The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1920-04-01
LANCER CONVERT
TOOL OF BANKER

l. V. A. BOSS OF SCRANTON
HOLDS MORTGAGE OF s45oo
AGAINST ARNOLD
What led ID. B. Arnold to betray the
farmers cause and rally to the support
of Bill LANCER and the l. v. A. has at
last come to ligb. +. w. Christopher,
cashier of the Scranton bank, holds
mortgage for $4,000, and another for
$500 against Arnold. Christopher is a
bitter l. v. A. and knowing that he
had Arnold in his power and that Ar
mold is man of limited education and
is reputed to be a religious fanatic
proceeded to make grist for the Lam
ger l. V. A. mill out of his victim.
The fact that Arnold had already left
the state to make his home elsewhere
made it easier for him to fix his name
to an erroneous statement tnd thus
placate the Scranton banker
This is the final chapter in the epi-
sode of the Confessions" Of two Lea
que legislators which was featured in
the l. v. A. press of North Dakota and
the Twin Cities. It will be recalled
that the kept press claimed that H. 0.
Bratsberg and B. d. Arnold, League
members Of the state legislature, were
so moved by Langer's frenzied ad-
dresses in Bowman county in Febru-
ary that they publicly confessed they
had been misled by the League and
that henceforth they would have moth
ing to do with the League. Bratsberg
promptly denied the l. v. A. lie and
announced his continued allegiance to
the League and League principles. Ar
mold was out of the state for a time
but returning for a few days, signed
his name to an affidavit purporting
to set forth what he said at the Lam
ger meeting with his banker, Christie
pher, as notary public. Farmers who
are we'll acquainted with both Arnold
and Christopher say that Arnold is
incapable of writing statement such
as he signed and that the language is
strangely similar to that of banker
Christopher.
Prior to the calling of the special
session of the legislature Bert Arnold
held an auction sale of all his prop
erty with the exception of few chat
tells and announced his intention of
leaving the state. At the special ses-
sion he voted in favor Of requesting
LANCER to resign the office he was
using to further his own political cam
paign.
When Arnold returned from the
special session, on the 9th of Decem-
Der he executed two real estate mort
cages, No. /, Instrument No. 31799
an page 80 of book 81 to the bank of
Scranton, dated Dec. 27, 1919 and
filed on Jan. 9, 1920 for $4,000. No. 2
Instrument No. 1885, page 105 Of
book 81 to the bank of Scranton, dated
Dec. 27, 1919 and filed Jan. %, 1920
for $500. Arnold then left the state
and returned three or four weeks later
"a few days before LANCER made his
speech at Scranton 1t is probable that
Arnold had some business talks with
banker Christopher at this time for
he returned to settle up his affairs
and the remainder of his chattels.
In the course of his addresses Lam
ger took. advantage of Arnold's SEN
sitiveness on the matter of religion
by calling him unchristian and making
him believe that in being Lacquer
he was risking eternal damnation.
Arnold succumed to Langer's taunts
and tried to defend himself. Several
farmers who heard his "recantation"
assert that he did not make the
sweeping statements which are attrib-
uted to him. Arnold himself admitted
to one Lacquer that he probably said
things that he did not intend to say
but that there were so many fellows
shooting questions at him the he be-
came unbalanced.
Sheriff Joyce, of Bowman county,
asked Arnold to make a sworn state
ment of what he did say. Arnold went
to Christopher the banker to whom
he owes $45OO on real estate alone
and allowed him to write the state
ment. Though the statement contains
things which auditors insist Arnold
did not say at the LANCER meeting the
mortgage-bound man did not dare to
refuse to sign the dotted line. So the
I ". A. and LANCER can flaunt the re-
|cantation of Bert Arnold tho in view
of the circumstances under which it
was obtained it is absolutely worth
less as a testimonial for LANCER or
his banker allies.