The
Frontier.
VOLUME XXIII.
O’NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1902.
!®SSB!IS
NUMBER 17.
H m: ~:1mmmmtmmmmmmmm
§1 S &/>e Public Records of |
H : Holt County are the Best I
p g Evidence. ^ ^ ^
IM Bills Allowed the Sheriff Show thad ,|
M the Covinty has Padd Cash for Le- , %
BM gad Notices in Foreclosure Causes. ,
O’Neill, Neb., October 16, 1902.
I will donate $100.00 to any charitable institution in the
county if the following statement can be disproved:
“Holt county has never paid one cent to any newspaper
man for services rendered for the publication of notices to non
resident defendants in the tax foreclosure cases which have
been begun by me. Arthur F. Mullen.
The above which appeared in the Independent of last
week is the only specific denial that County Attorney Mullen
has seen fit to make in answer to the numerous specific
charges that have been made against bis official conduct
through the columns of The Frontier. We wish our readers
to examine the above carefully. It is simply a denial of some
thing he has not been charged with. What The Frontier
charged, with reference to printers fees, was this, and we
quote from the issue of October 9, 1902:
The above amount, together with amounts charged in cases
started previous to last election, make a total of $14,057.89
that Holt County and the land owners have paid or arc to pay
the populist papers of this county for this infamous tax fore
closure system, and the amount is divided among them as fol
lows. :
Holt Connty Independent.$9,761.89
Atkinson Plain Dealer. 2,408.00
Ewing Advocate.'. 1,774.00
Stuart Herald.. . .. 112.00
Total.$14,057.89
The above is the charge we made and we here reiterate
it and we will double Mullen’s offer, and forfeit $200 to any
charitable institution in the county if we cannot prove it by
the printers bills on file in the office of the clerk of the district
court. Some of the bills the county has paid and others the
land owners and parties interested have paid and still others
have not yet been paid but must be paid by cither Holt county
or the land owners as the county and land are liable for the
costs. In all cases where the land is not worth all the taxes
and excessive costs that have accumulated (which is true in
many cases where the land is very poor) and is not redeemed
by the owner, then the county must pay the costs as every' in
telligent lax payer knows that the county', the same as an in
dividual, is liable for the costs.
The county has already paid thousands of dollars in
various kinds of costs in the foreclosure cases, such as sheriffs’
costs, clerk of district court costs, etc. In our exposition a
year ago of the high-handed corruption that permeates the
entire foreclosure system we published certified copies of two
of the bills filed by the populist Ex-Sheriff Stewarc and were
paid bv Holt county'. To refresh the minds of our readers as
to how the proceedings have been manipulated to fleece the
county we reproduce the two bills referred to:
The following itemized claim was tiled by Sherilf Stewart July
fFTHl 3, 1900:
(Illl O’Neill, Neb., July 3, 1900.
Holt County,
fzlljri To JonN M. Stewart, Ur.
(Hrai No. 5327—County of Holt vs. Elijah Butterfield.$22 45
irdta 5309 Elijah Butterfield. 30 25
(® 5551 Niantic Savings Bank . 31 00
fcnjS 5380 New England Loan & Trust Co- 17 70
5307 New England Loan & Trust Co. 20 75
£fi§ 5322 F. J. Porter. 30 50
5253 Henry Wyman. 37 00
HI 5325 J. G. Adams. 33 90
fj]El 5299 Ballou Banking Co. 30 12
fesn 5418 C. F. Bliven. 34 70
5428 Western Farm Land Co. 31 70
4898—W. It. Butler vs It. B. Atlion. • 29 25
NufS 4901 Isaac Sayer. 30 25
4903 C. H. Toncray. 28 35
iffl Total.$427 22
The State of Nebraska, County of Holt, ss.
gJjg] I hereby certify that within and foregoeing is a true copy of a claim
[mrj] of John M. Stewart’s now on file in my ollice. AVitness my hand and
idLb] official seal this 16th day of October, 1901.
KfP (Seal) John S. Leis, Connty Clerk,
pjjfj By C. F Englehaupt, Deputy.
R This claim was allowed July 14, 1900, and for which were issued
general fund warrants Nos. 314 and 315.
The following claim was filed by Sheriff Stewart September 28,
1900;
IHl] O’Neill, Neb., Sept. 28, 1900.
(©) Holt County,
To John M. Stewart, Dr.
IEIhJ No.5215 County of Holt vs A. C. Bliven.$29 73
5516 A. It. Brown. 21 95
- P. McConnell...'. 50
5250 C. F. Bliven. 22 80
5483 Ballou Banking Co. 19 75
[Hfii 5521 H. S. Borthlemue. 33 65
6049 AV. P. Bump. 32 75
5309 E. B. Burr. 30 20
fcirS 5526 Clara E. Burrage. 22 45
5524 C. E. Crabtree. 21 85
Eljl] 5541 C. C. Cuyler. 21 85
®J| 5303 Frank Ball. 25 70
lljpi 6042 Chester County G. & S. D. Co. 23 55
Total.$312 73
r-JL-n The State of Nebraska, Holt County, ss.
©I I hereby certify that the within and foregoing is a true copy of a
H Umi liiSliliiSlilHSlilHIBriltiiSiliiSiilliiSrilfilS
claim of John M. Stewart’s now on tile in my office. Witness my hand
and seal this 17th day of October, 1901.
• (Seal) John S. Leis, County Clerk.
By C. F. Englehaupt, Deputy.
General fund warrant No. 428 was issued for this claim on October
10, 1900.
In every case Included In the above bills, excepting the case of I*.
McConnell for 50 cents, an examination of the tiles shows that the
sheriff has included in his statement of costs a PRINTERS
fee in each case of from $9 to $12, and which, the county has
paid.
In the following cases the Ewing Advocate published the sheriff’s
notices and the respective amounts were included in Stewart’s bills as
“printer’s fees’’ and were PAID BY IIOLT COUNTY.
Case No. 5251.$12 I Case No. 5516.$ 9
5483. 9 I 6049. 12
5541. 9 | 5327. 12
5309. 9 | -
Total .:.$72
In the following cases the notices were published in the Atkinson
Plain Dealer and for which the COUNTY HAS PAID the following
amounts:
Case No. 5399 .$12 Case No. 5418.$12
5428. 12 5250 . 9
5521. 12 5624 . 9
5363 . 9 6042. ... 12
Total..$87
In the following six cases the notices were published by the Holt
County Independent and the respective amounts WERE PAID
BY THE COUNTY:
Case No. 5651.$12 Case No. 5322. $15
5253. 15 5325. 12
5369. 12 6526. 12
Total.$78
rrom the toregoing it win oe seen tnat rioit county na°
paid in those two bills alone $739 95 in costs and $237 of it
was “printers fees.” Note Mullen’s guarded statement about
the county not paying “one cent to any newspaper man. If
the “newspaper man” did not get the fees in these cases the
pop sheriff knocked them down as the oounty has paid them.
This proposition of Mullen’s, which is the only defense he
has so far offered, is an insult to the intelligence of the voters
of this count)' if he thinks by this that he can hoodwink any
intelligent voter and sandbag their intellect by this flimsy sub
terfuge. To get down to the real meat in the coconut, we
will suppose, for the sake of argument, that Holt county never
paid one cent in any kind of costs nor liable for any, would
Mullen and his land-grabbing clique be justified in putting in
dividual land owners to over $14,000.00 costs in “printers
fees” alone, say nothing about the costs and the thousands of
acres of land they have bamboozeled people out of?
We Submit Proof.
The downright falsehoods that County Attorney Mullen
and the populist papers of this county are indulging in to de
ceive the voters and sandbag their intelligence is simply
amazing. Mullen and the land syndicate gang are busily en
gaged writing editorials and having them published in the In
dependent and Ewing Advocate. The following which ap
peared in the Ewing Advocate of last week is a fair sample
of the shameful falsehoods that they are attempting to deceive
the voters of this county with:
“The charge is made that great amounts of costs have been
pa d by Holt county. We challenge the republican press to
sight a single case during the administration of County At
torney Mullen in which ANY costs have been paid by the
county."
Mullen is making a similar statement at his meetings in
the county.
We publish below certified copies of three of the several
bills that Mullen has filed against the county and for which he
has received the money, and submit the case to the intelligence
of our readers as to whether or not “any costs have been paid
by Holt county.” Following are the bills:
Tiie County of Holt,
To Arthur F. Mullen, Hr.
Ariil 3,1901, For postage first quarter.$ 8 00
Stenographers services (Morse). 2 00
Stenographers services (Bright. 1 25
Box rent. 10
Moving book case (Cronin). 50
Expense in gambling case. 1 80
Map of county. 25
Expense in Morrow case. 6 10
Expense in going to Lincoln to confer witli
Hagan in Nebraska Loan & Trust Co cases,
fare $11.20; hotel $2.00. 13 20
Kent for type writer (February, March). 10 00
Total.$43 80
State of Nebraska, County of IIolt, hs.
1, E. S. Gilmour, county Clerk, do hereby certify that the within
and foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original claim. Wit
ness iny hand and seal this 18th day of October, 1002.
(Seal) ’ E. S. Gilmour, County Clerk.
J. C. Harnish, Deputy.
Tiie County of Holt,
To Arthur F. Mullen, Dr.
July 12, 1901, Postage.$ 44
18, Postage. 2 00
Box rent.. 35
8, Expense in Mulford case... 2 20
15, Expense in Kohiennie case_—. 3 50
Aug. 3, Type writer ribbons bought in May. 150
7, Postage. 2 00
Sept. 3, Postage. 2 00
13, Postage. 1 00
30, Expense in Speli case in June. 2 37
Total.$17 30
State of Nebraska, County of Holt, ss..
I, E. S. Gilmour, County Clerk, do hereby certify that the within
and foregoing is a true and correct copy of original claim. Witness my
hand and seal this 18th day of October. 1902.
1 (Seal) E. s. Gilmour, County Clerk.
J. C. Harnish, Deputy.
(Concluded on Page 4.)
-"——■1—» —*1—■»—■ »—• y—»—.—I k—11—If. T.; M—IC—M..,; :ji—M—n;,.—m—ii- rr..^u—
I Certificate From Clerk 1
Showing “Who is Right” |
and “Who is Wrong.” §
This Proves Conclusively that Holt M
County Hns PeJd Costs in County M
Foreclosure Cases. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ M
The Independent and Ewing Advocate of last week blaz
oned forth in box-car type scare head lines over a letter writ
ten by Mr. John Skirving to County Attorney Mullen. If the
reader was to take the comments and statements of the pop
papers on the letter, he would be led to believe that Mr.
Skirving, by his letter, had given to County Attorney Mullen
a clear bill of particulars and ticket of leave whereby County
Attorney Mullen could read his official record clear in connec
tion with his actions in tax foreclosure cases. A reading of
the letter discloses an entirely different state of affairs than
Mullen and the pop papers would like to have the tax payers
of this county believe.
lhis is what Mr. bkirving says:
“1 find that in no case, since Mullen has been county attor
ney, svhcre the lands have been sold or where the case has been
dismissed any costs have been taxed to or paid by Ilolt coun
ty.”
As can be seen at a glance by any intelligent reader this
statement only covers such cases “as have been sold or dis
missed.” No mention is made of the several hundred cases
that have neither “been sold or dismissed,” but are now pend
ing and undisposed of and in which Ilolt county has paid the
clerk's costs. The cases that have gone to sale during Mullen’s
term do not exceed twenty-five, as the republican board of
supervisors put a stop to this damnable method of robbing
people of their land early last January.
No one has contended that in cases where the land had
“gone to sale” that the county has paid the costs. Every one
knows that the purchaser must pay the costs before he can get
a deed. The cases that have been •“dismissed” are cases
where the land owners have come in and paid up the costs
and thereby thwarted the manifest intention of Mullen and his
gang from lobbing them out of their land. So, in cases of
this kind when the land owners have paid the costs, no one has
contended that the county has paid the costs in such cases.
The large per cent, of the cases filed belong to neither of the
above class. The most of the cases are the undisposed of, and
are now pending and in which Ilolt county has paid whatever
clerk of the district court or sheriff's costs have been made and
the county is liable and will have all costs to pay including prin
ters /ccs in any cases that are not paid up by the land owners.
There will be many cases that will not be paid up by the land
owners as the costs have been made so exceedingly high by
Mullen’s manipulation, that the land in many cases is not
worth the taxes that have accumulated and the exorbitant
costs added. Mullen, and the populist press of this county,
have with tliis statement from Mr. Skirving, simply built up a
straw man to knock down, as there is nothing in Mr. Skirv
ing’s statement that disagrees in any manner with the facts
we have stated. If Mullen wanted to be honest and enlight
en the lax payers of this county as to what had been Mr.
Skirving’s fees in connection with tax foreclosures, he could
have received from him as we have done, a detailed statement
showing just what fees of his office have been charged to
Holt county in county tax cases. gjHi
hollowing is a certificate trom Mr. bkirving: r5*|1
O’Neill, Nebil, Oct. 20,1902. pri
This is to certify that In the semi-annual settlements of this office
with the County Board from July 3, 1899, to July 3, 1902, the county
has been charged with fees earned by this offce in tax foreclosure cases Iasi]
in which Ilolt county is plaintiff as follows: |SkI
July 1, 1899 to fees earned prior to July 1, 1899. $332 20 [3El
January 1, 1900 to fees earned since July 1, 1899 . 383 98 iktO
July 1, 1900 “ “ “ “ January 1, 1900 . 330 50 KS
January 3, 1901. “ “ “ “ July 3, 1900. 221 07 K©
July 3, 1901 “ “ “ “ January 3, 1901. 118 32 pH
January 3, 1902 “ “ “ “ July 2, 1901. 472 39
July 3, 1902 “■ “ “ “ January 3, 1902. 144 29 Ejgl
Total.$2,228 75 TO
In part of the cases, where the land has gone to sale or cases dis- j3Ej
missed the county has been reimbursed in the amountcharged against Qnjg
it. John Skirving, rcgfoi
[seal] Clerk District Court. ||||
From this it will be seen that $2,228.75 has been charged fBEfl
to the county by Mr. Skirving as his costs; $735 of the Ejj3
amount being charged during Mullen’s term. The county has ||||
been reimbursed by a portion of this in cases that have “gon e {ggj
to sale” or when “costs have been paid by land owners.” j5jg]
It will now be in order for Mullen and the land pirates to ^
resort to some other subterfuge in their desperate attempt to ^
evade the real charges we have made against them.
The thoughtful and observant reader sees that the histori- 3®
cal truths and undeniable facts which The Frontier produces Ip
from the public archives of Holt county are being answered =!
by Mullen by denying something of which he has not been 3E
accused, a challenge for debate and personal abuse of R. R. S©
Dickson, in a way that should bring the blush of shame to any zlE]
one not abandoned to all sense of manhood or political eti