Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-07-12
BRYANT FOUND GUILTY

BRYANT FOUND GUILTY
Merchants Hotel Proprietor Con-
y Wicted on Charge Of illegal
Sale Of Liquor.
1--WE, the jury In this action, find
the defendant guilty of the offense as
charged
This wss the verdict brought in by
the jury in the case Of the State of
Minnesota vs. A. o. Bryant, one of
the proprietors of the Merchants hotel,
accused by the grand jury of having
sold into xicating liquor without Ii.
cense. The jury retired at II a. m.
Friday and remained out till ) As p. m.
The case was on trial since Thursday
morning.
This case was one of the most in
teresting and most bitterly contested
legal struggles that have ever been
heard within the boundaries of the
county. The evidence introduced re-
spectively by the witnesses for the
state and the witnesses for the defense
was in many instances so fatty con-
Trajectory that one was kept wonder
ing all the time as to the outcome and
q number OF heated arguments between
the opposing counsels also added q
great deal OF zest to the affair.
The first witness to be called by the
state was II. G. Yale, q detective en-
ployed by the McNulty Detective
Agency of Minneapolis. He testified
that on the afternoon of March "a last
he asked Mr.. Bryant If he could secure
q pint of whiskey from him. Mr..
Bryant replied in the affirmative and
the sale took place in the evening
about 1870 in . room at the Merchants
hotel known Is the old bar room, the
witness receiving q pint of whiskey
from Mr.. Bryant and paying him so
cents for same. In describing this
room Mr.. Yale stated that it had the
appearance of an ordinary bar room,
only that it was apparently kept on
the q. t. It contained the regular sa-
loon fixtures, bar, back bar with
bottles of whiskey standing on and
under It, and the conventional mirrors,
together with q number of other arti-
cles needful in q modern, up-to. date
and accommodating hostelry. Mr..
Yale's testimony, both in regard to
the appearance OF the room and it's
surroundings, was plain, frank and
convincing and he stuck to his story
without anyepsrceptiblsscontradtctio
thruout his entire appearance on the
stand. -
Having secured the pint of whfskey
the witness went to Bonde's hall, where
he and Chief of Police Bonde sampled
same and also labeled and marked
the bottle. Witness then described
marks on bottle and writing on label,
after which the innocent looking flask
of tirewater was introduced in evi.
dence. This ended the direct exami.
nation.
Mr.. Yale was subjected to q fierce
cross-examinatton by Atty. Barnard,
of Renville, for the defense. Atty.
Barnard wanted to know and did find
out all about witness wanderings,
comings, goings and doings for the
last few years. Yale told of his trips
which by the way were 40 numerous
and far-reaehing that it was q wonder
he could recall them all without the
assistance OF private secretary with
an accuracy and promptness that was,
to say the least, surprising. The
court held that the testimony relative
to these wanderfngs should be intro.
duced merely to show witness differ.
ent places of residence and not for the
purpose of impeachine his character,
or proving his incredibility, as was
the intention of the defense.
Mr.. Yale resumed the stand in the
afternoon and for the second time the
defense tried to impeac his chara acter.
The de fense otfe1ed TO prove that he
had committed the crime of forgery at
MOorhead, that he had fed to Duluth
to avoid capture and that he was now
at the time of the trial under arrest,
but the court held that these facts were
not material in this case and hence
they were not admitted in evidence.
Chief OF Police Bonde was next
called on the stand. He identified the
bottle and testified that it's contents
were whiskey. He also corroborated
Yale's testimony in regard to the bar
room referred to and it's general ap.
pearance. Mr.. Bonde stated that be
had not been in the room but that he
had had occasional peeps into the
place thru the ventilator In the storm
window on the north side of the hotel.
The window was so far above the side
walk that in order to get even this
somewhat limited view of the inside
the chief WAS obliged to stand on the
railing outside the window.
This testimony completed the states
case.
i A. O. Bryant Waa the first witnaas