Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-07-11
GILBERT UNDER
DISCUSSION IN
COURT TODAY
Witnesses for Defense De
clare Accused Did Not
Make Disloyal Speech.

son, farmer, of Dodge county was n
first witness today in the trial OF A.
C.. Townley and Joseph Gilbert, chars-
ed with conspiracy to teach
Lawson told of the meeting at Ken
yon, at which Gilbert spoke n was
alleged to have made unpatrlotac re-
marks.
Attorney George Nordlin Temporal.
lily succeeded George Hoke as chiei
counsel for the. defense, as ne a
charge of the Kenyon case IN former
trials.
Lawson attended the Nonpartisan
league meeting at Kenyon IN the sum
Lawson denied that Gilbert made the
statement charged in the indictment.
Denies Charges.
Did Gilbert say We were
ed into this war, to pull Englands
chestnuts u of the fire." asked At
torney Nordlin for the defense.
NO" replied the witness. Gilbert
made a similar denial when on the
stand.
Upon cross examination, Lawson
was asked:
"Did Gilbert say, in response to a
question from the crowd as to what's
the matter with President wilson,
Don't know what's the matter with
him; what is the matter with him 2 "
..t- I Slu llols SAioSA N
Nothing that l know Of"
Gilbert, when on the stand, testified
that he said II do not know what's
the matter with him; what is the mat
ter with him."
Go Over Newspaper Stories.
Publication Of articles concerning
the conspiracy trial of A. c. Townley
and Joseph Gilbert by a local news
paper today and by Nonpartisan
league papers early in the trial, was
aired before the jury in district court
here today when counsel for the Non
partisan league chiefs charged that an
article in the Jackson Republic may
possibly have been prepared with the
intention of influencing the jury"
The article carried a headline which
stated that 1.-THE city is full of Non
partisan leaguers, red card socialists
and pro-Germans."
Attorney George sHoke, chief coun-
sci for the defense, stopped the trial
and informed the judge that he found
q copy of the paper on the sheriffs ia
BILE thirty feet from the jurymen.'
He called Prosecuting Attorney E. H
Nicholas to the stand and Nicholas in
answer to Hoke's questions denied
that he knew anything about the
preparation OF publication of the ar
ticle.
Assistant Attorney General E.. G
~. u AAldll L1lSh oGS1oICu IlcL SIiC III
ticle might be classed with charges
made early i'll the trial that District
Judge E. c. Dean had been unfair tt
the defense. It was alleged hat these
statements were sent out from Jack
son by a publicity representative o.
the Nonpartisan league and later re,
mailed to various Minnesota newspa
pers.
we will sift the whole newspaper
business to the bottom" said Judg.
Dean. But we will not do it at thi:
time. We will do it before this case il
closed if the defense wishes"
Several witnesses living in or nea,
Kenyon. Mimi, testified that Gilber
in his speech at Kenyon in August
1917. did not make the. unpatriotic re
marks charged. The testimony ii
substance was that Gilbert urged con
,scription of wealth as we'll as of men
denied he was pro-German and tina
he led the crowd in giving thre,
cheers for President Wilson.
One witness denied that Gilber
said "the United States was called. in,
to the war to pull England's chest
nutS out of the fire?"