Curio | December 25, 2025

On This Day | Jim Jams Jemming in Court Again

232 words • 2 min read

Author

Josh Wolsky

A great deal of interest is expressed over the state on the third trial of Sam Clark and his partner, Crockard, of Jim Jam Jems at Bismarck. They were indicted by the federal grand jury for matter contained in the magazine and several news dealers over the United States got into trouble for selling the publication. The first trial resulted in a disagreement. In the second before Judge Willard of Minnesota, the jury convicted but recommended the defendants to the mercy of the court. Judge Willard imposed a penitentiary sentence instead of a fine as had been anticipated. There will be a third trial here Jan. 14. The chief contentions of the defendants against the second trial in which they were convicted are that an attorney was admitted as a juror and that he was a personal enemy of the defendants, and that Judge Willard admitted only excerpts in the evidence and not full sentences and paragraphs and the context shows the intent of objectionable phrases.
19131225 | Ward County Independent

Why We Chose It

The publisher behind the Bismarck paper that made national headlines was a former Minot mayor and newsman for Minot Daily Reporter. This case born in North Dakota was an early test of 1st amendment rights.