The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-06-14

Emmett j. White border patrolman
thought he had discovered mares
nest when he punctuated his COM
maAd TO halt with a sawed on shot
gun at Big Fall near the Canadian
border and which shooting resulted In
the death of Henry Virkula, who was
driving with his family-and not booze
running as the patrolman suspected.
The shooting was done simultaneously
with the command for the car TO stop
and the vehicle had not gone ten
feet when the shots were fired kill
ing Virkula and just missing Mrs.
Virkula and their two children who
were asleep in the back seat.
This shooting and the one at De-
troit where a boy q years Of age was
killed by enforcement officers has
created somewhat of panic along the
border and the people are wondering
if il is safe to travel about in car
while the patrol is running amuck
with sawed-off shotguns. Represen-
tative Pittenger of the Eighth Dis
trict in whose district the shooting
occurred. made a talk before the house
in which he brought out logic that is
not debatable when he said: IF the
killing of innocent men is part Of the
prohibition program, then We had bet
ter replace prohibition with some
method of government control under
which law and order will prevail"
Representative Pittenger was right.
Figures recently compiled by Wash
ington show that since the enactment
of prohibition, federal dry agents have
killed 135 persons while IS agents have
met death in the course of their work.
Customs men in the period since 1920
have killed % persons and nine GUS
toms men have been killed. This
surely should be enough and should
show the authorities that agents
should be tried and hung the same as
any other murderer The shooting CT
Virkula was murder and the murder
ed man did not even have a chance to
stop his car after being commanded
70 stop.
Another comment we will make is
that the country up around Interna
tional Falls on the Canadian border
has produced several sensations in the
past year which beat anything ever
attempted even in the palmiest of wet
days Whether this is the fault Of
the law or the fault of the people
should be settleu pronto before any
more families out for a drive are way
laid and murdered under the authority
vested in some nincompoop with
star and gun.
C4l ToI nc
Mayor of Minneapolis at the election
on Monday. 1t will now be Mayor
Kunze after the Inauguration End Col
Leach will have time 20 visit about
among his numerous friends and at
tend to some Of his deferred fishing
at his summer home near Lutsen on
the North Shore which he has sorely
neglected owing to his official duties
as mayor of the wicked Twin. Mr..
Kunze was highly recommended by
the people Of Minneapolis at the cleo
ton and will I'LL the Office satiSfac-
torily providing he does not get cold
feet, which condition sometimes fol-
lows after few years as chief eXecu-
tive of large towns with the varied in
terests trying to run the business for
him. We congratulate Mayor Leach
LIS IOllS d1lO dgOl- E4CCl
Kunze on his election.
The nomination of Lieutenant Gov
ernor w I. Nolan on the Republican
ticket for Congress to replace Con-
gresham Walter H Newton who is
now in the presidential family at
Washington, meets with the approval
of the larger part Of the citizens of
the state and it is hoped that his cleo
ton will follow on Monday next. With
Nolan on the ticket there will be two
also rams in the election, one of which
is the irrepressible Ernie Lundeen
who seems to be before the political
spotlight at each and every election =
not very strong, but there nevertheless
Arch Coleman, whom Nolan defeated
by 1872 votes applied for a recount
which was denied.
The election Of w. I Nolan, a fore
gone conclusion, sets in with the pol
itical program as outlined several
months ago. This takes him out Of
the race for governor and leaves the
slate open for the nomination OF
State Auditor Ray Chase for that po-
Continued on page FOUR