The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-09-11

before you ON his own protestations
of innocence. I believe that he is
innocent.
81 only regret that he had no OPP
portunity to present the facts as
known to him. If so done, I feel
sure that this hour would not have
materialized." r.
Never Before Convicted.
Before passing sentence, Judge Nc
Clenahan had the prisoner sworn
and questioned him. DR.. Dumas said
that he was born in Waterville,
Minnesota, April 4, 1879; that he
lived in Minnesota all of his life
with the exception of one year spent
in the study of medicine in Chicago;
that he was a graduate of the Uni
versity of Illinois Medical College;
and that he had been house doctor in
the Minneapolis city hospital for one
year. Asked if he ever before been
convicted of crime, he said that at
one time a warrant had been sworn
out for his arrest on the charge of
using language provocative of an as
sault but that the warrant was never
served. His parents are alive and
live in Minneapolis.
Judge McClenahan then passed SEN
tence. Sheriff Hazen and Deputy
Cahill at once took charge of the
prisoner and led him from the court
room to the corridor. He took his
grip and went at once to the county
Jail. Sheriff Hazen and his prisoner
left last night for Minneapolis and
he will be taken to Saltwater today.
Drop Federal Charge.
Now that the state has succeeded
in convicting DR.. Dumas and actually
getting him behind the bars, it is
probable that the federal indictment
will never be pushed. C. C. Haupt,
United States District Attorney, was
in the court room yesterday and after
sentence was passed stated that the
federal authorities held the indict-
ment largely for use in case the state
failed in it's prosecution.
The passing of sentence on Dumas
and his trip to the state prison mark
a closing chapter in the story of a
gang which is believed to have oper-
ated in Northern Minnesota for many
years. It was on Friday night, June
Is, 1911, that the store of R. E..
Smyth at Puposky was entered by
Martin Behan and Mike Davis for
the purpose of robbery and arson.
Dumas was convicted of being the
master mind behind these men.
To Burn Smyth Store.
Sam Fullerton, assistant state fire
marshal, and J. G. Fielding, Pin
kerton detective, had been warned
by Smyth that his store was to be
burned. Sheriff Hazen, Deputy Sher-
if Helmer, who was killed last month
in Bemidii in battle with tramp,
and Detective Fielding went to Pu-
posky and laid trap for the rob-
bers. A battle ensued in which Be-
han and Davis were both wounded
but Davis made his escape. He was
later found in the Michigan state
prison at Marquette where he is
serving term.
DR.. Dumas was in Hibbing and
was arrested on a warrant sworn out
in Bemidji. At the preliminary hear
ing before Judge Simons, Behan turn
ed states evidence and told the story
of the plotting. He said that they
| were to be paid $500 by Dumas for
burning the building and were also
to rob the postofice safe which was
kept in the same building.
Dumas was brought to trial in the
fall term of district court and found
guilty of an attempt at arson. The
case was certified to the supreme
court on two technical points but
| that court decided against him last
May. He secured a stay of sentence
for the purpose of taking an appea
on other points, but his attorney stat
ed yesterday that it had been decided
not to take such action because of tn
expense involved.
At the time of the trial, it wa
freely predicted that he would no
see Saltwater prison from the inside