The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-11-13
Minot Banker Witness for
State Against the Secre-
tary This Morning
WITNESS DECLARES /
HALL ASKED TIME
Would Made It Good Wat
ers Says Official Told !.
The Attorney General
Especial to Forum.l

Bismarck, N. D., Nov. 13.-Grant
S. Youmans, Minot. was a witness
for the state today in the prelimin-
ary examination Of Thomas Hail,
secretary OF state, charged with
embezzlement &
That after Tom Hall had written
that recent events had made him
much more clear on several matters,
and that he was in urgent need on
$500, a cashiers draft for that sum
was mailed the secretary Of state
Oct. %, was the only important fea-
ture Of the testimony given this
morning by Grant S. Youmahs, Minot
banker, who recently appeared as
plaintiff in a suit for damages
aggregating $225, 900 against the state
tary of state is a member.
Youmans said he received a letter
from Hall on Sunday. Oct. %,
asking that he call Hall on the
long distance pnone on receipt. Hall
later got Youmans on the telephone,
and the latter agreed to make the
loan to which Hall had referred in
his letter, providing Hall signed a
note with two good responsible
parties. The following morning, Hall
called again, said Youmans, and ask
ed If he could not send a draft for
$500 by the next mail. Youmans
agreed to this, and within thirty
minutes had the draft in the mail.
The note which he enclosed was not
executed by Hall. who two days later
returned the amount of the loan In
the form Of ten $50 money orders.
Invited to Conference.
That Thomas Hall aecretary of
state, charged with ermhazzl lsment, was
invited by Attorney General LANCER
to q conferences at The Grand Pscidc
hotel ana remained closeted with the
general, pleading that he
be given a chance to make up the
in his ONCE and to square
things without publicity, for the sake
OF his family and his aged parents
at jamestown. when a warrant for
his arrest had already been sworn
out by the attorney general, was in
dicated by the testimony OF State
Bank Examiner J. r. Waters, who
took the stand late Monday after
noon.
Warrants for the arrest Of Hall
and e. M. Walla, clerk in the regis
tration department, were issued
about 8 o'clock Tuesday evening, and
4 newspaper man representing the
league syndicate newspapers was re-
quested to stick around" Hall. ar ,
aording to the state examiners tes-
ttmony, then was called up by
LANCER, met the attorney general, his
assistant and Mr.. Waters at the
Grand Pacific, and for two hours re-
NAMED closeted with these officials
IN a room on the second floor OF the
hotel, where the conversation, Wa
ters said. consisted largely or eX-
pressions OF mutual regard between
Hall and LANCER.
Hall Asked LANCER In.
"Tom Hall came to my ONCE Oct.
DONE" said Waters. II asked him to
20 with me to Langer's office, and
told Bill had brought Tom in to
zee what could be done. LANCER said
he didn't see there was anything for
him to handle-that Tom and / had
been looking after things SO far and
getting along all right.
Tom said he would like to fix things
up without publicity. LANCER said
he didn't see how it could be fixed
publicity when so many
knew Of it. Tom said he didn't be-
lieve very many people knew about
II. Langer said. John Steen knows
about it.
Z "T can 6lx Steen,' said Tom.
"eWe1l, you can't fix me, said Bill.
''Tom admitted he had taken out
money from time to time and had
covered it by. putting. slips or checks
Ia the drawer. He said he didn't think
It ever hurt anybody. and that the
state wasn't out a penny. He asked
me to 70 down and open the safe and
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