who testified that Letch-
Ell hired him to work on the Pratt
Wynn building.
Ibid you, Pratt and Wynn sign a
mote in favor OF Ira Bryaht?n
This question was ruled out and
Letcher SAID if he had ever been sued
lon any such note in Toledo be had
forgotten its amount.
This completed Letcher's direct eX-
amination. He was cross examined
by Judge BowersoN and questioned
about meeting Pratt in the lattel's
Toledo Furniture store on one Occa-
sion
THAT was long before the Mont
pelier fire." said Letcher,
II went to look at furniture.
when did you first know Ira
B%ryant?"
sin 1873 he came to my bank with
an attorney. Mr.. Sawyer
A cross fire to questions asked tG
connect LetclleI and Bryant IN bust,
ness deals was futile. but it developed
the fact that Letcher owned a saloon
in Fayette for a short time, although
he said be was not in the habit OF
pat1onizing saloons. Letcher admit
ted that he brought a suit at Adrian,
Mich, against a Mr. Fernsdorf in
1881. He said Ira Bryant might have
signed his cost bond but denied that
Bryant used Jack Pages sorrel mare
to drive over the country for wit
nesses.
"Dld you have character witness
esp
"Yes. L did not know what they
might try to do. | was looking out
now."
The crowd laughed and the court
admonished the jury to be very care
full not to pay attention to that re.
mark.
Letcher's father-in-law, Ihoma;
Hodson, was his partner in the bank.
ing business. Hodson invested nc
money in it but lent his credit to
the firm. Letcher denied that it
cost Hodson So, 800 OF any other sun
to get out of tie business. "Ilt
never lost a cent in it," said Letch-
er.
Questioned about his mill fire il
Pettisville, witness said he was Al
home in Fayetta when it occurred.
WAS the mill insured?"
The tlour mill was, not the saw
mill
How much was the insurance.
II think 50. 50O.'
'.Wasn' t it SO, 000?'
"Including the stock it may hav
been that much.
Letcher said previous to the fire il
Pettisyllle he had sold ain interest il
the mill to his bookkeeper, Mattern
and took a mortgage back. He re
lmembered collecting the INSURANCE
money
"Weren't you driving from Pettis
Vile TO Fayette tue night OF thai
fire?H
No sir;I wasn't"
BY the Tonic Route.