The Dickinson press., 1909-10-09
BAD FOR
RUSSELL

Detectives Work in Famous
Fight for Riches. Dan in
Hiding Now. Boston Papers
Favor the Westerner.
The defense in the Russell estate suit
have been putting on witnesses the
past week and should be nearly at q
close now. 1t will probably take a
week for the arguments, or until about
the 18th at the earliest to finish this
famous case at Boston.
The PRESS has already given a good
deal of the testimony for the prosecu-
tion. and the following is but three
samples out of about 40. as reported
by the various daily papers of Boston:
John Riley of Maiden. who lived in
MelrOse from 1870 to 1893 testified that
he knew the Russell boys and met them
every day on the wav to and from
school, He said that to the best of his
judgment the man in court was the
Daniel B. Russell he knew as boy.
John H. Gately of Melrose said that
when he was boy he knew the Rus
sells. and on the stand he described
Daniels peculiarities and declared
that the man who stood up was the
Daniel Russell whom he knew. the son
Of Daniel and the brother of William
C. Russell.
Mrs. Margaret Pail. formerly Miss
Fahey, worked in the Russell family
from 1866 to 1872. and continued to
visit there frequently afterward. While
there she did housework and had special
care of Daniel, who was sickly. She
saw him the last time about five years
before he left. She had met him sew
eral times lately and was sure he was
the same Daniel B. Russell whom she
had known as boy.
The Boston papers have given column
after column each day concerning the
trial and in no paper. as far as seen,
has there been any particularly damae-
ing evidence to the prosecution brought
out on cross examination. In fact,
there was no cross examination reported
in connection with the testimony of
many of the witnesses.
Dan Russell was in court all of the
time while witnesses for his side we're
being examined. All attempts to bring
the brother. William G. Russell, into
court failed, and as soon as the defense
was opened Dan went into hiding also.
Mr.. and Mrs. T. H. Hayes, from
Billings county, near the old Russell
ranch, have been in Melrose, their
former home. the past week, supposedly
for the defense. Pinkerton detectives
visited the Hayes ranch in the summer.
AS soon as the prosecution rested
there were all sorts of stories published
in the Fargo papers about Dams being
an imposter. The Boston papers while
giving conflicting evidence, were much
milder and did not show Dan up in
such bad light. Letters were exhibited
purporting to be from j. D. Russell of
Dickinson. some two years ago. ad-
dressed to his parents, the Russeaus.
at Messona, N. Y. There was failure,
so the Boston papers say, to show any
envelope stamp marked from Dickin-
son. The Dan Russell our people know.
scribbled in court and there was no
similarity in the writing, so the reports
30.
On Wednesday the Daily News of
Fargo gave the following as the court
proceedings OF the previous day:
!, six new witnesses were sworn in
today in the hearing of the Russell case
in the probate court al East Cambridge.
All have been brought here to testify
for William C. Russell, who is contest
| ing the claim of Daniel Blake Russell
+ of Dickinson. ND. to half of the $500.
900 estate left by Daniel Russell of
Melrose.
''All are from MessoDa. N. Y. This
is the home of James Delbert Russeau
whom the lawyers for William c. Rus
sel claim Daniel Blake really is. Three
witnesses took the witness stand today
and testified that the claimant to the
J Russell money is James D. Russeau.
All of them identified photographs as
pictures of Russeau.
Most of the witnesses for the de-
' tense admit that it has required con-
sideration to get them from their New
York homes to Cambridge and accord
ing to their testimony they graded in
So, 81 and $5 day men though the
evidence offered by the different grades
. does not seem to differ greatly.
If Dan is the wrong man. the defense
, should have no trouble in proving the
; fact to the court, as they claim to have
parents. brothers and sisters from Mes
} soma, N. Y. On the other hand, if this
is all manufactured evidence by the
, detectives. Senator Simpson and his
associates will probably be able to show
: the deception.
Some one has put up at least 81, 600
OF IS. 600 to prove Dan Russell's identity
e and establish his legal claim to the
e fortune at Melrose Mr. Alma, the
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