The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-04-19
CHARGE NOW BOOKED
/ AGAINST THE MARSHAL
Good Thunder Minion Of the
Law Must Answer
CASE WILL co TO TRIAL
SideIights On the Arrangements
Made in District Court Late
Yesterday
From Tuesdays Daily.

From Tuesdays Daily.
While sixteen indictments in all
were returned by the district court
grand jury, as result of the work
of the special session that closed
last Saturday, and just nine men
have been arrested on indictments
included in these sixteen, it is not
thought that the other indictments
will mean any more arrests. Those
other indictments have not as yet
been disclosed, but the impression is
that they are against some of the
same persons who are already under
arrest. Grand juries have a way OF
furnishing the court with reserve
ammunition, SO that if the first
charge fails, there may still be a
chance to convict the accused man.
Probably the most sensational case
of all will prove to be that against
William Wrucke, the marshal OF
Good Thunder He is charged with
malfeasance in office. He pleaded
not guilty and this will probably
mean a trial. The Indictment
charges that on the 18th day OF
March 1918 at the village of Good
Thunder, William Wrucke, being
then and there elected and qualified
to act as marshal of that village, and
one William Greenwood being then
and there under arrest and in the
custody of William Wrucke as such
marshal of the village, was unlaw-
fully assaulted by persons unknown
and the marshal wrongfully and un-
lawfully failed and neglected to pro-
tect William Greenwood from that
assault.
Men Paid Fines.
1t will be remembered that Will
liam Greenwood, horse buyer, and
Jesse Barker, steeple- jack, both from
Webster City, Iowa, paid fines of SAC
and costs in the municipal court at
Mankato on the morning after that
drunken row at Good Thunder for
having been drunk. Both were bad
ly marked from the fight. Barker
said the. assault on him and Green
wood had grown out of a discussion
of the war. Barker said some Ger
man there had been vexed at a re-
mark that Barker made about the
crown prince and 100000 Germans
being captured
Another case that will without
doubt attract great deal of atten-
ton is that of Andrew Pomgratiz
This man lives in this city out in
the vicinity of the fair grounds. II
is charged that he advocated by oral
speech that the citizens of the state
of Minnesota should not aid and as
sist the United States in prosecuting
and carrying on war with the public
enemies of the country: 1t is charged
that on the eighteenth day of March
1918, he said to one George w. Sim
mons. America is a humbug, if
hang tomorrow. America had no bus
mess with her ships on the ocean
England started the whole war Eng
land is leading the United States
around by the nose. Germany is bet
ter than America" 1t is charged
that he, also said that all the Ameri-
can papers and public speakers were
liars. He pleaded not guilty and this
will probably mean an interesting
trial.
!, Busch Subscribes For Bonds.
Frank j. Busch, recently convict
ed on the charge of seditious utter
ances, reported to the court that he
had subscribed $4,000 to the Liberty
loan. He also said he had discharged
certain employee, because of report.
ed disloyalty, that had been inves.
tigated. In the matter of the question
why he had not taken an active par
in the Liberty Loan bond drive hi
said he had offered his services to {
committee, but he had not been tolt
whether they were acceptable or not
He was instructed to report on May /
| r. A. Duemeland, the merchant O
st. Clair, who was recently convict
| ed of disloyal utterances, was sen
fenced to pay fine of $500 an,
placed under a suspended sentenc
of ninety days in the county jail HI,
| reported that he had made a sub
scription of $3.50 to the Liberty LOAF
and had given $50 to the Red Cross
His Jail sentence was suspended t
May l and he was advised to adj
$500 to his Liberty loan subscription
to pay 500 to the Red Cross, $50 t
the Y. NJ C. A. war fund, $25 to tn
Lutheran Brotherhood war fund, an
S25 to the Knights of Columbus wa
fund. If he concluded SO to do, h
was instructed to show his voucher
to the clerk on May 1, showing flu
payments. He was also told of re
ports that disloyalty existed in hi
neighborhood. 1t was up to him t
take a hand in putting an end to an
signs of disloyalty. He was to in
4 form his ncighbors -that..it was up, t
Istheh people of the neighborhood t
keep out of Jail by showing them
4 selves all to be IOyal.