Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-06-20
MORE ARRESTS /.
FOLLOW GRAND
Jury S REPORT
Officers of North Dakota Improve
ment Company Under Arrest
Now.
CHARGED WITH USING =
THE MAILS TO DEFRAUD
Case Against the sandlies, of Sc
curity Company, Is Now
Up.

| J. Fargo, n. D., June 1s.-As a result
OF indictments by the grand jury, re-
| Gently in session in this city, e. A
Wilson, Roy M. Farmer, G. y. Mohr
and M. A. Baldwin were yesterday
| placed under arrest, to appear in the
| U. S. district court on charges of
having used the mails for the purpose
Of defrauding. in connection with the
operations of the late North Dakota
improvement company.
Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Mofr we're ar
rested in Chicago and Mr.. Farmer at
Boston, where he is now residing.
1t has been common rumor for
some time that there have heen in
dictments in this case, but not until
the arrests OF the indicted parties
could anything of definite nature
be learned.
Each of the defendants in the case
is charged with the use of the United
States mails for the purposes of de-
| frauding, the case growing out OF the
recent failure of the North Dakota
| Improvement company, OF which the
indicted parties were officers.
The charges cover long period OF
time, practically from the organiza'
ton of the company until it became
| insolvent--from 1906 to and including
part of 1913. The failure OF the
company has been the cause Of con-
siderable action in the district court
of this county, and it was onlJ a cou'
ple of weeks, ago that the contract
holders in the def,nlt concern reor
ganiZed in this city and chose d!rec
tors and officers. !.
1t is reported that thc"c are a mum
bey Of sensational chars. in, some @!
the indictments in the case, especial
ly regarding the paying of commits
sions, and the case will be watchc's
with great interest all over North Da
kota, where there a large number o.
! former stockholders IN the company
1t is not possible that the case car
| be brought up at this term OF the
United States district court, which is
now in session here. There will eth
er be special term called TO heal
the case OF the hearing set for the
| fall term Of the tribunal. There are
| I large number of witnesses for the
government that will take a Ions
time to subpoena, and it is for this
reason that the case cannot be
brought up at this term.
| The old North Dakota improvement
company, of which the defendants
were officers, was in control Of
large amount Of property over the
state, including the Improvement
buildings here and a Valley City. the
Great Northern hotel building at DeV
lis Lake and considerable other prop
erty, which is now practically under
the control of the reorganized com
pany.
The North Dakota Improvement
company became insolvent in the fall
of 1913 and went into the hands OF
receivers, NJ A. baldwin being ap
pointed by the court receiver for the
company. There is no question in the
indictments against Mr.. Baldwin as
receiver, the charges in the case OF
all the defendants being as Officers
Of the North Dakota improvement
company.
Wyard Sentenced.
Sixty days and a fine of 5000, the
iail sentence to be served in the Ca5s
county Jail and to be continued until
the fine is paid, was the sentence pro
nounced on Joseph O. Wyard, former
postmaster at Goodrich. by Judge G
f. Amidon, in the federal district
court. &
Wyard was found guilty of having
embezzled $3.50 Of government funds
from the postoffice along about July
21, 1913, and was found guilty by a
fury after hearing that lasted most
Of a day. The verdict of the jury
was returned at 3:15 o'clock in the
evening and in making a report Of the
findings. the jury asked for clemency
for the defendant, believing that there
was no intention the part OF Mr.
Wyard to defraud the government OF
the sum. which it is alleged he had
taken from the money order depart
ment of the Goodrich office.
In the indictment recently returned
by the grand jury it was charged that
Wyard had converted S64i.62 to his
personal account and that he had ex
changed slips of paper, on which
were marked the amounts taken, fol-
the money of the government in the
postofice. In giving his charge Judge
Amidon asked the jury to state the
amount taken, provided he ewere found
guilty of the charge. i.
Wyard has lived at. Goodrich for
the past 12 years, where he has con
Quoted general merchandise busl
ness and was postmaster. for the
greater part of that time. The post
Office was located in the store build
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