The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-01-31
MURPHY CASE
Witnesses Deny Any Author
ity Given Him to Sign
Road Tax Receipts.
Yesterday's Session.

Especial to The Evening Timesl
FARGO, Jan. 31.-The Murphy case
is still on today and the state is in
PRODUCING testimony which denies
that Murphy had permission to sign
the documents in question. The trial
will probably continue for two days
before the case goes to the jury. The
general results of the trial today are
very damaging to the defendant.
AS the Murphy case draws to a
close public interest seems to in
crease. and yesterday there was hard
ly breathing room in the court room
every avallaDle seat was occupied,
and many interested persons had to
content themselves with poor view
of the proceedings through the door
from the hallway.
Judge Allen of Lisbon occupied a
seat on the bench with Judge Pollock
in the afternoon, and in the morning
Judge Amidon visited for a while.
The first witness yesterday was Edi-
tor c. A. Jones of the Minot Optic.
The witness identified an interview
with Major Murphy which appeared
in The Optic. He stated that he had
written it and that the defendant had
approved of it. At a late hour VIM.
Dickman, road overseer of Carter
township, was called to the stand.
The witness gave important testi-
mony for the state on direct eXami-
nation, and was called to testify in
rebuttal in connection with transac-
tion which he had had with Major
Murphy and in which it was claimed
that road tax receipt had been sign
ed by him in ink when the body of
the receipt had been written in lead
pencil.
Upon the opening of court in the
morning, the prosecution indicated
that F. II. Slatky, street commissioner
of Minot, would not be called to tes-
tify. The defense interposed an OBJ
lection on the same ground as was
brought forward when McAllister was
called to the stand. The court init
mated that the same ruling as in the
objection to McAllister would be
made.
Mr.. McAllister was recalled to the
stand and was shown receipts for mo-
ney paid out for road work in Sur
rey township. He identified the re-
ceipts, the amounts of which cores
pended exactly to the amounts which
he claimed on the stand yesterday he
helu leCeiVeu lIom MdJof murphy,
total of $16750.
Alfred Givens, a school teacher in
Surrey township, was next called.
He testified that he had presented
an order On Major Murphy for road
taxes and that the defendant had Civ
en- him $62.50 instead of $3.50, as Nc
Allister had testified. The witness
explained that McAllister had become
confused to the extent of IS, on ac-
count of the different payments which
had been made on the total amount
of the receipt
The important witness for the state
at the morning session was Harry
Hardy, road overseer for Ross town
ship. He testified that he had met
Major Murphy in November, 1904, in
the country. The witness was work
Ing with man who engaged Murphy
In conversation. 1t was brought out
that the defendant had not mentioned
to the witness any authority to sign
his name. On crOss-examination of
the witness the value OF this testi-
mony to the prosecution was lessened
when the witness was asked If Major
Murphy had spoken to HIM The re-
ply was in the negative and pressed
for a reason why the witness replied
that he did not believe Major Murphy
recognized him. Further, the witness
testified that he not seen Hanley dur
ing the year 1904. Hanley is the
brakeman who Major Murphy had tes-
titled had told him. that Hardy wanted
the road tax money and wanted him
to take whatever action was neces-
sary toy get 1t. The witness further
stated positively that he had never
told anyone that he wanted Major
Murphy to send for the road tax mo-
ney and that he did not want to do
the road work AZ he was otherwise