River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-06-22
WIDESPREAD ARSON PLOT
IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA

in Minnesota, that fire after fire has
been planned with robbery or the re-
covery of insurance money as motive,
that men in the employ of a central
agency of crime have been carrying
out the orders of some master hand.
In the northern part of the state
reports of frequent incendiary fires,
some of them stores and dwellings, but
the most of them insured far above
their value were reported, but it was
impossible to secure the slightest clue
to the perpetrators. These shack fires
early engaged the attention of the
present force with an additional de-
mand from Governor A. o. Eberhart
that the department bestir itself.
S. F. Fullerton late of the game
and fish commission was added to the
list of assistants two months ago. Be-
cause of his thorough knowledge OF
the northern section of the state, Mr..
Fullerton was assigned to that district.
1t was he, working with Pinkerton
men, who obtained the evidence which
resulted in the arrests.
With Mayor A. F. Dumas at liberty
on S. 900 bail, with detectives guarding
his unopened Office safe in which they
say explosives and tools have been
kept, with the Pinkertons and Deputy
Fire Marshal S. f. Fullerton asserting
that Dumas is the leader of gang OF
criminals which carried on a gigantic
and statewide campaign in arson and
safe blowing, sentiment in Cass Lake.
and Bemidji is divided concerning the
arrest of the Cass Lake physician.
| Dumas charges openly that he has
been made the victim of his enemies,
that the case against him has been
framed" that the state officials have
been made the innocent means of
working personal vengeance on him,
and declares that he will prove his in
nocence.
DR.. Dumas friends, and he has many
of them, take his view of the case. On
the other hand, many of the people OF
Cass Lake and Bemidji believe that
the case against the physician is un-
assailable and that the Cass Lake
mayor, one of the unusual political tlg-
ures of northern Minnesota, has for
years been leading dual life.
On the other hand there are the Cir
cumstantial facts which seem to point
| to DR.. Dumas guilt. In his possession
at Hibbing was found 5000 check
signed by Fred Smith, Puposky store
keeper, who first gave the information
to S. F. Fullerton, which resulted in
the laying of the police trap. This
check, according to the authorities was
a part of the consideration asked by
Dumas, in return for his agreement to
see that the Smith store in Puposky
was burned. The check is explained
by DR.. Dumas, who says that he gave
Smith medical treatment and the
check was part of his physicians fee.
The detectives and Mr.. Fullerton adj
NIT that Smith was treated by DR..
| Dumas, but they say the bill could
not have been as much as $500.
Against Dumas, too, are the state
ments of the detectives who say they
have affidavits that explosives and
cracksmen's tools have been seen in the
safe in Dumas office, that the office
was used as a meeting place for Grim
|
by members of the gang which chow
conclusively that Dumas was the ring
leader Citizens who believe in Du-
mas guilt point, too, to the fact that
his own house was burned six weeks
ago when he and his wife were absent
from the city, the evidence shows that
the fire was incendiary.
Cass Lake as a whole is loyal to its
picturesque mayor who defied PUSSY
foot" Johnson and led a delegation of
municipal officers to Washington to in
terfere for the saloonkeepers of Cass
Lake, Bemidji, Moorhead, and other
places.
Puposky. little hamlet in the brush
of forest has had two visits before
from safe blowers. In November, 1909,
three men dynamited the postoffice
safe and made their escape on a rail-
way velocipede. They were met at the
Red Lake bridge by Deputy Sheriffs
Andrew Johnson and AL Benner. The
robbers opened fire, shooting down
Sheriff Johnson and wounding him Sc
seriously that his life hung in the bal
ance many days. The two men re-
turned the fire and one of the robbers
was killed. Later he was identified as
Swan Johnson. The other man eS-
caped in the brush and no trace ever
was discovered, although what was be-
lieved to be an excellent description
was obtained.
The arrest of DR.. Dumas has recalled
his matrimonial troubles in Minneapo-
lis while he was still student in med
icaI school in Chicago. DR.. Dumas
married Franc Coleman in the fall of
1901, when he was a senior at the Col
lege of Physicians and Surgeons, Chi
cago, and she was visiting in Chicago.
Early in 1903 Mrs. Dumas he'd Pc
tition for divorce in Minneapolis, al
leging cruel and inhuman treatment,
failure to support and desertion. DR..
Dumas did not answer the petition and
the divorce was granted by default
Oct. 4, 1904.