The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-03-01
Chanxed His Testimony Given
Before Grand Jury Dur
. ing Liquor Case
ORDERED UNDER ARREST j..
At SEPTEMBER TERM
Use of Money Asserted in An
!. Attempt at Bribery to
Clear Accused

After celebrating but four hours''
tho iury, late Saturday, re1urneu
verdict of guilty" in the case OF tne
state against Frank Storey, VINO was
;ndicted for perjury committed in the
September term OF court, "nen "H
nearing as witness Tor the stats ~
a liquor prosecution case as"1n0'
Joseph Thiebault.
Storey testified at the trial that 10
had purchased liquor from man,
whom he supposed was Thiebault at
times between May and May ~
1918. and ihad kept a record OF eacn
nurchase. and took a sample OF the
last purchase.
On the trial, he testified tnat
:1osenh Thiebault was not the man
who. sold him the drinks, and that ne
was sure of that fact:
!: =. Tell Tale Evidence.
Upon the trial Of the perjury case
the entire record Of his testimony III
the Thiebault case was lntroauceo
in evidence. In explanation OF no"
he made his mistake in ldentl1ylns
Thiebault, he testified that he had
made similar mistakes before, that
one time in Michigan he had made
mistake in nine out of nine cases or.
100 per cent on mistakes, and tnat.
that was the chest" records he had
ever made on mistakes. He could not
remember the name OF the town
where he made those mistakes, nor
tha name of the county attorney who
prosecuted the cases, nor the name
of the trial judge, nor the hotel
where he stopped, nor any detail:
Further on he admitted that ne mad
gone to the county attorney in Mich
ixan, and advised him Of his mistakes
and that the county attorney had
thrown out all the cases. He stated
that he had gone to the county attor-
ney here, when he found out MS mis-
takes at Baudette, but did not know
whether the county attorney mere
would throw them out or not, but
went and told him just the same.
On the trial in the perjury case
Storey admitted that man had come
from Bemidji to Duluth last August
and had offered him 5000 to throw
these cases, but that he spurned the
offer. He further admitted that when
he came to Bemidji he made the bus
mess place of that party, place
where he frequently met with other
witnesses in those liquor cases, and
that he was not "sore" at the man
who offered him the money
d. Brides Are Offered. ,
Evidence was offered on the part
of the state showing that 5000 had
been offered to Storey for results"
in the Dewey case. and that $2.0OO
was hung up, and to be paid to four
witnesses for the state If they cleared
the whole bunch.
Names Of men who were involved
or claimed to be involved In these
transactions were openly and fre-
uuently mentioned by the witnesses,
and include some we'll known citizens
of Northern Minnesota and Bem1dji.
Case Important.
In his argument to the jury, Coun-
ty Attorney Torrance stated that ne
considered the case the most 1mpor7
tai1t case he had ever tried on behalf
of the people of this county, because
perjury, in its very nature, struck at
the very foundation of organized So
ciety and our system of justice; that
If men could defy an oath and delib-
erately testify falsely that it would
result in anarchy and the abolish
ment of law and order.
In. his charge to the jury, Judge
McCienahan stated that the case was
an important one, both to the de-
PENDANT and to the state, because II
the defendant was not guilty they
should so declare by thefE verdict,
and he would be restored to his liber-
ty: that if he was guilty they should
not hesitate in arriving at such
verdict Because the offense was. one
that struck at the very root and
Foundation of our system Of justice.
Storey Out On Bonds.
Storey is now out on bonds, having,
been granted stay of forty days:
He has been ordered to appear before
the court April 8. at - a. M, when
sentence will be pronounced.
Graham M. Torrance prosecuted
the. case for the state and Walter
Dacey of Duluth and P. J. Russell OF
Bemidji were attorneys for the de-
PENDANT. The case took three days
time, in spite Of the fact that matters