The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1909-06-11
Court.

{ Court.
/ Court adjourned on Friday last as
there was nothing doing until Monday.
Bell who was tried for burglary of a
granary near Cavalier with jury disa.
greement, this time plead guilty to shird
degree and was given a suspension of
sentence by Judge Kneeshaw. 1t will
be remembered that Bell went to the
granary and broke in some of the win
dows that we're boarded up, but was
seen'and really had do opportunity to
steal anything. He had just left the
renter Of the farm few minutes before
who saw him turn in and heard him
breaking off the boards. He was under
the influence of liquor and gave some
what inooherent explanation of his bust
ness there.
Ow,ag to afidavits of prejudice both
against the county of Walsh and Judge
Kneeshaw, Judge Templeton arrived
on Monday to hear the John Robbie
case in this county. A large number of
witnesses and interested people of Dfay-
ton, Grafton and Park River were pres
ent. Robbie was the manager of the
Drayton Mill Co. and under his man.
agement there has been an actual short
age of somewhere in the vicinity of $780,
600 and in the breakup of the business
in consequence at least $4,000 more.
Besides the stockholders of the mill com
pany many farmers sold their grain with
out taking regular tickets and have suf-
fered considerably. The dividend paid
by the receiver only netted two and one
half per cent. Robbie was brought be-
fore the courts in Walsh county for
misappropriation of the funds of the
mill but was cleared on the general
grounds that he was acting as agent for
the mill company,
When the business got going to the bad
Robbie in his desperate efforts to make
things balance used his pen to write
other peoples names aud discounted the
notes thus endorsed at Grafton bank,
and there IS also charge that he forged
a bill of lading for car of -four that was
never shipped and drew on the same for
the amount from the commission firm.
Much investigation has been made but
there is no evidence that he used this
money for personal purposes.
On Monday morning when asked to
plead by Judge Templeton, mach ito the
surprise of the attendants ct canrt. he
plead guilty to forgeryia the 3rd degree
on the charge of forging note forge, ,0O0
Judge Templeton appointed one O'Clock
as the time for sentence ct which time
after giving Robbie good talk he SEN
fenced him to two years imprisonnent
at Bismarck at hard labor and court
vas adjourned sine die. The statutory
term tor the offence runs from one to
five years. While Robbie in one sense
deserves little or no sympathy, yet in
another sense it is certainly very sad
thing to see a comparatively young man
of good education, who has moved in
the best social circles, aud who is con-
nected by blood and marriage with the
most respectable and esteemed people
60 to the penitentiary.
Robbie was at one time mayor OF
Drayton and vas highly thought OF IN
that community, socially and as bust
nesslman and was trusted accordingly.
His fall has been farther and consequently
harder than that of a confirmed Grimm
al, hence his punishment is therefore
greater in proportion.
Taking these things into consideration
even those he wronged say that his SEN
tence is about right.
This will always be wheat country
in the sense that the main crop will be
wheat. In the future we will raise Just
about the same amount of wheat as we
do now but will do it on less acres. The
other acres will be in grass and other
forage crops. These will be in turn fed |
10 stock. This means more pork, beef,
,olts, and creameries. This also means |
smaller farms, more laborers, more far |
ners. Which additions will not be mis-
'ortunes. That is, the lands are capable
# raising far more than we are now
,etting from them and will support
much larger population. When that
lime comes and it is coming rapidly,
arm lands IN this valley will be Of much
greater value.