River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-12-17

below and they greeted Belden.
Miss Bernice." said he. II have
story | want to tell. It's a long story,
and want you to write it down. Can
you get some paperY
Paper, pens and ink were brought.
and the old man dictated the follow
ing:
This is the voluntary statement of Her
man Graf Belden, given in the name OF
| justice. to free an innocent man from sus-
picion Amen!
|. Herman Graf BeIden. an American CT
| German descent was in the year A. ID.
- an employee of man now known as
4 Jonathan c. Gotz, member of congress
and principal owner of the Gotz Engineer
ing Corpora tions was at that time and
have been since structural and mechan-
zeal engineer and was working in the then
| small shops of Jonathan Gotz. who had
married my sister. Martha Belden. de-
| ceased, by whom he had one son. the
present Colonel George Gotz of the avia-
ton corps Jonathan GotZ was also at
that time deeply interested in local poll
tics and was an important member of the
| local machine.
He was, however. a comparatively poor
man Shortly before this time a reform
movement had put number of new and
| untried men in office. Among them was
one Howard Stillman. better known as
a chemist and professor of science. who
was elected to the office of city treas
urer
AS | have said. Gotz was hard up and
desired money for more extensive devel-
opment Of his shops; also he was of the
| recently defeated party machine. which
was very corrupt. Stillman was a man of
probity, but small political or business
experience,
administration and enrich certain men OF
the old
A clerk in the office of Stillman. ac-
countant. was taken into the plan.
| certain amount of the city funds were
stolen and this clerk SO juggled his ac-
counts as to cover the deficit for the
time. When the trap was ready to be
sprung a charge Of defalcation against
Stillman's Office was fled and a commit
tee put on his books The shortage was
! discovered
The clerk. well paid and protected by
mis- accomplices, was announced as one of
the chief witnesses for the prosecution
Stillnan was unable to explain something
/ of which he had had no previous inkling.
and after time he was indicted by
| grand jury The shock killed his wife.
who was i'll at the time and he suddenly
disappeared. taking his small son. now
| Meade Stillman. with him.
He was sought in nominal way, but
was not found. His flight was accepted
as tacit confession. and the Indictment
still stands.
But after the first excitement had sub
sided my sister Martha. Gotz's wife, came
to me and told me that she had discov
cred positive proof that her husband con-
| spired to ruin Stillman.
Congressman Gotz got $4,000 Of the nA1n-
! ey Colone George GotZ came to me to-
/ day and demanded the plans Of the Still
man aerC craft, ! told him they were not
i'll the building. He thought | lied and
offered me a large sum of money for
! them. He said: There is a fortune in
those plans for us all. The machine is not
yet protected by patents" refused
again. In his rage he struck me down
and then ransa cked the place. But the
/ plans had been previously placed in the
care of Miss Getheds
He paused for moment and then
spoke to the surgeon Have you got
it all down, doctor?"
Every word" said the medical man.
and read it over
LET me sign it and have these others
sign as witnesses too" Beden request
I'd "Arke:. lift me up
Arkel held him while be wrote his
name at the bottom of the transcript
ton the doctor held before him. I'M
mediately after Bernice, Arkel. Geth
elds and the surgeon added their sig
natures. Belden sighed
After twenty odd years | feel like
a man again" be said softly. "A Sc
cret like that is q dreadful burden to
carry. yet it has taken me months to
nerve myself to speak"
when you come home bring your
| father with you. His name has been
| cleared"
Such was the message Bernice sent
to Stillman in the west. Her own
father had assured her that there
would be no question but what the
charge against Meade's father would
be quashed by due legal process.
Such assurance was made doubly
sure by the action Of Gotz, father and
son. They fed the city in advance of
those who went to serve warrants upon
them on a number of charges. not the
least of which was one of manslaugh
ter against the colonel. His fight in
creased the count by adding that OF
desertiOn to the list
Already the situation all over the
country was beginning to straighten
out.
In the east the army, with MonSei
and the Miracle to assist had regained
most of the lost ground. Deprived of
their fleet. whose terribly battered
hulks either rode in ineffective ruins,
or rested on the Chesapeake's floor.
mute monuments to Arkel's berserk
rage on the death of his commander
they surrendered with small resistance
and were herded into concentration
camps to await deportation
Meade flying into the west with the
Stillman. expecting to face the dread
full necessity of inficting more slaugh
ter. was most happily surprised
From Canada to Europe, the news
| of the fate Of the Atlantic forces had