The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-10-25
YOUNG BANKER
SUES POPULAR
BISMARCK GIRL
William Behrbaum, in Federal
Prison, Asks Accounting
From Mrs. Mason.
HOLDS PART FLAX CROP HIS
Declares Section Of Land Was
Seeded Jointly by Himself
and ex-Fiancee.
HOLDS PART FLAX CROP HIS

! NIandan, N. D., Oct. 25.-W'illiam
Behrbaum, former clerk in the First
National. bank of New Salem and now
serving a five-year term in the federal
penitentiary for embezzlement, will
demand at the December term of the
Morton county district court an ac-
counting from his former fiance, Mrs.
Sidney G. Mason, for a crop of flax
valued at $15,000ito $4,000 recently
harvested from section Of Indian
land on thelStanding Rock reservation
near Selfridge, leases for which the
plaintiff claims are his, although they
stand in the name of Mrs. Mason,
formerly Miss Clara Bond, daughter
of Mr.. and Mrs. Charles Bond of AL
mont. The summons was served on
Mrs. Mason at Selfridge this week.
John F.. Sullivan of Mandan repre-
sents the plaintiff.
The bill of particulars sets forth
that Miss Bond and Mr.. Behrbaum
were engaged to be married at the
time he was arrested on a charge of
embezzling some $1,000 of the funds of
the First National bank of New Sa-
lem. He was charged with having used
this money in private speculations
which proved unlucky. He was con-
victed and sentenced to- five years
Imprisonment in the l.eavenworth
penitentiary.
During this trouble, his fiance 10y
ally stood by him. She brought to
bear every possible pressure to secure
withdrawal Of the charge against
Behrbaum. and following his convic-
tion and sentence she made repeated
efforts to procure a pardon for him.
Failing in this, it Is charged in the
plaintiffs hill that she joined with
him I'M, plan for the restoration Of
the embezzled funds, through the
seeding to flax of a section OF land on
the Standing Rock reservation. The
plaintiff recites that Nhe, in company
with Miss Bond, went to Sioux coun-
ty and picked out the section and
agreed on the terms Of the lease, and
that the leases were about to be re.
corded in his name when it occurred
to him that while in prison he would
not be in good position to manage
the actual business of farming and for
this reason, it is alleged the leases
were recorded in the name of Miss
Bond. 6I"T+.
The families of the interested par
ties, tits alleged had agreed to CO.
operate in the seeding and harvesting
of the crop. b. Behrbaum of New
Salem, father of the plaintiff, ii is
alleged, invested $1,000 in seed, while
Charles Bond, father of the defendant
and a brother of the plaintiff each fur
nished tractor outfits. The crop came
on and proved bumper, and about
harvest time there was announced the
unexpected marriage of Miss Eond
to Lieut.. Sidney G.. Mason, son Of a
prominent Buffalo, N. d., farmer; a
veteran of the American ambulance
service in France, and a hero who had
won the Croix de Guerre at Ypres.
Lieut.. Mason had for several
months been employed in the adjutant
generals office at the state capitol.
Miss Bond, soon after the conviction
of Behrbaum, went to bismarck,
where she had position with City
Engineer r. f. Atkinson. The attach
.ment Of Lieut.. Mason and Miss Bond
was, OF comparatively brief duration,
and their wedding, which was solemn
lied in Mandan, came as a surprise to
all but their most intimate friends.
The young people Immediately. left
for the ranch at Selfridge for their
honeymoon. Soon thereafter, Behr-
baum alleges, he was informed that
Mrs. Mason refused to recognize any
interest as accruing to himself from
the Selfridge, flax crop.
He now brings action to compel
Mrs. Mason to account to him for
his alleged interest in this crop OF
flax and he also asks the court to de-
clare the leases to this land his prop