The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-07-26
BRINTON TELLS
STORY OF LIFE
TO JURY; RECLTES
PORTION OF TALK
u. s. Court at Bismarck
Scene of Novel Situation
in Sedition Case

Bismarck, N. D., July 26.-The
Kate Richards O'Hare case was again
recalled in the trial of Job w. Brin-
ton this morning, when the ToWnley
chain stores manager, with the con-
sent Of the court took the floor, and
with all the stage effects of the pro-
fessional lecturer delivered to the
jury, what he claimed to be the por-
lions of his Garrison speech attacked
in the governments indictment.
Brinton stood in the witness box
and divided his attention between
the jury and the audience. He start
ed with his birth in Wells county, "a
{ years ago, as the first white boy in
that county. Told of his adventures
at Beach, as newspaper publisher,
village treasurer, alderman, mayor
and postmaster, and said the only
reason he was not yet postmaster
of Beach was because a greater man
than William Howard Taft had sue
ceeded him in the White House.
He denied being an I. w. w, a
Socialist or an anarchist; he denied
that his administration at Beach had
been filled with gun play and tur
MOL; he denied that he was inter-
ested in Richards Kate" O'Hare, as
he called her. or that Mrs. O'Hare
was interested in the Nonpartisan
league. He said The Minot Mes
senger, The Schafer Record and
other papers which were not friend
" to the Townley chain store scheme
were dirty, lying sheets" and that
the farmers must not believe any
thing they read in any newspaper
antagonistic to the league or the
store scheme.
On direct examination by his
counsel, Brinton stated that he was
married and had two children, a boy
Of six and an infant He is now a
widower, he testified. He learned
/ the printers trade at Fessenden and
! published The Wells Country Free
! Press before going to Golden Valley
! in 1905, when he purchased The
! Golden Valley Chronicle, which he
and his brother conducted until
1912, when the plant was destroyed
! by fire. Brinton then was made
| general manager and editor by a
stock company, which took over the
business.
He testified that he is now gen.
eral manager Of the Consumers
! United Stores company, which has
! 10 stores operating and % in process
Iof organization, some Of which are
.
! era1 manager, he stated he has gem
eral supervision Of all the stores,
| issues instruct ions to district and
! local managers and organizes new
companies. The concern, he stated,
has store at Garrison. in Mclean
county, and one Is about to be
launched in Turtle Lake.
OF his personal record. Brinton
stated that he had bought Liberty
bonds, contributed to the Red Cross,
the. Salvation Army and Y. M. c. A.
war funds, and frequently in public
addresses, urged support of the
President and the national admins
-*FattaR. -4Ia had explained, he said,
why it was necessary for us to get
into the war, and had urged farmers
especially to support the war, and
cautioned them not to pay any at
tention to politicians criticizing
President Wilson.
The subject of the Garrison
speech then was brought up, and
Brinton asked permission Of the
court to deliver sections of it in toto.
The court objected to taking up the
iury's time with the entire speech,
but at BrintOn's suggestion sections
which he stated were covered in the
indictment were admitted. The ad-
QreSS was a rambling discussion or
the chain store scheme and Of the
attacks made upon it in the press Of
the state, NE. Brinton devottng a
considerable portion Of his remarks
to his personal history
One important assertion was that
"A. G.. ToWnley has nothing to do
with the store company; hasn't a
single dollars worth Of stock in 1t or
any personal interest of any kind"
Mr.. Townley, said Brinton, had