The Mankato free press., 1920-02-13
|Vyeand Cutting Cases Are
At An End Quick
TRUE BILLS ARE NOLLED
Judge CIV. e. Gale Made Timely
Comments From District
Bench Today

Four indictments, three for extor-
tion and one for attempted extortion,
against Vidian wye and Edward Cut
ting, former representatives Of the
| food administration, were dismissed
! today in the Brown county district
court before Judge G. e. Qvale. wye
and Cutting were the men whose
activities in Brown county against
alleged grain hoarders during the
war aroused such antagonism that
the indictments were returned
against them by a recent grand jury
at New Ulm.
The cases against wye and Cutting
were nolled by the consent of the
County Attorney w. T. Ecksten OF
Brown county and Assistant Attorney
General A. F. Pratt, who assisted on
the case. The grounds for the dis
missal were that a federal official
cannot be charged with extortion but
can be charged with oppression. At
torney Pratt was fully aware that the
indictments were faulty. ~
Motion For Change Of Venuc.
Recently motion was made before
Judge Qvale in Minneapolis for
| change of venue in the case. A gen.
eral affidavit with 500 signatures and
thirty individual affidavits were pre-
sented to the effect that the men
could not get fair trial in Brown
county. The state had three affi-
| davits by county officials to the effect
that the trial would be fair. Judge
Qvale denied the motion for a change
of venue and it is believed that he
knew at that time that the indict.
| ments were faulty. Judge Qyale Of
Willmar was appointed to try the
case by Governor Burnquist, after OBJ
lection had been raised to Judge
Frank Clague trying the case.
Following the dismissal of the in
dictments both Wye and Cutting en-
tered pleas Of guilty to charges Of
oppression. They were sentenced by
the court to pay a fine Of $100 each.
The fines were paid and it is under
stood that tie money was contributed
by friends Of the young men,
Commenting on the case, Judge
Qvale remarked that the young men
were working under the orders OF
those higher up, In the task they per-
formed in Brown county. He referred
also to the. fact that various COM
munities in the state are infested
with those who go about preaching
the gospel of discomfort and dissatis-
faction. Brown county, he said has
net been entirely free OF these per-
sons. Their efforts, he declared, were
directed largely to belittling the serv-
ices and the sacrifices Of the men
who served their country during the
war. @ ~:
A. H. Hall, attorney for the de-
fendant spoke in terms CT praise of
the services record of WYE, of the
fact that he went overseas and en-
tered the battle against Prussianism
before this country plunged into the
war, of his services and hardships,
there and the fact that he was badly
sassed while serving with the foreign
legion.
Mr.. Hall was assisted in the de-
Tense by Attorney w. r. Werring of
Morgan.
The outcome Of the case against
WYE and Cutting was a surprise and
disappointment to a certain element
in Brown county who had hoped the
men would be found guilty of the
original charges and dealt with
severely. There is, however, great
rejoicing among the loyal people over
the favorable termination Of the ac-
ticn.