Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-11-13
ALLEGED MANY
farmers Have
been V|CT|M|zED
Ignorant Foreigner Sued by
.. a Minneapolis Firm for
Note
Alleged that $4,000 is
Harvest Cleaned from
HomeStedderS
Especial To The Tribune.)

Especial To The Tribune.)
MEDORA, N. Dak., Nov. 13, l911.-
An interesting case was heard before
Justice Hesser. The case was State
of North Dakota versus Kohn Kos
sianchuk in which the defendant was
charged with destroying a promissory
note, made by himself. The COM
planning witness was Simon Peter Les
selyoung. Simon had the appearance
of being clean cut sharp Minneapo-
lis business man, finely groomed and
bedecked with diamonds, of which
there was one on his finger and an
other in his shirt. Simon Peter, when
on the stand, told that he was the
President Of the Farmers General Ser
vice Company, Minnesota Corpora
tion, whose place of business is on
Washington Avenue, Minneapolis,
Minnesota; that the business of this
Company was to aid and assist worthy
farmers who were possessed of GER
tain amount Of property, and to place
such farmers next to the wholesale
dealers thus saving the middleman's
profit; to purchase the farmer all
kinds of supplies, including machinery
and horse medicines; to figure on lum-
Der bills and in fact everything that
a good thrifty farmer might want to
purchase and was able to pay for:
That this company also maintained a
~'~rinary department tc give advice
by correspondence as to the care Of
stock of all kinds, and to furnish vet
erinary medicines to sick stock when
the symptoms were sent by mail to
the main Office; also to sell live stock
which might be shipped to their Com
pany's care. In fact, it was and is a
great eleemosynary company or one
organized for eleemosynary purposes. y
That for their services they first
quirel of the farmer a signed state
ment of all the property of which he
was possessed, and it's value, and
statement of all debts due by said
farmer. Ten the farmer is required
to sign a promissory note for One
Hundred and Seven Dollars and Fifty
Cents, and for this he was given a
chrome Cor We should say premium
of a box of veterinary medicines,
which Professor Ladd has pronounced
was also explained that the president
to be forth about Five Dollars) 1t
did not solicit the notes. There were
subagents who were residents of the
county to do this. These sub-agents
were men who had the confidence Of
the farmers and could fully explain
the benefits to be derived by the far.
mers joining this Service Company
They did.
Simon Peter, on cross-examination
by Attorney Haney, stated that his
Company had not filed it's Articles of
Incorporation. nor had it appointed
the Secretary of State, it's resident
attorney; that he had been advised
that he was unnecessary to comply
with the law of our State. How
strange some people dislike to obey
the law" 1t was then moved that the
case be dismissed as this law had not
been complied with. States Attorney
Gallagher objected to the dismissal Of
the case on this point Of law for the
reason that the transaction came un-
der the Interstate Commerce Law.
The defendant was then placed on
the stand to tell his part of the trans
action. After being sworn he stated
that lie was of foreisDl birth, and knew
very little of the English language;
that he could neither read nor write
in his own or any language; that he
had little farm and wife and chill
lren; that one Knutson came to him
and asked him to join the Farmers
General Service Company and told OF
he vast benefits which would accrue
% him on becoming a member of the
how, he asked Knutson,
Who was his friend, to explain to him
he nature of said Company; how
<nutson told him he must make
statement, in writing, and sign the
;ame. of all the property he Lwned,
md of all the debts against said prop
,rty-which he did-asking said Knut-
on if the same was a note-and that
<nutson assured him that it was not
lie then told how he signed five pap
RS in all and that Knutson had as
ured him none of the papers were
lotes. He also tolu how Knutson told
i'm about the elevators which this
Company were to build and tnat if he
wanted +" order any goods, say, if he
wanted to write to the Company for
twenty Dollars worth he must send
i've Dollars with the order;-then he
lid so send, and certain goods were
ent to him with a draft to the bank;
hat he had to pay the bank in full,
nd that for the part of the goods
Continued on page 81