The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-08-02

shows rather conclusively that Rem 4
pePs attitude toward war causes had
its influence on other people. Mr..
Finseth in company with A. A. Sank
rau solicited d. G.. Penner to buy
War Savings Stamps Mr. Penner is
a farmer near Butterfeld and his al
lotment was 1925. After about two
hours persuading he was about to
sign the pledge card when his wife
seized the pencil and threw the card
on the ground.
IF Bernhard Rempel don't have to
subscribe his allotment neither do
we," she stated. Penner did not sign
the pledge card He is one of the
men who went on the $4,000 bond
for Rempel and is also one of the
directors of the Peoples State bank.
Mr. Penner is said to be relative
of Rempel. Mrs. Penner, SO Mr..
Finseth said. told the solicitors that
they would give up $500 in Liberty
bonds which they had purchased if
they would only let them alone"
When the second drive for the Red
Cross was carried on in Watonwan
county Mr.. Rempel subscribed $40 to
the fund which was raised by the
congregation of the Mennonites church
in that locality. The amount was for
warded either to Secretary of the
Treasury McAdoo or to the Red Cross
headquarters in New York.
That Painting Episode.
The Free Press did not make an
unqualified statement that Mr.. Rempel
was a Pro- German. So far as The
not been a leading factor in any of
the patriotic movements in Walton
wan county. Bankers in every COM
munity are looked upon as leaders of
various activities but so far as The
Free Press his been able to learn
Mr. Rempel as president of the Peo-
pies State Bank of Butterfield has
not taken a prominent part in pa
triotic activities.
Interviews with a number of men
acquainted with the situation in that
village would lead stranger to sus-
pect that Mr.. Rempel has been rather
lukewarm along patriotic lines. His
attitude has been such as to cause
many people in Butterfield and st.
James to openly refer to him as a
Pro German.
On the night of May / last, several
buildings in Butterfield were daubed
with yellow paint. Among the number
was the Peoples State bank of which
Bernhard Rempel is the president.
Not only did men in Butterfield take
part in this proceeding but there were
representative citizens of st. James
and territory adjacent to Butterfield
in the crowd that. used the brush.
The Free Press is reliably informed
that on the same night that the paint
ing occurred it was the intention of
the crowd to give Mr.. Rempel coat
of tar and feathers. Men in Butter
field who were interviewed by The
Free Press made no secret of what
was intended. A gentleman in ST.
James made this remark to The Free
Press: "The tar was hot and the
feathers were cold, but the intended
victim was not to be found" the
Free Press has been informed that a
Idaub of tar was left on the bank
building as hint of what had been
planned by the crowd of indignant cit
liens.
There must have been some rea-
son for this demonstration. Men
whose Americanism, whose loyalty to
country and whose patriotism is un-
questioned are not threatened with
treatment of this character.
H. H. Klein the gentleman who
caused Mr.. RempePs arrest on the
lcharge of having made remarks cited
in the complaint published here, told
| a prominent citizen of ST. James that
sometime ago he was passing the Peo-
pies State bank of Butterfeld. 1t
was in the morning. He was called
inside the bank by Mr.. Rempel. Rem
tpel displayed two postage stamps, one
of which was from Germany, the
lother one a United States stamp.
Pointing to the German stamp he de-
clared that it was superior to that of
| this country that it showed Germany,
even in making of small things was
better than the United States. He
referred to the stamp of this gov
ernmen in language which is un-
printable. Could a man who is filled
with the spirit of Americanism do
Ithat? Would any man who is proud
of his loyalty and his patriotism
speak so sneeringly of the postage
stamp of his country? 1t showed the
mental attitude of Rempel toward the
land that has given him an opportun-
lily to gain his wealth.
| That Mr. Rempel had a great ad-
Imiration for the kaiser is evidenced
by the fact that he had several OF
! Wilhelms pictures framed at the
furniture stores of A. X. Peck &
Son, st. James. Some of these pic
lures, Mr.. Rempel said, he would
present to friends This was before
this country broke with Germany
but it is a straw showing how his
heart felt for the kaiser.
/ Mr.. Klien, who made the complaint
(which resulted in the arrest of Bern
Ihard Rempel, is of German parentage
HE is horsebuyer and formerly lived
lin Mountain Lake. He claims to have
overheard Rempel make the remarks
alleged in the complaint to P. w
lRempel, while the two men were con
lversing beneath his window while hi
|, WAS guest week ago Sunday morn
ling at the Hotel Butterfeld.
Il A.. F. Kearney, an investigator from
1.-THE department of justice spent mos
|of last week in Butterfield and st
/ James pursuing investigations of re
Iports concerning the Rempels. Wha
The discovered has not been divulged
| nrominant. attorney in ST lame.