The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-08-20

rot know. Possibly the most import
ant Is the fact that this important as
signment has been given a mar who
has been practicing law but five of his
thirty-f1ve years in the belief that he
is the best lifted among the city's at
torneNs to cope with the task the COM
mittee is about to undertake.
Mr.. Buckner spoke modestly but
enthusiastically. and his light brown
eyes snapped as he talked Of the task
Lefore him. In his speech he was de-
cisive n intense. but he weighed his
words carefully and took great pains
not 70 promise exceptional results in
the beginning. He figures that the in.
vestigation will occupy an entire year,
ana he wishes to lay a firm foundation
before ne goes ahead with the legal
structure which it is hoped will sep
arate the police department from
graft.
Mr.. Buckner looks the athlete. but
he lays no claim to being one. His
frame is we'll knit, his skin clear and
ms manner open n genial. His deep
brown hair is tiecked with gray. but
there is no suggestion of age about
him. He looks ever younger than he
Is; owing TO a buoyant manner. Pos
siblN the gray came from hard work.
FOR the attorney spent his entire life
either educating himself or winning a
living after his education was com
pleted.
Mr.. Buckner is an Iowan by birth,
put considers himself a Nebraskan, as
he was aiken to the latter state when
seven Years of and educated there.
He was born at Council Bluffs and is
the son OF the Rev. j. ID. NJ. Buckner,
whose parish is ut Aul ora, Neb. At an
early age he determined TO so through
college. and after graduating from the
| hiph SpltnN 1, t..-l. .L--S - a.
years, and at the same time acted as
Court reporter in order to raise the
rtctssary funds.
In 1890 the young nan had enough
I" make a s.:trt. hut he wanted some
II ing more than an education, and 80
Close friends he contided that he VAS
"hcut to marry. Shortly before ,hc
DIVERSITY OF Nebraska opened for ITS
ran term he made a flying visit to
Newark. y. j.. where he and Miss
Katherine klach Were married. They
immediately returned to Nebraska,
where they entered the freshman class
at the university.
During the next four ears young
Buckner earned enough to pay tia
way OF himself and his wife through
college. A diligent student. he grad
uated at the head of a class of So.
His Wife was not far behind him. for
she stood we'll toward the head of the
women of her class. The following
fall Mr.. Buckner entered the Harvard
law school. worked his way through
and WAS graduated with honors in
1907. For the first time in seven years
he then was in a position to obtain
regular employment.
In 1908 Mr.. Bruckncr was appointed
assistant United States district attor-
ncy under Henry l.. Stimson and serv-
ed two years. During mis- term of Of
ice he prepared the famous sugar
trust fraud cases. which resulted in Il
return to the government Of $1,000
900 of stolen duties. Later he vas
placed in charge of many prosecutions
against fraudulent importers and
grating officials. Because OF his ex-
ce!lent work he was offered the posi-
ton Of assistant district attorney by
Mr.. Whitman. In this capacity he
prosecuted Daniel O'Reilly, the lawyer
charged with receiving stolen goods:
"Bif" Ellison, the girls who shot w. f.
D. Stokes and a score Of crooked law
yers and grating detectives.
Under both Mr.. Stimson and Mr..
Whitman Mr.. Buckner a shown
himself to be an expert in the art of
cross-eXamination. In the sugar cases
he easily defeated the attorneys for
the defense and in the prosecution of
O'Reilly he proved himself a master
of the art.
When asked as to his politics Mr..
Buckner said he was a Roosevelt re-
publican and would like to be put
down as a hull moose.