The Duluth rip-saw., 1917-10-27

also were considered not above
suspicion by the dean Of the Du-
luth bench.
September 16, 1892, Frank
Burke, Jr., city clerk, was hailed
before the grand jury. He ad-
mitted that the writing on the
Morris Thomas envelope looked
something like his handwriting
but declared that it was only a
clever imitation.
Mr.. Burke also said that he had
thought of all the several cor
porations, newspapers and con-
tractors as possible sources of the
money but, finally, came to the
conclusion that he knew nothing
at all about it.
Nothing whatever came of the
investigation by the grand jury
in the way Of indictments. The
matter was reviewed by that
body in a very voluminous report
which covered many other mat
ters.
Where those envelopes and the
money in them came from, prob
ably will remain mystery
through all time, something like
the fate of the Dauphin and the
identity of the Man in the Iron
Mask.
Of the actors in that municipal
drama, many have gone where
| there is neither corruption nor
stealing. Among those are; Nor
ris Thomas, Martin Sorenson,
Charles A. Long, A. M. Cox,
Alexander Wilson, Robert Ken
nedy. James Dingwall, and Frank
Burke, Jr.
Among the living are: Charles
d'Autremont, T. w. Hugo. n.
F. Hugo, A. G. Weiss and S. l..
Smith, at that time city attorney.
Judge Stearns years ago went to
the bar above and w. B. Sllvey,
the grand jury foreman, went
down with the Titanic.
After the Merritts found their
Mesaba iron mines, they had to
find a way to get the ores to
Lake Superior. They did that
by building the Duluth, Missabe
& Northern Railway from Noun
tain Iron to Stony Brook and
then sending the ore to the AL
louez docks over the old Du-
luth & Winnepeg Railway.
When the D. M. & N. was real
ly completed to that extent, the
event was celebrated by an excur-
sion from Duluth to Mountain
Iron and return. That excur-
sion was made Thursday, Octo-
Der 6, 1892. The business car
was pulled to Carlton by the st.
Paul & Duluth and, being
dropped there, was picked up
by an engine and caboose and
taken over the D. & w. tracks
to Stony Brook. Leaving Stony
Brook junction, the special
passed through Albert, Kelsey,
Shaw, Iron Junction and finally
arrived at Mountain Iron, then a
place of about twenty wooden
buildings and $50 people.
Dinner was served on "Diner
No. 200S."
The return began at 3 40 p. m.
and the special arrived in Du-
luth at 9:05 p. M, after which
Lon Merritt served a special din
ner at Boyle's noted restaurant.
Among those on that christening
trip, so to speak, were:
Leonidas Merritt, Roadmaster
McNaughton, w. B. Stevenson,
M. H. Vanscotten, William Laird,
H. H. Norton, A. Harrington, G.
H. White, w. Stevenson, H. Will
son, G. F. Joyce, K. d. Chase,
w. C. Runyon, Donald Grant, j.
M. Schwartz, R. H. Palmer, A. L.
Culbertson, Alf. Merritt, H. S.
Benjamin, I. j. Richardson, C. G.
Merritt, j. T. Jones, V. A. An
drews, R. Williamson, J. White
ford, Charles Himrod, L. G. Mat
thews, Owen Fargusson, T. H.
Merritt, j. G. Williams, S. F.
Snively and Charles G. Brown,
a Duluth newspaper reporter.
Once upon a time, Paddy Nc
Donnell, well known local con-
tractor, went to Canada to look
over a piece of railroad work on
the Mckenzie & Mann system.
Mr.. Mcdonnell fell into the
hands of one Mcintyre who was
L.