The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-10-04
Was to Have Been Divided Between
Two Sons But William Russell
Refuses to Give Up Half.
OLD SWEETHEART ON STAND
Hattie M. Keith Testifes of Long Ac.
quaintance with Claimant-Case
Has Run Fifty Days.

Boston, Mass, Oct. 4.-The trial
of the Daniel Blake Russell identity
case in East Cambridge has now
passed it's fittieth day of actual pro-
ceedings, and the end is not yet in
sight. This is the second trial of
the famous case and is being conduct
ed before master appointed by the
East Cambridge superior court. The
first trial took place last winter in
the Middlesex probate court and was
one OF the longest and most sensa-
tional of the kind in the history of
American legal Jurisprudence. Like
the first trial, the present proceed
ings have been up to date enlivened
with romantic features, surprises
and sensations which would find
difficulty of belief if appearing in a
work of fiction.
The Russell case is probably the
most notable identity case ever tried
in an American court. It rivals in
interest and resembles in many re-
spects the famous Tichborne case,
which ran for ITO days before Lord
Chief Justice Cockburn in England
some thirty years ago.
In the first trial Judge Lawton de-
cided against dakota Dan," who
claims to Daniel Blake Russell of
Melrose, and who also claims his
share of the 100000 estate now
held by William C. RUSSELL another
son of Daniel Russell. Apparently
not IN the least discouraged over
this decision, the Dakota claimant
went to work to have the case re-
opened and, though without funds or
the help Of counsel, he succeeded in
securing another trial of his case.
Persons in daily attendance at the
present hearing in the East Cam
bridge court, have been much i'm
pressed by the story told by dakota
Dan" and the evidence of the wit
nesses who have testified in his be-
half. In his fight for recognition
the claimant has told on the stand,
IN simple way and with remarkable
memory, of the events which took
place in the home which he SAYS he
left in Melrose a quarter of a CEN
fury ago.
For time he lived the life of
tramp, getting from one part of the
country to another as best he might.
He has worked with circuses and as
deck hand, shod horses in black
smith shops, and spent winters as
hand in lumber camps and mills, &C.
cordlng to his story. The tale of his
wanderings and the vicissitueds of
his life since 1885 has taken him in
retrospect from the docks of Liver
pool, where he paid his passage in
the steerage, to the woods of North
ern Michigan, and finally to the Bad
Lands of North Dakota.
There he settled dow n to some ex-
tent and for some time had been
employed as a ranch manager. Fin
ally desire to return to his old
home seize him and he arrived in
Melrose something more than a year
ago to find that the man whom he
claims as his father had died and
left an estate of 100000 and a
will in which was the provision that
the long missing son should share
half the fortune in the event of his
return. But the elder son, William G.
Russell, in whose possession the es-
tate was held, not only refused to
surrender any portion of it but posi-
lively denied the claims of relation
ship set up by the man from Dakota.
To support his claim as Daniel
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