Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1913-02-18
LONGEST CASE ON
RECORD NEAR END
Russell Will Fight in Bos-
ton One Of Strange
Features

.'N' iAH"H'.ll lhr'f lhiHftN IN Ihi 'it''
history as the longest trial ever re
corded. is approaching ms end am
IL 10 believed that Il viii reach .u
conclusion within another week Th'
history Of the case may be- said q
dat. from the year 1907. when Dan
I.al Russell. wealthy resident
NelrOse Massachusetts. died H'
had two sons. william c. and
Daniel Blake Russell Ia 1850
however Daniel Blake Russell mys
IteriOusly disappeared Daniel Rus
sell had requested In his will that il
Daniel Blake Russell should return
within 20 years OF the tesiafor
death, william G.. Russell should
share equally with him in the es.
l'ate
Ia 1903 Dakota Dan" appeared
a. claimant saying be- Nas ih"
long lost Daniel Blake Russell The
trial OF bis claim took l23 court
days before Judge LaNfon 10 th"
. NiddloseS County Probate Court
During rho trial great many per
sons 10 Nolrosc testified that Ia
kota Dan was me- person they re-
Imemb.r.d as Daniel Blake Russell.
|Ofh"r- could not sO remember
William G. Russell. Who opposed
|fhc claim, OF Dakota Dan and re-
fused tD acknowledge him as his
brother. brought forward Mr aud
Mrs James Rousseau and some Of
their children from Northern Now
York who said that the claimant
vas not Daniel Blake Russell. but
their son and brother respectively
The court decided that Dakota
Dan was not Daniel Blake Russell
Thercupon the claimant appealed 20
the supreme Court against the de-
risiOu given by the lower court In
1870 shortly after that Fresno
Dan made his appearance IN Mel
ros" aud was recognized by william
e Russell as his long lost brother
The appearance Of this rival claim
ant greatly complicated matters aud
the fact that he was endorsed and
accepted as the true claimant by
William & Russell. who was most
vitality interested loo the outcome OF
the litigation. made matters great
deal more difficult for Dakota
Dan
The second trial began before Gill
best \ 4 poyoy OF Cambridge. ap-
pointed master by the State SUI
premc Court. on July l6. 1912 ana
has continued without material in
terruption ever ciuCe The master
has held sessions on more than 100
court days and considerably more
than three hundred witnesses have
been heard while the former trial
was a record breaker In length Il
rs eclipsed by the present hearing
The sheets OF typcwritten testimony
~ the former trial. piled sheet on
shrct made pile more than siN
feet high The present hearing has
far exceeded that record Under
Massachusetts procedure. 10 is stat
ed. there can De- mo- appeal from the
decision soon 10 bo expected there
being uo higher tribunal in this
Commonwealth There may be- ar
rmcurH however on the cNccp-
uons as 90 the ruliues of the Master
which may materially add 10 the
length OF the trial
The case has aroused great deal
cot interest and public opinion. from
The very beginning OF the trial. has
been divided into tVo factions. one
believing loo the justice OF Dakota
Dan claims and sympathizng
with him. the other believing Frcs-
mo- Dan 10 bo tho true claimant en-
Titled 'o share iu the Russell cs-
tate.
The testimony Zoo both the first
md The second trial was often hieh-
.y dramatic and sensational aud a.
every s1tIul of the court the court
room Has crowded with Interested
spectators one of the most dram.
iii, bits OF testimony in the second
trial or hearing was the rcappoar
luce OF Edward " Freutz. who tes-
lifted 100 the former hearing that |
Dakota Dan was not the Daniel |
Blake Russell the missing son OF
hc late DAME. Russell A. the
second harms Froutz was again |
allied upon the witness stand and |
.oniroutcd with both claimants AZ
er a careful inspection OF the two
men the witness declared that
Fresno Dan We the Daniel Blake
RUSSELL with whom he had played as
b boy
Many old residents OF Melrose
''rc called upon the witness stand
and while some were positive that
Dakota Dan was tho right claim
INT. others COutradicted this test
nony and we're equally positive that
be- vas not Daniel Blake Russell In
general way 10 may be said that
he sympathIes of the majority were
With Dakota Dan. whose test.
nony az the hearing 20 establish his
IDENTIFY seemed 10 boz far more con
'lusive than that % the rival claim
Int. who displayed remarkable
ack OF memory and astounding tx
torrance OF matters with which the
rue Daniel Blake Russell should