The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1915-02-05
A North Dakota Case

judge Pollock Calls the Attention Of
Minnesota LEGISLATORS to Some
Plain Facts
The following editorial from
the Fargo Courier News was
sent by Hon. Chas. A.. Pollock,
Judge of the Third judicial dis.
trict of North Dakota, to the
Minneapolis Journal, with hope
that the article would be read
and pondered upon by every
member Of the Minnesota leg.
islature. The story which Is
here brought home to the people
of Fargo and Moorhead, is being
enacted almost daily in one part
OF the country or another. The
editorial is headed "How long
will They Stand for it,"
"Less than i've years ago an indus.
trious young man stood before the
altarsofGod and took the most solemn
pledge ever administered to . human
being, to ''love, honor, and cherish,
to stand by when I'll others forsake''
the young woman who left her fathers
house and laid her hand trustingly in
hts ''till dessh u DO part"
lone day this week death parted
them, and death came by : pistol shot
from this same young man, the father
OF her baby who Is left nov crying for
mamma, saying disconsolately, "My
mamma is just like this Tying down
or the floor) land shall not bring me
candy any more"
"Hendrickson himself 10 suffering
from . wound self inflicted and an
officer Of the law sits by his bed side
day and night lest the murderer cheat
justice by escs ping or by killing him.
self.
1.-THE cause Of it? A cause so com.
mon that It evokes no comment. Rum.
Nothing else.
"who 10 responsible? Hendrickson,
OF course; getting drunk is no excuse;
it will not take away any Of the hor.
ror of his situation when he realizes
his awful crime. Liquor had already
debauched him 70 far that he is In q
large measure dehumanized. Many
people knew this. The officers of the
law knew II. and they with friends tried
to keep the poor young wife away
from him: but the rum devil in him
urged him on and he "got her,
"Who Is to blame? Not the state
of North Dakota. It has banished
that traffic in liquor which creates
such crimes as this, as far as law can
do so. Wherever a man gets q drink
of liquor in this state he has to sneak
around some speakeasy or blind pig
TODD it.
"Who is to blame for this "a year
old girl.wife's murder and the awful
curse laid on this motherIess baby,
and the dehumanizing OF Robert Hen.
erickson? Society knew his weakness
North Dakota protected the wife and
baby and Hendrickson so far as it
"Just acros the bridge spanning
the barrow Red river, Hendrlckson
could not go a hundred yards without
being in the grip OF his and his wife's
and his baby's worst enemy, lead
The fair state OF Minnesota author.
ICES the saloon to sell liquor to such
men; the fine little city of Moorhead
1;no~c a N,,rohnw ~ <hnrc 4.<lL
ments. They riot under sumptuous
names; they are embelished with cut
glass mirrors and mahogany furni-
ture. There is warmth, pleasure of q
certain kind, comradeships. But the
bottom Of the cup has the serpent and
the adder; from that bar an unseen
chute ends in murder and the second
minnesota and Moorhead license
thing for cash. No wonder
orr neighbors, have begun . cam.
paign 70 Danish the saloon. And
everything that Fargo q do to
help create sentiment and to arouse
the people Of Moorehead against
criminal business ough TO be
done. So long - II exists, our boys
are being transformed into Robert
Hendricksons; our girls are menaced
BY the fate Of this poor young woman
whose pitiful wardrobe WAS slit into
rags previous to the crime by the
man whose duty It was to clothe her,
and who, but for rum, Wal q kind
and industrious citizen.
"How long will civilization stand
for itY How long will Minnesote
stand for II? How long will Moor.