The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-11-20
Sensational Trial Was
Started in st. Paul..
"Frame-Up" Is Alleged
Man Sentenced to Serve Fifteen Years by Judge Pollock Now
Swears He Is Innocent, Despite His Former
Free and Full Confession

then went to the front OF the trains
held up express messenger and mem
bers of the crew climbed over into the
engine and ordered Engineer 70. II.
Olson to stop tho train. Olson refused
and was shot through the shoulder. He
finally stopped the train and the rob-
bers made their escape with plumber
aggregating several thousand dollars.
They were pursued by armed posses.
but used an automobile in their fiighC
and were not captured. The Northern
Pacific company Immediately offered a
reward of $4,000 for the arrest and
conviction of each of the three robbers
and the police and the private de-
tectives of the entire northwest took up
the chase.
Policeman Henry Burr arrested
George Young on a charge of vsgrancy
Sept u, 1911, at Neenah, Wis. Young,
| shortly after his arrest, confessed thaS
| he was one Of the trio of robbers who
| held up the North Coast Limited near
| Buffalo. The railroad company was
notified and Young was taken to Fargo.
In Fargo, charged with train
robbery, he at first denied his
guilt, but later went into court, plead
ed guilty and was sentenced to serve
| fifteen years in the state prison.
Following the. conviction Of Young.
Policeman Burr filed a claim for the
reward. The company in the meantime
| had been investigating the case and,
| according to George Eoke, attorney
! for the company, had found inconsist-
| encies in Young's story that proved
| that his confession was false.
! I'VE found that Young was not
within fifty miles of Buffalo on the day
of the robbery" said Mr.. Hoke today.
Calls Prisoner "Faksr."
I'VE checked UP on his story and
| found that ne didn't really know much
about the robbery and that his story
proved he wasn't there. The reason
we didn't oppose his conviction in
| court at Bismarck was that We did not
know he had decided to change his
plea He undoubtedly knew some-
! thing about the robbery and it was for
! this reason that we consented to his
Ibeing taken to Bismarck, but we learn
ed absolutely that he was not one
OF the robbers. He was a .falSer, Just
like two or three other men that came
to us and said. they were the robbers.
These men were looking for notoriet%
FINALLY we were informed from BIS
marck that Young claimed he had
pleaded guilty as a result OF frame
| up with the Neenah police. We at
once got a statement from him and
later a deposition to use in the case.
Confession tnfIusnesd7
In his deposition Young declares
that he was under the influence OF
drink and a drug when he made his
confession in Neenah. He says that he
| knew that he would be taken back to
Joliet unless he were imprisoned in
some other institution, and that he
decided to plead guilty to the train
robbery on condition that he would be
given a light sentence. He says he
was not near the scene of the robbery
and the company will try to prove in
court that he is telling the truth.
Hoiiihan and Ryan, attorneys for Po-
liceman Burr, said today that they
were confident OF winning the case and
that they would prove that Young $
confession was not frame up"
I'VE have the county attorney and
chief of police from Neenah as wit
nesses," said Mr.. Ryan. Il don't be-
lieve that after convicting a man OF a
train robbery and getting him sent
enced to fifteen years that the rail-
road company will be permitted to
come in and prove him innocent in
order to avoid paying a reward for his
? conviction"