The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-04-28
JURORS HAND
WARD VERDICT
WINS AGAINST WOMAN IN
THE $4,000 ACTION
HE'S GIVEN CLEAN BILL
Mrs. Viola Limberg Weeps; Says
She Cannot Get Justice In
Court.
Associated Press Dispatch.l


ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.l
Fairmont, April 26.-One of the
states oldest most wealthy bank
ers and legislators, was given a
clean slate here today.
Senator A. L. Ward, accused OF
attacking Mrs. Viola Limberg, was
completely indicated by a jury of
Martin County farmers.
Mrs. Viola Limberg, the mother
OF four children had brought a
damage suit against the senator to
recover 10000 for alleged indecent
assault, after she had been inticed
into one of the rooms of the or
phanage, which Senator Ward had
endowed. 1t was alleged by the
complainant that the alleged attack
was made while she was soliciting
loan of 5000 for the statesman.
Verdict Was Speedy
The verdict and trial was one of
the most speedy ever tried In the
Martin county court. Senator Ward
speaking of the case today said
that it was a frame up pure and
simple engineered to extort money
from him.
Mrs. Limberg with tears in her
eyes said that she thought that she
could get justice in court, but she
guessed Senator Ward was too
popular a man to be convicted.
Verdict Quickly Reached.
The verdict was reached quickly
in one of the speediest trials of an
important action that ever has bees
seen in Martin county. The jury
which heard the $4,000 damage suit
of thirty one year old Mrs. Viola
Limberg against the 80 year old
owner of a string of Minnesota
banks. was out just one hour. 1t
brought in its verdict, I'VE the jury,
find for the defendant" at 4:35 P.
NJ. Tuesday in the district court
here before Judge L. S. Nelson of
Worthington.
The case came on for hearing
Monday and consumed less than
two days, including selection of
jurors. The sudden return Of the
jury took the courtroom crowd by
faithful were scattered here and
there in the benches when the brief
formalities were gone through. Mrs.
Lmberg, and her counsel, George
G. Click of Duluth and P. c. Coop
er, county attorney here, were
among the missing. So also was
Senator Ward, who, although he
knew the jury was Gin" did not walk
up from the bank. - His attorneys,
J. E. Haycraft, R. H. McCune and
DeForrest Ward his son we're on
hand, and were made guests of
honor at an informal reception in
the courtroom. The entire party
then walked down the hill and into
the bank where another reception
was going on with the senator on
the receiving end. .
"Third Time Tried On Me-"
Well, l guess l won't have to
mortgage the farm now" said Mr..
Ward, who is reputed to be worth
about 100000. You know this is
the third time this has been tried
on me. The Bible says something
about turning the other cheek but
I'm wondering how many cheeks a
first time it was for $4,000 and
received the most blood curdling
letter you ever saw, telling me to
put the money under the east steps
of the opera house If l didn't want
to get cut open in seven different
ways. My friends were real wor-
ried about me. Then got to
thinking about a young fellow / had
let have $25 down in Hot Springs,
Ark, because he said he was up
against it. I compared the hand
writing with a note he had written
me down there and it was the
same. When they caught him there
he broke down and cried and in ten
minutes confessed the whole thing.
They sent him to st. Cloud and he
cut up so much there that they
moved him to Saltwater. l even
went so far later as to put in a
good word for him and get him par
oiled.
"The second time was for only
$4,000. That was one of the boys
at the Orphanage. You know there
is a stair of concrete and iron there
and the. boys love to slide down it
on the seats of their pants. l don't
know they do it. l couldn't do Ii
once and live. buS they seem to like
it. Well, this boy turned UP one
time with some bruises and said I
had whipped him. 1t took the jury
only ten minutes to decide that
case. But it's an unpleasant expert
ence and l hope this is the last one.
| don't care so much about the
money Ny reputation is worth
more than money apd I'd hate to
go out of this world with the kind Of
mark on it that this case tried to
put there"