The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-22
SAYS WALLA TOOK
THE WHOLE BLAME
Former Chief Clerk Quot
eds Telling Of Demands
0y Attorney General
"WANTED TO GET
HALL" /" HE SAID
Conference in Walla's
Home Featured at Trial
of Secretary of State

Bismarck, N. D., Dec. 22.-Eugene
M. Walla did state that he intended
to lay a trap for Governor Frazier
and for Attorney General LANCER, by
enticing them to his home and there
getting the goods on them" in the
presence of concealed witnesses <
Eugene WaIla did say that the covers
nor had some mysterious interest IN
the prosecution Of Thomas Hall, and
he did say that Attorney General
VIM LANCER limited at immunity for
WaIla. saying, Tom Hall is the man
we're after, today testified Atty. w.
III. Stutsman of Mandan, vice presi-
dent OF the Merchants National bank,
former chairman Of the North Da-
kota Railway commission, and chief
of counsel for the secretary Of state.
Mr.. Stutsman testified as to a con-
ference he had had with Walla few
days after kthe double arrest, when
Walla had called up Mrs. Hall and
asked to see the secretary of state,
whom Stutsman persuaded, against
his will, to accompany him (Stuts-
mani to the Walla home. There
Stutsman conferred with Walla in
private, while the secretary of state
talked with Mrs. WalIa in another
room.
"WaIIa told me that Hall had tax
en- no money out Of the cash drawer
and that no one had access to the
cash drawer but Walla- Walla said
he had cashed some checks for Mr..
Hall and had also taken slips for
amounts with which the secretary Of
state had been accommodated, and
that these had gone through" -
WaREed e0nods On Hall".
"Mr. walla said people had bean
coming to him continually from the
attorney generals Office, telling him
he had better get the goods on Tom,
or Tom would get the goods on him,
and that Tom was preparing 70 dou-
BILE cross him. He said the attorney
general had had him in the sweat
box for two days and that he was
on the verge of a nervous collapse
and didn't know how much longer he
could stand it. 1t had come to him.
he said, that if he would get the
goods on Hall. he (Walla) would be
let off with a misdemeanor charge.
Proposes Trap.
'sThen Walla told me about a secret
drawer in his Office and wandered
whether he couldn't get $1,000, slip
1T in there, have Bank Examiner
Waters INT It, and let on that 1t had
been there all the time. Gene also
was going to trap LANCER.
Tive got a scheme he said when
these people from the attorney gem
erals Office come to me for an an
swer, viii refuse to have anything
to do with them and will insist that
the governor, who's interested IN this
prosecution, and the attorney gener-
al come themselves. Then we'll have
some concealed witnesses and Wen
trap them into making some admis-
sion and get the goods on them.
II told Gene didn't know much
about the governor, but rather doubt
ed that he would walk intb such a
trap and that did know Bill LANCER
very we'll and was quite sure he
would not be caught that way.
Questioned as to Halls standing
in the community, Mr.. Stutsman de-
clared it always had been good. AS
to his credit with the Stutsman
bank, the witness said it was limited |
only by the statutory restrictions as
to the amount which may be loaned |
an Individual borrower. Stutsman |
stated that he owed Mrs. Hall $4,000, /
and was in a position TO pay her
whenever she asked for the money, |
and he said that the Halls owned |
three quarters OF land west Of the 1
Missouri river, at least one quarter /
OF which he knew to be clear.
StutEman told OF q conversation |
with Judge E. T. Burke, counsel for
Walla. q day or two before the close
OF the preliminary hearing, In which
Burke Informed him that Walla was l
going on the stand and testify
a against Hall and take an immunity /
bath, and that then the state could |
not use his own evidence against
him.
Burke said Walla would testify
that Hall had taken some OF the l
money, and Stutsman pronounced it \
a damned lien, informed Burke that i
he had the goods on WalIa", and /
would be glad of a chance to get i
Walla on the stand.
Charles A. Holiday, who is in busi- 4
ness with Walla at Baldwin. testified
that WalIa had told him OF plans to
get Hall to the WalIa home.
Probe WalIa's Record.
Eugene M. Walla and not Thomas
Hall, now Is on trial on the Burleigh
county district court. Holding that In
as-much as the state had devoted q
day and "a half 10 proving that Eu-
gene Walla could not possibly be
guilty Of the crime Of embezzlement
with which he stands charged by the
state, the defense has right to take
up an equal amount Of time if it
believes 1t can prove that Walla was
guilty, and thereby transfer the bur-
den of this crime from the shoulders
0f Hall to another's, Judge Coffey
late Friday afternoon interrupted
Dan v. Brennan with instructions
that he sit down, and threw the bars
wide open to the witnesses whom the
defense introduced to testify to Wall
las alleged frenzled finance In
Jamestown
Question pf Conversion.
The charge OF embezzlement, said
The court Ia ruling on the states OBJ
jectiOns consists Of several things,
one of which is conversion. In a
charge Of that kind it Is proper to
show e # can be done. that some
Dther person converted the property
.ra1tnnxiad The state haa r7Fsnsf ken 1