Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 June 1906 — Kellogg Was Acquitted. [ARTICLE]

Kellogg Was Acquitted.

U, B. Kellogg was acquitted at Bloomington Tuesday evening, on the first ballot, although it is said a verdict of guilty was generally expected. The state proved by fotxr expert witnesses that,he himself wrote the Smith & Rogers letters; showed that he got the Merrilan, Wis. money after the failure of the Bloomington excursion, tangled Kellogg all up ou cross-examination, when he could not tell the name of a single acquaintance in any hotel where he stopped with the alleged Smith with whom he claimed to have traveled several weeks. A letter written in Canada by Kellogg to his wife was also put ia evidence in which be wanted her to join him there, as he did not intend to return to this country. The Star correspondent explains the verdict by saying that the popular sympathy was with Kellogg for the reason that he had duped only rich and prosperous people there, and the farmers and laboring men were glad to see them buncoed. The matter has been considered a hnge joke all along, and so treated in Bloomington papers. The sympathy dodge also probably cut considerable figure, as Kellogg’s wile and ehild were with him constantly. Kellogg was immediately re arrested v. n one of the 40 or so affidavits still pending against him, at Bloomington, and G. W. Michael, of Lafayette, is also still camping oo his trail. ’

Considering the strong case made against him at Bloomington, if he eseapesnll punishment there and «t Lafayette, his leading victims here will be much remiss in duty if the* 4o not also give him round. It would not be a cas 1 of the farmers and working people tickled to see the rich people fleeced, in a trial here, for many of tnose classes were also among the losers here. Nor have the papeis here openly ranked themselves on the side of the swindler by treating it all as a good joke, as did those of Bloom ington.