Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 October 1910 — JUST LISTEN TO THIS. [ARTICLE]

JUST LISTEN TO THIS.

Winamac Paper Publishes a False and Garbled Account of Bader Trial. Winamac and Pulaski county people wjll be gratified to learn that our fellow-citizen and bridge manufacturer, Clinton L. Bader, was found not guilty, and was completely exhonorated from all wrong-do-ing and intention to defraud in building bridges in Jasper county, in a trial held at Rensselaer Monday and Tuesday of this week.

It will be remembered that charges were filed in court against Mr. Bader by a member of a rival bridge concern, which was gradually losing much of its business to the Winamac company. Unfortunately the affair became complicated with local political differences in our neighbor county, and between the charges and counter-charges, our fellowtownsman found himself a defendant against all kinds of accusations, some of which appeared very ugly upon the surface, and derogatory reports were circulated all over the 1 state. The Republican has at every stage of the proceedings, firmly believed in Mr. Bader’s integrity, and it- is frith no little; gratification that we now learn that in the strongest case that could be made against him.

and in a trial in the* enemy’s own county, as it were, after the state had removed six of the regular jurors, that the evidence and result of the trial hot alone completely vindicates him from all wrong doing and fraud, but even discloses the fact that forgery was resorted to and public records were changed, in an effort to manufacture evidence. upon which to base the numerous complaints made against him. The complaint at this trial was that Mr. Bader had changed the figures on his bid, after the bid had been opened and passed upon by the county commissioners. The evidence at the trial disclosed the fact that the bid had been filed and the Contract let regularely and the proper prices allowed, and .that no change had been made in the bid by Mr. Bader. Further than this the evidence showed that the paper many months later, had been tampered with and the presumption was that someone had tried to hang a job upon the Winamae bridge builder.

After hearing the evidence, from both sides, the judge promptly named the nearest man in the jury box for foreman, and directed him to return a verdict of not guilty. In this, Its strongest case, the prosecution, although admirably and completely Conducted, had absolutely no evidence, upon which to sustain the charges so freely circulated against' Mr. Bader in unfriendly circles.

That sort of "(lope'' may go go with the readers of the Republican. but the people over here know... the facts. Xo evidence was heard on this case because the combined legal knowledge of the six attorneys ,for the defense were shrewd enough to keep it from being heard and found flaws in the affidavit which threw the case out of court. It never was charged by anyone! that we ever heard of before that there had been any "forging of the public records" or that there was any politics in the prosecution. The state excused but one regular juror instead of six. The “trial" did not exhonorate him of fraud in building bridges in Jasper county at all; and this case was never considered very “strong” by the state because of the difficulty in fixing the responsibility for the change in the bid, if such change was made as alleged, but the prosecutor firmly believed and still believes that the figures were changed and he wanted the guilty ones brought to justice. Instead of fully exhonorating Mr. Bader from all \vrong-doing and intent to it has been shown conclusively that Jasper county was robbed of S4OO oh the Milroy tp., bridge, and Prof. Smith of Purdue, who is not interested in any way in the matter, says that the taxpayers were swindled on every bridge he examined that was erected by the Winamae company, and as a result six more grand jury indictments are now pending. If the editor of the Republican had been here at this last "trial" he would not have written such a tissue of falsehoods as the above unless he is the worst liar in Indiana..