The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-05-09
|T0WNLEY NOT
IN TOWN FOR
T0DAY'S QUIZ
League President and Attorney
Notified Their Presence
Not Required
McCUTcHEoN TELLS WHY

Because Of the inability Of Col. 6. B.
Little, who has been in the east, to
reach Bismarck this morning, the -ex-
animation of himself J. Leonard Bell
and +. E. Shepard of Bismarck and
Lee Pettibone of Dawson, to have been
held in the office Of Referee lin Bank
ruptcy H. F.. O'Hare at 10 this fore
noon, was postponed until 2 this after
noon. Tho four named have bean sub.
poenaed by Francis ]. Murphy OF MI
not, representing creditors Of A. G.
Townley. president OF the National
Nonpartisan league, to ascertain
whether they know anything Of an al
legged transfer OF $4,000 to Townley
in the fall OF 1916. Runors have been
rife for q long time that twenty thou
sand was paid over to T0wnley mere
at that time by interests seeking the
election Of certain candidate Tor
the United States senate, who shortly
thereafter received the support OF the
league and was elected. The same
rumor has it that the alleged twenty
thousand was used In the purchase OF
the Fargo Courier News by TOwnley
and his associates.
Won Hagen Knows Nothing.
R. A., VonHagen Of Glen Ullin, ex-
amined by Attorney Murphy this
morning as to an alleged conversation
with A. C.. Townley In 1916 or 1917,
during the course Of which TOWpley
was said to have revealed a pass
book showing large bank deposits
made In his name, and to have stated
that he was getting along ver!e nicely,
flatly denied that he had ever had
any conversation with T0wnley. and
declared he knew the Nonpartisan
chieftain only by. reputation. Mr.
VonHagen was inclined to believe tEat
the report of his conversation wnlcn
had reached the ears Of Attorney Mul
ply had, been made by a brother OF
the witness, the late A. A. Won Hagen,
who was drowned In the. Heart river
with three other Bismarck commercial
travellers on Easter Sunday, 1917. A. A.
Won Hagen, stated his brother, did
have some knowledge Of Townley's
affairs, and he thought he nigh thave
disclosed. to Mccarthy, Of cCarthy 4
Lyons, Minneapolis, grain.deaiers, de-
tails as TO- the alleged conversation
Into which Murphy was inquiring,
The attorney for Townley's credit
ors did not seem greatly disappoint>
ed. AT least" said MURPHY. We have
the satisfaction Of setting at rest one
more. Of the 10000 rurnofl fdlrent in
regard to .Townleys fortune.
| II Townlsy Not Here.
Neither T0wnley nor his attorney,
William Lemke, were here for tho
hearing Lemke wired Referee -
Hare yesterday that; he had read .
hearing was to be had here and that
he (Lemke) presumed II was only "po'
llitical gossip but that II hearils
was to. be. held he wished on behalf
of his client to petition for at least
1.-Two weeks, notice. Lemke was adj
yised that, it was not necessary for
him or his client 70 bs PRESENT atthis
hearing. s.$. , 'ss,3Sst..
eve are running down tlli OF these
rumors in order that. no one can Say,
after the, proceedings have been I'm
ally closed, that we did not do our
best on behalf of the creditors to To-
cate any assets which T0wnley may
have failed voluntarily to disclose"
said Trustee in Bankruptcy F. b. Nc
Cutcheon of Minot, who is here for the
hearing. IA thousand and one OF
these stories reach us every day. Some
are so wild that we can afford to
ignore them; others are siven such
general circulation that we cannot at.
ford to ignore them, and it is neces.
sary that we go through with this
probe and prove these stories false or
get their denial on our records under
oath, or, il there really Is anything
to them, to follow up the lead thus
unearthed." $..ss.
A. FINE STOCK of vegetables and