The Dickinson press., 1915-12-18
], LUTHER RISK
IS ACQUITTED
JUDGE CRAWFORD HOPES TO
y GET JURY CASES OUT OF
THE WAY THE COMING
WEEK so AS TO DIS
MISS JURYMEN BE-
FORE XMAS.

DeCemDeT 70. NO Denmte
Date Yet for Morton
County Bank Cashier.
The court grind has been continu-
Gus the past week but nothing of
great interest has been on since the
Risk trial. Many cases have been
settled out of court, and it looks now
as though Judge Crawford would be
able to dismiss the jurors the last
of next week. He has court cases set
for the last week of December and
also for the early days of January.
The last of jury cases are set for
December %.
]. H. Towberman and Daniel Heidi
have been acting as bailiffs for Sher-
itf George Brown.
The trial of J. Luther Risk of De-
troit, Michigan, on charge of en-
bezzlement, occupied the most of the
day last Friday, the pleas of the at
torneys being concluded Saturday
morning and the case given to the
jury just before dinner. A short time
after the noon hour the jurors agreed
on the verdict Of mot guilty." which
was in accordance with the general
opinion of those who had listened to
the testimony.
It will be recalled by many of our
readers that Mr.. Risk was a former
resident of Belfield, removing to the
east some five years ago, first going
to La Moure, this state, where his
household goods and other belong
ings were subsequently destroyed in
the railroad fire which burned the
depot there. Mr.. Risk was engaged
in business at La Moure a short time,
acting with his brother, John A..
Risk, a prominent resident of the
place for about 20 years. He then
went. to Ohio with his wife and little
daughter and later moved to Detroit,
Michigan, where he now resides, hav-
ing recently erected comfortable
home and where he is employed by
B. E. Taylor, a prominent and very
wealthy real estate man.
The case for which J. Luther Risk
was arrested on criminal charge and
brought back to Stark county, was
started at the instance of L. T.
Coulter, homesteader in the vicin-
ity of Belfield. It seems that Mr..
Coulter secured a $1,000 loan through
Mr.. Risk while he was at Belfeld,
the money being furnished by the In
terstate Securities Co. of Minneapo-
lis. The money was furnished in
5000, $500 and $500 installments,
pending perfection of final proof, etc.
Five years later, after the case would
have been outlawed against a resi-
dent of North Dakota, Mr.. Coulter
alleges that he did not get the last
$500. On the ground of having left
the state with the intent of de-
frauding Mr.. Coulter, the regular pro-
cess of law permitted the bringing
back of Mr.. Risk who got up from a
sick bed and came to Stark county
without any hesitation to face the
charge.
Geo. P. Jones of Wibaux, Montana,
a former resident of La Moure and
friend of the Risk families, and w.
F. Burnett of this city appeared as
counsel for defendant. They showed
that Mr.. Risks whereabouts had at
all times been known to people in
Stark county, that Mrs. Risk was
reared to womanhood in the county,
being a relative of prominent families
in the vicinity of Belfeld, that the
family belongings, including defend
ants records of loan transactions in
this part of the state, had been de-
stroyed in the depot fire at La Moure
and that the Interstate Securities Co..
was apparently perfectly satisfied
with the Coulter transaction, not ap-
pearing in the case in any way ex-
cept furnishing attorneys of defence
with the cancelled vouchers, etc.
H. A. Burgeson, states attorney,
was assisted by his law partner, L.
D. Casey.
]. Luther Risk was accompanied to
Dickinson by his wife and little
daughter. His brother, John A.
Risk, was also here for the trial.
Mrs. Risk paid short visit to rela-
tives in the western part of the
county while here and after the fol-
lowing jurors had said that Mr..
Risk was not guilty, they left for
Oregon on a short pleasure and busi-
ness trip: .... F..
W. G. Hecht, Perle Greenwood,
Paul Lenz, Christ Grassl, William
Alpert, Fred Bolte, Mike Gress, JOS
eph Heiser, Jacob Peterson, M; j.
SlVefSOn, george Ierry anu fAi ithoi
Burzacott. -.
Robert Wiegum was the complain
ing witness in the states case against
Stanley Jovanwisch which was tried
last Saturday. The trouble took
place in November and it was shown
that defendant used knife on the
Wiegum boy and the jury brought in
verdict of plain assault. NJ. Z. Nc
Bride defended while III. A. Burge-
son was assisted by H. G. Berry. The
jury returned a verdict Of guilty Of
plain assault.
On Tuesday the civil damage case
of i. a. Chase Of Dunn county