Today in History: April 9, 1911 – Theodore Roosevelt invited to Grand Forks, Police captain arrested – Obituary

Today in History revisits the April 9, 1911 edition of the Grand Forks Daily Herald. News of Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt’s decision not to be a candidate for the next presidential election made national as well as local news as the Grand Forks Commercial Club had invited Roosevelt to stop in Grand Forks on his journey around the U.S. Below is that story along with other news nuggets that caught our attention in the Daily Herald edition on April 9, 1911.

Wrote Commercial Club Some Time Ago of Inability to Stop Over.

Local Commercial Club Wrote Him February 11 Asking for Date But Ex-President Writes That it Would Be an Absolute Impossibility to Accept the Invitation—Text of Colonel’s Letter.

Theodore Roosevelt’s swing around the circle was not unnoticed by the Grand Forks Commercial club. Yesterday a Herald representative asked Secretary Graves if there would be an opportunity to have the ex-president stop off in Grand Forks on his return east and deliver an address. Secretary Graves stated that the club had taken this matter by February 11 and wrote the colonel asking for a date in Grand Forks. The reply of Roosevelt was as follows:

Gentlemen: I wish I could accept but it is a simple impossibility. I have received literally thousands of similar requests and with the best wishes in the world it has proved impossible for me to accept one in a hundred of these invitations. I deeply appreciate the courtesy and kindness of those who ask me to speak but you have no conception of the drain it is upon me even to accept the very limited proportion that I am physically able to accept, and I could not greatly increase this proportion or accept more of the invitations that come to me without absolutely abandoning all thought of any other work.

Faithfully yours,
—T. Roosevelt.
The Grand Forks Commercial club,
Grand Forks, N. D.

Minot, N. D., April 8, 1911.—Capt. of Police Heneghan was placed under arrest Monday afternoon, April 3, 1911, on two charges of false arrest preferred by Peter Ehr and his son, Edward Ehr, who are suing the officer for $10,000 each. Heneghan furnished the $1,000 bail in each case and was released. He was in charge of Deputy Dan Dougherty until he gave bail. Heneghan’s bondsmen are Amond and Andrew Balerud and Theodore Lee, and each of his bonds was given in the amount of $1,000. It is understood that the Ehrs will try to prove that the officer served a daylight warrant at night.

Minto, N. D., April 8.—Minto defeated Hillsboro in the high school debate held at Minto on April 7. Minto had the affirmative. The decision was unanimous. The judges were Professor Birdzell of Grand Forks, Professor McCown of Wesley college and Superintendent Bernard Street of St. Thomas. The Minto team consisted of Misses Gertrude Mantsenjak, Mamie Gillespie and John Boeing.

Winnipeg, Man., April 8.—While working in Cliff mine at Rossland yesterday, Harry Howard and Victor Shore were crushed to death by a fall of rock caused by the premature explosion of dynamite. Both miners were old timers in Rossland.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.