his northwestern guaranty loan company (and, by the law of the era, its shareholders) were liable for the losses. menage was indicted on charges of embezzlement but fled to guatemala before a warrant for his arrest was issued. menage's assistant, donald streeter, was tried twice but both trials ended with a hung jury. in an 1895 letter, menage protested his innocence, blaming the lyndale farm lawsuit for hurting his finances and also noting (correctly) that: "the practice of using another's name on a note or mortgage is not unknown in the business world." in 1899, the charges against menage were dropped after several key witnesses had died and others appeared reluctant to testify. by some accounts menage was present in the courtroom at the time; others suggest he never returned to minneapolis.