Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-03-20

EEUF&EJ ~ tEIEEgT. EaaT-EE
IS and the state generally had been
informed of every step taken in the
proceedings. and that. in consequence.
a public opinion has been formed
which is detrimental to the interests
OF the prosecution.
The fact that Mr.. McInerney.. his
family and other people Intimately
connected with the East Grand Forks
Brewing Co. are well known in this
community, was also mentioned as
working against the interests of the
state.
For these and various reasons it
was claimed hat it was impossible to
obtain fair and unbiased trial In Grand
Forks county and the court wa asked
to grant a change Of not only place
of trial. but also of trial judge.
McIncrncy's Statement,
In response to a request for a state
ment, MIR. McInerney said today: =.
II have no comment; but \ think
the people are entitled to know the
facts.
"on the night of July .2s, 1917, Mr..
Watkins, ct al. OF the Enforcement
league assisted by the attorney gen
unnecessary mlunight r0id and seized
all of u books and papers; nothing
else was taken. This was established
in the Needer case recently decided
in the United States court at Chi
cago.
TO prejudice us and to insure lau-
datory advertisement of himself, the
attorney general carried with him
from Fargo. a special correspondent,
ton of the Fargo Courier-News was
issued to carry this story which spe-
cial edition was distributed in Grand
Forks through the Office of the assis-
tant attorney general: the raiders
made the. story a scoop for the Cour-
iersNews and did not allow the Grand
Forks papers to know anything that
was done.
"Also to create sentiment against
u.s. Watkins ct al, then addressed
various. churches and other meetings;
this was to prevent us from having
a fair trial and to prejudice prospec-
tive jurors and the community gener-
ally against us.
Watkins ct al. then hurried to the
federal grand jury at Fargo, where
they procured indictments against
Mrs. McInerney. Mrs. White and my
self for %offenses. the maximum fpen-
in the p~enitentiary and $500 these
cases were tried at Grand Forks in
November and all of the defendants
were acquitted by a jury drawn gen.
orally from all parts of the state.
"Forty-seveh complaints were filed
in the justice courts in Grand Forks
on july 81 for %felonies. the penalties
of which aggregated Al years in the
penitentiary and $4,000. Upon these
complaints 80 informations were filed
in the district court in January, 1918,
for felonies ~aggregating 80 years in
the p~enitentiary and 100000.
"One of these cases was tried out
before a Grand Forks county jury,
made up of farmers and business men
alike ard the defendants were all ac-
quilted. MY wife's health having
broken down under the strain. the
remaining 20 cases were. continued
to the June term.
Wants Change of Venue.
"On February 4, 1918. the attor.
ney generals Office filed a petition
to have these 20 cases removed from
tGrand Forks county on the claim thai
the people Of this county were sc
prejudiced against the prosecution
that a fair jury could not be obtained
b, and hat Judge Cooley was biased
and ~prejudiced: there was the aft
Gavit of but a single resident of thi.
county filed in support of the applica'