The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-07-05
Feeling Is
Shown at Washburn
Criticism Of Manner in Which Prosecution Was Conducted Is
Profuse-Feeing Over Oateome Of the Case
Is Increasing
Is Increasing

Washington, ". D., July 5.--Feeling
over the result of the recent murder
trial held here when Walfred Ander-
son was declared not guilty Of the
murder OF Banker Funk is still ex-
ceedingly intense, and criticism over
the manner in which the prosecution
of the case was conducted is now
more profuse than it was right after
the trial ended. &
So intense is the feeling that the
matter of calling the grand jury is
now being agitated. 1t is rumored
that the reason why so many i'm
portant matters were left out OF the
case in the way of offering testimony
of what was though important wit
nesses was that it might involve many
matters that had better be left I'M
touched. Therefore the idea of hav-
ing a grand jury summoned will be
! to thoroughly investigate local condl-
| tons here. Word has gone out that
there is at present no small amount
! of corruption in public affairs at
| Washburn that has caused a blot on
the name of what has been In past
| history one of the best towns of the
! slope. and the citizens are hopeful
| that a grand jury investigation would
return to Washburn once more the
! good name to which it is really en-
titled. ...
Ludwig Peterson, the pool hall pro-
| prietor who is now confined in the
! county Jail with a charge Of perjury
lodged against him, is still without
bonds, and so far all effort to secure
sufficient sureties have failed, though
there have been some energetic efforts
| made in his behalf. 1t is said that
! Walfred Anderson made an offer to
put a cash bond in the sum of $4,000
to secure Peterson's immediate re-
lease from the county JAIL. but Peter
son is said to have spurned his offer
as he feel that Anderson is in no way
under obligations to him, and he also
claims to nave told the truth when
he testified in Anderson's behalf dur
ing the trial. Atty. J. E. Nelson, who
was one of the attorneys for the de-
Tense, up to asst evening had eXerted
every effort at his command, and at
one time had a sufficient number OF
signers for P~eterson's bond but at
| the last minute two Of them withdrew
L1ICtl dlllSo dLIb IL q " NAN$ -
Peterson is in a hurry to leave the
, county Jail that his only chance to
| secure a bond will be to accept the
cash offer made him by his friend,
Walfred Anderson.
Not only has Peterson been arrested
for perjury, but there are rumors that
more witnesses may yet be arrested
for Offering false testimony, n then,
too, there are more rumors that the
attorneys for the defense nay cause
some arrests because of false testi-
mony.
Together with these rumors comes
the report that Carl Fahlgren, the
witness for the state who testified
that on the Sunday before Funk's
deah he was in the bank and heard
Anderson pass some defamatory re-
marks, will bring suit against Attor-
ney Tracy Bangs in the sum Of SIS, 900.
! During the course of his argument at
the close Of the trial Mr.. Bangs re-
ferred to Fahlgren as a "damnable
perjurer," and said further hat his
testimony had been bought" and that
he could almost point to the man who
bought him" In his argument Mr..
Bangs also said that Fahlgren had
come into court and as soon as he
had "spit out his vile venom he "ran
out of town."
Fahlgren is a farmer living some
ten miles from Washburn, and his
friends here say that his veracity has
never been questioned, and in view Of
the fact that the defense made no eff
fort to impeach his testimony at the
time he offered it in court, his friends
are urging him to hasten his action
against Mr.. Bangs.
Feeling over the outcome Of the
case seems to be increasing in place
of subsiding, and some of the citizens
are fearful that there may yet be
some serious results follow unless
some official action is taken at once
that will help clear up the cloud of
doubt and suspicion that exists at