Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1921-08-12
Illinois Executives Submits to
Warrant Service on Charges
Of Embezz!ing State Funds.
GIVES $4,000 BOND
Arrest Is Climax Of Three, Weeks Re-
fusaI to surrender-sherIf Serves
Papers without interfering
With Official Duties"

of Illinois, after resisting arrest on in
dictments charging .embezzlement and
conspiracy for three weeks on the
plea Of executive clemency or that
"the king can: do no wrong. as stated
by his counsel. finally submitted to
Sheriff Henry Mester Of Sangamon
county after the latter had beseiged
the state capitol with deputies for
several hours. '--.-
The governor protested against his
arrest until the last, charging perse-
cution and asserting his innocence,
but the sheriff was adament and in
sisted on taking: thes governor from
the executive mansion to the. court
house. where Abraham Lincoln used
to practice law, before accepting
bonds. There the governor gave sure
ty for $4,000 and went his way to
await trial on the charge of defraud-
ing the people of the state of some
$2,000,0o0, while state treasurer,
through alleged failure to turn over.
to the state the proper interest on
state ate 1884 }zazs2
Dramatic Day at Capital.
It was a dramatic day in the CAPT.
tai of Illinois and the whole city was
at white heat for hours as the climax
Of the long contest between the gov
ernor and county officers drew near.
After the governor had refused Mon
day to yield to service OF the three
warrants held by the sheriff, the lat
ter had told him he would serve the
papers Tuesday, or as soon thereafter
as possible, either quietly or with any
necessary efforts.
When the sheriff went to the capt.
toll to perform his duty as directed by
Judge Smith of the county court, Gov
ernor Small, attended by several ad-
visers, was in his office and refused
to come out at the sheriff's request.
The sheriff then placed deputies
around the building to block any un-
deferred egress of the governor and
sat down in the lobby to smoke until
the chief officer of the commonwealth
should decide to emerge.
! He announced that he had the ad-
vantage of the beseised man because
he had taken precaution to eat his
luncheon before investing the capitol
and laughingly remarked that he had
little else except the arrest of the gov
ernor to occupy his time.
No Arrest Ii Office.
The governor finally, sent out word,
a couple of hours after the luncheon
hour, that the sheriff. might come into
his office and serve the warrants, but
the sheriff declined, saying he was in
no hurry and would prefer to make
the arrest outside to avoid any tech
nicalities or charges of interrupting
executive business. This tact of the
sheriff was in pursuance of the atti-
tude adopted from the time the in.
dictments were returned on July 20.
Crowds gathered around the state.
house as the afternoon wore on, and
there was holiday appearance with.
in the structure, as flashlights doomed
and the high rotunda filled with
smoke. But the governor kept at
work in his Office, sending out two
lists Of appointments during the siege.
! AS the shadow 26f Lincoln's monu-
ment in the capitol yard grew long
under the declining sun, the chief
executive finally sent out word that
he would surrender to the county Of
f1cer at the executive mansion at s
p. NJ, If it could be arranged to give
bond at once. The capitulation was
accepted by Sheriff Mester, who with
drew under the truce, with his troop
of deputies.