The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-09-30
BITTER ATTACK
ON SMITHS STORY
Hot Fight Made to Discredit
His Testimony in the
Dumas Case

Bemidji. Sept. 3o.-Robert E. Smith,
the young man who first gave infor-
nation leading to the arrest of DR..
Dumas, mayor of Cass Lake, and the
| states star witness in the present
charge of arson brought against the
physician, went through grilling
cross-examination on the witness
stand this morning at the hands of
Freeman p. Lane, the Minneapolis at
torney who is assisting Judge Mar
sail A. Spooner in defense. Smith was
manager of the Puposky store and
postoft1ce. 1t was while visiting DR..
Dumas for medical aid that he as
serts the doctor proposed the idea
of burning the Puposky building for
the insurance. Attorney Lane was
merciless in his questions relative to
the ailment which took him to DR..
Dumas and the questions became so
pointed that the judge cleared the
court house of all the women present,
and they were many in the crowd
which daily f1ocks to the trial.
Mr.. Lane also attempted to show
that heavy insurance had been placed
on the Puposky property and that a
f., few days later, about May 5. a fire
endangered the postoffice building.
| Eleven days after you put on the
last insurance there was a fire that
nearly burned your store?" asked Mr..
Lane.
1T was a small fire and was put
out responded the witness.
! The witness refused to admit that
he. had taken uninsured farm ma
chinery at the end of the store to a
place of sofety but did say that some
machinery which he presumed was in
sured was dragged away.
Now, honestly. Mr.. Smith, didn't
you want that building burned for the
s3.500 insurance." demanded the at
torney, who got quick mo, sir in re-
ply.
Well with the flames bearing down
on the building. didn't you send the
only team away. and did you do one
solitary thing to save your store" per-
sisted MIR. Lane.
home to get the women and kids who
were crying and carried several pals
of water to put the fire out
What did you carry water for
when you thought the building was
doomed" was the next thrust. why
wasn't you trying to save the stock"
Its pretty hard to save retail
stock. did take out my Typewriter
and the books"
The attorney for the defense es-
tablished the fact that when a COM
mittee of citizens called upon him to
contribute toward the expense Of
clearing the brush away from his store
that he refused to contribute.
All this line of testimony was taken
as an effort on the part of defense to
discredit the testimony of Smith who.
on direct examination, had told how
DR.. Dumas had pointed out two men
leaving his office as couple of the
cleverest men in the business" that
the doctor had been shown him two
guns and a bottle of nitro-glycerine
left by these men for the doctor to
keep in the safe. how the doctor had
expressed surprise on learning that
his place of business was at Puposky.
because. he said. they have that place
marked;" how he had lead the doctor
on into a plan for burning the build
ing: how Dumas was to get two men
to do the job for which he was to re-
ceive $500: how he had met Dumas in
Bemdji. and had gone to saloon
where he met Mike Davis and Martin
Behan. and had there agreed to the
Puposky arrangements which lead to
Behan's capture on the night of June
16: how he had paid Dumas with
$500 check and 500 in bills and how
Dumas had said that he would furnish
a gun to Davis and the nitro-glycer-
inc.