Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-05-18
CASS COUNTY
GRAND JURY
ENDS SESSION
Thirty-hve Secret Indict-
ments Returned; War
rants Out Today.
Shafer Makes Statement Re-
garding Cathro; Johnson
Is Thanks Jurors.
(Herald Special Service. J


Herald Special service.) .s.
Fargo, n. d.. May 1s.-Thirty-fivs
indictments against 1s individuals
were returned by the Cass county
grand jury investigating the wreck
ing of the Scandinavian American
bank of Fargo which adjourned At
noon today.
The identity of the individuals in
dicted will not be made public until
rants will be placed in the hands Of
Fred Kraemer, sheriff of Cass coun-
ty. this afternoon for service. Each
warrant will fix the amount of bail
to be required of the accused.
The trials OF the indicted men win
take place at the next term of the
district court for Cass county. the
dates for which have not been set al
yet
Cathro Exercised Privilege.
In connection with the statement
which appeared in the FarEo-Courier
News that F. w. Cathro. former man
ager Of the Bank of North Dakota,
had been called to Fargo to testify
before the grand jury and had then
been denied a chance TO so testify.
George Shafer, assistant attorney gen
eral, today issued a statement show
ing the report carried by the leagus
organ to be gross misrepresenta-
ton. ;
The facts were. according to Mr..
Shafer, that Cathro was called to
Fargo to give evidence, and before be-
ing called before the grand jury was
informed as the law requires that he
could not be compelled to give tes-
timony which would incriminate him
self. He chose to avail himself Of
this privilege, Mr. Shafer said. and
therefore could not be required to
give evidence. 'T'... e p - -> - - 80
public by Attorney Generat Syefnh-
jorn johnson following. ad3OurA-
me4t of the grand jury today: sSsS
Statement BY johnson.
The grand jury has been iplses-
SION since May 2. It was called Tor "a
! specific purpose. but under the 1aW II
/ was its duty to investigate all charges
aof law violations in Cass county:
Very -seidom has it been necessary
to call grand jury. In our system
| its function is usually performed by
! mary hearing. In all ordinary cases
! Of crimes and misdemeanors, this is
! simple and direct way in which to
! handle the preliminary stages OF =
1 criminal prosecution.
There are, however. cases so com
| plex, involving SO many persons. es-
pecially when many individuals have
a variety of related offenses not
amounting to conspiracy when pro-
cedure before a committing maSlS.
trate is wholly inadequate. 80.
In such cases months would be, re-
Quired with ruinous cost for tram
script of testimony and stenographic
services which the law requires in .
m T~1- hIrf 6iCnNn4AN
with entirely before a grand jury. To
, present evidence in each individual
case because the same ground would
be traversed repeatedly when differ
ent persons are concerned in the
same, or related crimes is also costly.
| Grand Jury Needed.
1.-The conditions believed to sur
round the wrecking of the Scandi-
! navian-American bank of Fargo. with
the consequent loss OF hundreds OF
thousands of dollars of public funds
Dakota up to the very moment il
closed its doors, were such as to de.
mand in the interests of justice an in.
vestigation by grand jury unless
the officers of the law were prepared
to close their eyes to the overwhelm-
ing evidence of wrong doing before
them. ts -
I'VE went into the matter fully
conscious of the fact that our mo
tives would be impugned by mer
actuated by personal malice. by q
sense of guilty responsibility for some
Of the matters under Investigation
and by a desire to achieve politiEa
advantage. We asked for a gtane
4 jury because it would be less &ostl,
to the people and because a jury. OF
citizens drawn from every quarter Of
Cass county would be fair, imtartia
and Conscientious.
/ I'VE felt it our duty not only to tn.
state. the laws of which. seemed tt
have been grossly violated but to the
ed in connection,'w with the charge:
publicly made to ask full and fail
investigation. .e'
Jury Was Fair. a.
THE jury has finished its labors II
consisted of four women and seven
teen men,, unquestionably as ac
curately representative of the fair
ness and intelligence of the citizens
of Cass county as could be obtained.
I II am confident that when unbiased
| history shall record its verdict it viii
. be that these men and women labor
. ed honestly and faithfully to. fulnl
) every obligation OF the solemn oatl
, administered to them. Their sol
purpose was to vindicate the Law
wherever 1t had been violated.
|. They were not governed b.
, caprice or Influenced by passion. tn
law permits no argument to be- mad
to them by any person, and the Ian
does not permit them to indicts an,
man unless at, least twelve OF then
believe beyond reaspnable dotb
that the man is guilty.
i Thanks Jury.
II deem 1t privilege to than
. them for their close attention to- m
I careful consideration Ss of 81 testimoa
I covering wide range. and Il belies
I without intinlatin4 what they did =
did not do that all law-abidlng citi
xens will acclaim the results - tliei
!. deliberations $s 5ss {s III
.Out OF this iHvestix ton viii.
tcontinued On pase .. III.