Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-06-23

Puposky has been broken into, the first
time two years ago, when the safe
was blown open by three men who
came to Bemidji on railroad veloct'
pede and were met at the Red Lake
bridge. north of town, by Sheriff Ha-
zen, Deputy Sheriff Andrew Johnson
and A. L. Benner, who at that time
was member of the Bemidji police
force. When ordered to halt, the rob-
bers opened fire, Johnson being ser1'
ously wounded, while return volley
from the officers killed Swan Johnson,
while the other bandits escaped.
DIR. Dumas came to Bemidji Wednes'
Gay, the detectives allege, and had a
consultation with party OF profess
sional robbers, including Davis and
Bean, and two others, and it was at
this meeting that the details of the
robbery at Puposky were worked out.
More arrests as the result of the
apprehension of Dumas in positions
high in the business world Of M. Z
neapolis, Bemidji and Cass Lake are
promised by those behind the present
movement. The warrant on which
Dr. Dumas was arraigned was sworn
out by Assistant State Fire Marshal
Fullerton and charges the mayor with
wilfully. wrongfully. unlawfully, fe.
loniously and maliciously attempting
to set on fire and burn the frame
building owned by r. E. Smith and
occupied by the Puposky Mercantile
company and the United States post.
Office. The three Cass Lake men who
signed the Dumas bond were c. NJ.
Johnson, merchant; Albert Marshik.
saloonkeeper. and Henry Mullen, Mer-
chant.
When discovered the robbers drew
automatic revolvers sending volley
at close quarters into the detectives
and other officers of whom there were
seven. but without effect.
Tn report from half a dozen shot
guns was the reply and one robber,
Bean. fell in his tracks. His pal,
Davis. sent twelve more bullets from
his revolver toward Fielding and his
men, but missed. Bean, whose legs
were shattered by the shot. was rush.
ed to Bemidj on special train, and
was placed in jail.
Both safecrackers.
Evidence is at hand showing that
both these men are expert safecrack-
ers and they are charged with having
been the men who blew the safe at
Minnetonka several months ago: also
the ono at st. Cloud and the one at
Shevlin. in Clearwater county, 20 miles
west OF here, six weeks ago. Davis.
the man who is still at large. has been
identified as the man who shot and
seriously wounded Deputy Sheriff An
drew johnson on Thanksgiving day,
1909. Both Davis and Bean are said
to face charges of murder. the former
for shooting a policeman in Chicago.
The strangest and most surprising
part of the story is that part which
relates to Mayor Dumas. The mayor
of Cass Lake, whose father lives In
Minneapolis, has been highly respect
ed as a leading physician and faithful
public ofIlcial. During the time that
"Pussyfoot" Johnson was attempting
to close all the saloons in the Indian
country Of the northern part of this
state, in which Cass Lake is located,
Mayor Dumas attained notoriety by
waning the government that the prop
eYty of the saloonksepers of Cass Lake
would be protected at the point of
guns.
He organized the fire department
into sort of standing army. and as
q result Of his bold stand he was
summoned to Washington and there,
after . conference with Richard Bal
linger. at that time secretary of the
interior, the order for enforcing the In
dian treaty provisions regarding the
sale Of liquor we're suspended and Mr..
Dumas returned to Cass Lake. where
he was received as the man of the
hour"
Accused 40 Ringleader.
Now he stands accused by detec-
tives of being the ringleader of the
worst band of robbers which the po-
lice Of all cities west of Chicago have
had to deal with. Not only is he said
to have participated in councils of the
safeblowers. but he IL said to have
furnished the explosives, made by him.
self, with which to blow the safes.